Physical exercise is a public health method used to treat and avoid many health problems. It also treats many mental problems such as depression and anxiety disorders. However, studies have found that, besides its positive effects, physical activity can also be associated with decreased mental health. It is due to disturbances such as “excessive exercise” and Syndrome overtraining. The number of studies on the effects of physical exercise on mental wellbeing is rising. These reports have not yet clarified the causes for mental health benefits and dangers of exercise. This essay examines the evidence available on the relationship between physical activity and mental health. We will especially explain the relationship between exercise and mood.
The Positive Link Between Exercise and Mood
Exercise can have a major effect on your mood. It is believed to be as beneficial as anti-depressants in treating mild to moderate depression.
Exercise helps with the treatment of depression. It can also keep people from being depressed again. But it’s important to keep up with the exercise regime after people get healthier.
We don’t understand exercise and mood sufficiently to know exactly what kind of exercise is best-or how much- help you to avoid less helpful approaches, such as drinking alcohol or dwelling on how you feel.
We don’t understand why exercise is so effective at changing mood conditions yet. But we know it works.
This May Be Linked To A Combination Of Factors, Including:
- Exercise improves chronic depression by raising serotonin (which helps the brain control mood, sleep, and appetite) or brain-derived neurotrophic factor (which helps neurons grow).
- Exercise decreases immune system chemicals that can cause depression worse.
- It raises the level of endorphins, which are regular mood lifters.
- It also helps you get your sleep habits back to normal. We know that having enough sleep will protect the brain from damage.
- Exercise gives you a focused experience that will make you feel a sense of accomplishment.
- Exercise reduces the impact of stress on the brain.
What We Know About Exercise and Mood?
Many experiments have been done to explain the Association between exercise and mood.
What We Know Is:
- People who workout daily show fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than people who do not exercise.
- Low-level exercise can be a successful treatment of its own for mild to moderate depression.
- 16 weeks of regular exercise is just as beneficial as anti-depressant medication.
- Exercise can help treat depressed people who have partially responded to anti-depressants. That is, it can help them get better over time.
- All aerobic exercise (such as walking, cycling, or running) and strength training (such as weightlifting) can help.
How Does Exercise Help Depression and Anxiety?
Regular Exercise Can Help Relieve Depression and Anxiety By:
- Releasing feeling-good endorphins, natural cannabis-like brain chemicals (endogenous cannabinoids), etc
- Extracting your mind from worry so you can get away from the cycle of negative thinking. This negative thinking fuels depression and anxiety
Physical and Mental Health
Mental health problems can have a significant negative impact on a person’s life. Anxiety and depression are two of the most commonly occurring mental illnesses.
According to the American Anxiety and Depression Association, In the United States, 18.1 percent of adults have had an anxiety disorder in the previous year. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that 7.1% of U.S. adults had a depressive episode.
There is increasing evidence that physical activity can help to prevent or cure mental illnesses. However, many questions still need to be answered.
For example, what measures should researchers take to quantify physical activity? How can mental health problems be prevented or a person’s mental health improved? Is it possible to show a causal link between Exercise and Mood?
It is essential to have comprehensive evidence of the relationship between Exercise and Mood.
To begin answering some of these questions, a team of researchers analyzed a large dataset. This allowed them to understand the relationship between Exercise and Mood.
More Evidence That Exercise Can Boost Mood
According to a recent study, running for 15 minutes per day reduces the risk of major depression.
Depression may be overcome, according to a study published online on January 23 by JAMA Psychiatry. We have seen a 26% decrease in the chances of becoming depressed for each major increase in objectively measured regular exercise, says study author Karmel Choi. He is a clinical and research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This increase in physical activity is what you could see on your fitness tracker. You just have to replace 15 minutes of sitting with 15 minutes of running. Or one hour of sitting with one hour of physical intensity like a quick walk.
Cause Or Effect?
This is not the first study to show that exercise can benefit mood. But until now, it’s mostly a chicken-and-egg discussion—which came first?
We hear a lot about how exercise and mood are connected. We don’t know whether being physically active can improve emotional wellbeing. Or if we move less when we feel sad or depressed, Choi says.
A study aimed to find out. We wanted to see if there might be a link between Exercise and Mood in either direction, Choi says. Does regular exercise protect from depression? Or is depression simply reducing physical activity? Our study allowed us to unravel these questions in a powerful new way, using genetic data.
Study Technique
To do this, the study used a technique known as Mendelian randomization. It relied on data from two massive genetic databases containing hundreds of thousands of individuals. Researchers could use genetic variations between people as a natural experiment thanks to access to genetic data. It allowed them to understand better how exercise affects depression and vice versa, Choi says. What they found was that exercise was able to reduce the risk of depression.
They found that people who moved more had a lower risk of major depressive disorder. But it is only when the exercise was objectively measured using a tracking device. Not when people self-reported how much exercise they did.
The Bottom Line
If you enjoy a good, hearty gym workout, keep it going. But if you don’t, just getting off the sofa and moving around for a while can help. To help avoid depression, you should do at least 15 minutes of higher-intensity exercise a day. Or at least one hour of lower-intensity exercises, such as walking or housework.
Intentionally moving your body in gentler ways throughout the day—like walking, stretching, taking the stairs, cooking—can still add up in good ways to your mood. And that’s a very encouraging message.
