Time in Nature or Forest Bathing

We did not find any published evidence that time in nature has been studied for improving treatment outcomes.

What is your body terrain? ›

• Preliminary evidencesignificant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of higher immune activation among adults and/or children with greater exposure to natural environments
• Preliminary evidence of less inflammation among people ranging from healthy young adults to elderly adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or hypertension participating in forest bathing
• Preliminary evidence of health-promoting changes in skin and gut microbiota among urban daycare children with greater exposure to nature

See How can time in nature help you? What the research says ›

• Preliminary evidencesignificant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of less anxiety among people with cancer in an educational facility with outlooks on natural scenery
• Preliminary evidence of better wellness and spiritual sense among people with cancer spending time in nature or listening to nature sounds
• Weak evidenceone or more case studies, supported by animal evidence OR small treatment effects of limited clinical significance OR studies with no controls OR weak trends of effects (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of better sleep efficiency and sleep time among people with gastrointestinal tract cancer participating in forest therapy

Not specific to people with cancer:

• Modest evidencesignificant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observational studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of lower anxiety among people participating in forest bathing or spending time in a forest
• Modest evidence of less anxiety and agitation among people without cancer in critical care listening to recordings of nature-based sounds
• Modest evidence of lower blood pressure or heart rate among people with more exposure to nature
• Modest evidence of better cognitive performance among people listening to nature-based sounds
• Modest evidence of better mood among people listening to nature-based sounds
• Modest evidence of less pain among people listening to recordings of nature-based sounds
• Modest evidence of better reported health and well-being among people with exposure to nature
• Modest evidence of lower risk of stress-related disorders among people with dense vegetation near their residences
• Modest evidence of less stress and annoyance among people listening to nature-based sounds

See How can time in nature help you? What the research says ›

• Modest evidencesignificant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observational studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of lower cancer mortality over 8 years among women living near higher levels of vegetation
• Modest evidence of lower risk of breast cancer among people living in urban areas close to green spacegeographical areas characterized by higher levels of vegetation, especially compared to environments built by humans and characterized by concrete, asphalt, and other surfaces not occurring in nature
• Modest evidence of lower risk of childhood leukemia among children living in a large urban area within 250 m of urban parks or urban wooded areas
• Modest evidence of lower risk of prostate cancer among people with higher levels of residential greenness

See How can time in nature help you? What the research says ›

• Recommendation for integrating nature into cancer care settings by a panel of experts
• Recommended by one integrative oncology protocol

See How do experts recommend time in nature? ›

• Generally safe, although some serious outcomes are possible; caution and supervision are needed for people with specific conditions or who are new to time in nature
• Higher risk of cancer among people living close to or working in green spacesgeographical areas characterized by higher levels of vegetation, especially compared to environments built by humans and characterized by concrete, asphalt, and other surfaces not occurring in nature, mainly agricultural areas; this risk is possibly due to exposure to higher levels of agricultural chemicals including pesticides

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• Widely available without restriction and generally inexpensive (less than $500 US/year)

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