Abstract
Employee problems arising from mental illnesses have steadily increased and become a serious social problem in recent years. Wood is a widely available plant material, and knowledge of the psychophysiological effects of inhalation of woody volatile compounds has grown considerably. In this study, we established an experimental method to evaluate the effects of Japanese cedar wood essential oil on subjects performing monotonous work. Two experiment conditions, one with and another without diffusion of the essential oil were prepared. Salivary stress markers were determined during and after a calculation task followed by distribution of questionnaires to achieve subjective odor assessment. We found that inhalation of air containing the volatile compounds of Japanese cedar wood essential oil increased the secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s). Slight differences in the subjective assessment of the odor of the experiment rooms were observed. The results of the present study indicate that the volatile compounds of Japanese cedar wood essential oil affect the endocrine regulatory mechanism to facilitate stress responses. Thus, we suggest that this essential oil can improve employees’ mental health.
Highlights
Complex problems such as heavy workloads, poor work conditions, and stressful human relationships in the workplace could promote mental health disturbances
To investigate the effects of Japanese cedar wood essential oil after monotonous work, saliva collection, and subjective assessments were performed in this study (Figure 2)
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Japanese cedar wood essential oil diffused into the experiment room were analyzed
Summary
Complex problems such as heavy workloads, poor work conditions, and stressful human relationships in the workplace could promote mental health disturbances. Employee problems related to mental illnesses, including depression, have steadily increased and become a significant social problem in recent years. Work stresses have been suggested to exert various adverse effects such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes in workers [1,2,3,4,5]. Medication for several mental illnesses presents a number of unpleasant side effects, including dizziness, nausea, and sleep disturbances. Psychoactive drugs or symptoms of mental illness impair work performance [6,7,8]. A comfortable workplace and space for relaxation have been suggested to improve or promote mental health
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