If you have ever run for a while after a hard and stressful day, you must have definitely felt that you feel better and forget about the mental fatigue of work and daily stress. The link between exercise and mood is definitely very strong. So much so that even after 5 minutes of relatively moderate exercise, mood levels increase (cheerfulness). Although the effect of physical activity on human mood remains relatively short-lived, research has shown that regular exercise can alleviate long-term depression.
Evidence from a wide range of population studies shows that people who are active and productive are less likely to be depressed than those who are inactive, and that people who are productive are more likely to develop depressive disorders when they retire for some reason. And when these people start a regular exercise program, they become less depressed. In one study, people with low levels of activity who had major depressive disorder were divided into the following four groups:
1- A group that exercised with supervision and a specific program.
2- A group that exercised at home.
3- The group that received antidepressant treatment.
4- The group that was treated with placebo.
After 4 months, the results were reported as follows: the group that had a specific exercise program and the group that took antidepressants reached a period of improvement more than the group that took placebo. A one-year follow-up of these people showed that the type of treatment that was adopted for these people during these four months was not in any way predictive of their remaining disease-free. In addition, at the one-year follow-up, people who continued to exercise had lower levels of depression and a lower rate of disease recurrence.
Another group of researchers studying depression in diabetics put a number of diabetic patients who were also suffering from depression on a regular exercise program in addition to their diabetes treatment. In this study, it was observed that diabetic patients who had a regular and expert exercise program had both better HbA1C and better control of their depression following treatment.
Fight or flight response:
In addition to the above, research has shown that exercise helps reduce severe stress in the face of certain situations. As you know, when faced with emotional situations, our nervous system enters a cascade of reactions such as: sweating, dizziness, heart palpitations. People who are hypersensitive to emotions experience fear after facing stressful situations and may even have panic attacks, and this is exactly where specific exercise methods come to our aid and can prevent these acute reactions (panic attacks). Studies have shown that when people who suffer from panic attacks or unusual emotional reactions undergo exercise programs that increase heart rate, sweating, etc., after a two-week workshop period, they appear better than before in the face of stressful situations and show more normal emotional reactions.
Quitting smoking:
Research has shown that exercise can be very effective in facilitating smoking cessation, especially when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. However, exactly what type and how much exercise can have the most effect is being studied. The positive effect of exercise on improving mood and mental health has been proven, and today, a lot of research is being conducted on whether exercise should be combined with other treatments or not, comparing combination treatments and examining the amount of activity that should be recommended (based on the amount of calories that should be consumed during exercise). Another group of studies has shown that gender and family history of mental illness play a large role in the effectiveness of exercise and determining the appropriate amount of exercise, so that it has been seen that in men and women who do not have a family history of mental illness; relatively intense exercise will be beneficial. While studies have shown that in women with a family history of mental illness, a lower dose of physical activity can be beneficial and constructive. Additionally, what type of exercise is most helpful is still debated. Some studies have found aerobic exercise beneficial, some studies have found isometric exercise beneficial, and some studies have found exercises such as yoga beneficial, but this is still a matter of debate.
The effect of exercise on protecting the brain:
It’s not yet clear exactly what specific effects moving your muscles can have on your mind. Some research suggests that exercise may help reduce depression by increasing serotonin, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, in the body (which promotes the growth of neurons). Another theory suggests that exercise has a protective effect on the brain by regulating sleep. On the other hand, exercise is a meaningful activity that gives a person a sense of accomplishment, which improves one’s attitude towards oneself, and which helps to balance the response to stress. Studies in mice have shown that exercise affects a part of their brain called the infralimbic cortex. The equivalent of this part in humans is the cingulate cortex, which is involved in the treatment of depression.
An important question that arises after what has been described above is why, despite all the positive effects that we are almost aware of, most people around the world do not have a definite and regular plan for exercising? The answer is that most people refuse to start a heavy exercise program or do it for a short period of time and then give up. However, research shows that a relatively moderate and completely regular exercise program can (the amount of activity that increases the heart rate and breathing rate to the point that a person cannot speak easily) have very positive effects on weight control, blood lipids and blood sugar (which appear in the long term); it can also have tangible and relatively immediate effects on people’s mood and reduce depression, anxiety and stress in the long term.
