Taking a stroll in the woods can help manage stress levels, lessen BP and help fight heart ailments, a new study has revealed.

One of the experiments, conducted by the researchers at the University of Essex, discovered that just looking at images of forests helped to reduce strains.

Dr. Valerie Gladwell led a team of scientists that carried out experiments on volunteers while measuring their stress levels.

The participants in the research were asked to walk in specified "green environments" at lunchtime slept better that night.

After eight weeks, the volunteers had lower blood pressure and perceived stress.

Gladwell said that her team`s research has shown that `green environments` can be an effective stress-buster.

She asserted that if they can encourage more people to enjoy the great outdoors it may help increase their levels of physical activity and, therefore, could also be a powerful tool to help fight cardiovascular disease.