We investigated the effects of a single-session health tourism program, combining forest walking and hot spring bathing, on heart rate variability (HRV) and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. Eight healthy male athletes with no history of cardiovascular or respiratory disease participated in this study. The intervention consisted of one hour of forest walking followed by one hour of aquatic exercise and hot spring bathing. HRV indices—including mean heart rate, the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) power, and the LF/HF ratio—were assessed using an SA-3000P analyzer, and EEG activity (theta, alpha, and beta waves) was recorded before and after the intervention with a ProComp Infiniti system. Pre- and post-intervention values were compared using paired-samples t-tests (α = 0.05). The results indicated a significant decrease in mean heart rate and a significant increase in RMSSD (p < 0.05). However, no significant changes were observed in the other HRV parameters (LF, HF, LF/HF) or EEG components (theta, alpha, beta). In conclusion, the integrated forest walking and hot spring program elicited beneficial autonomic nervous system responses, as evidenced by improvements in HRV, although it did not significantly affect EEG indicators.
Health TourismForest HealingHot SpringElectroencephalogramHeart Rate Variability
저자
Hwi-Tae Kim [ Ph.D. Student, Department of Physical Education, Dankook University, Republic of Korea ]
Ki-Hong Kim [ Professor, Department of Recreation and Leisure Sports, Dankook University, Republic of Korea President, The Korean Academy of Hot Spring, Republic of Korea ]
Corresponding Author