The Role of Exercise in Boosting Mood and Mental Health
Did you know that your daily jog or trip to the gym does more than keep cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at bay? In fact, a growing body of research shows a link between exercise and improved mental health. Studies also point to associations between increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor mental health among adolescents.
When you look at this research, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that more and more mental health practitioners are recommending exercise as a part of the treatment process. Let’s look at why this is the case and how exercise plays a role in improving mood and mental health.
The Holistic Approach To Mental Health Treatment
These days, there’s an increase in the number of mental health professionals adopting exercise and movement as part of treatment. This is attributed to the growing popularity of the holistic therapy approach, which is based on the premise of maintaining mental, physical, and spiritual health for overall well-being.
Most holistic therapy programs, such as mental disorder treatment for young adults at URP Behavioral Health, involve exercise. In these programs, workout routines are designed as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that also includes evidence-based psychotherapies.
- Stimulating the Production of Feel Good Chemicals
If you feel like a daily workout makes you feel good, it’s because movement can stimulate the release of endorphins. The brain releases these neurotransmitters through the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
Endorphins have a number of functions, with the most important being reducing pain by blocking pain receptors. One study shows that participants who engaged in one hour of high-intensity interval training showed a significant rise in endorphin levels compared to an hour of less demanding activity.
- Controlling Stress Levels
Besides reducing pain, endorphins alleviate stress levels. Research indicates that endorphins can mediate levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Research shows a link between exercise and lower concentrations of salivary cortisol.
Another way that regular exercise can reduce stress is by balancing the autonomic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system, which handles rest-and-digest processes, is responsible for relaxing your body and is activated when you take slow, deep breaths after exercise.
- Promoting Mindfulness
Exercise is an effective way to apply principles of mindfulness and avoid negative thoughts. It involves adopting certain practices, like focusing on your breathing patterns and the physical sensations in your body as you contract and relax different muscles. For example, if you’re running, notice how your breath quickens as you pick up speed and how your feet feel on the ground.
- Alleviates Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Besides the above-mentioned benefits, exercise is proven to stimulate the release of dopamine and serotonin. It also increases brain concentrations of norepinephrine, which can help alleviate anxious and depressive symptoms. A serotonin or dopamine imbalance can lead to high stress levels and problems with mood regulation, which, over time, can lead to mood or anxiety disorders.
- Reduces Symptoms of ADHD and Schizophrenia
Because depression and anxiety-related disorders are so common, the benefits of exercise for these conditions are often well-known. But there’s increasing research on the positive effects of regular exercise on other disorders as well.
A research review in the Pharmacology Bulletin journal explains that exercise therapy improves both positive and negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia. In addition to enhancing their quality of life and reducing psychotic symptoms, exercise increases hippocampal volume in the brains of schizophrenic clients. Exercise is also cited as a highly effective nonpharmaceutical treatment for ADHD, as it improves motivation and reduces confusion in performing mental tasks.
- Improves Emotion Regulation
Emotional dysregulation is a common symptom of different mental health disorders. This includes PTSD and certain mood disorders. Poor ability to regulate your emotions can prevent you from responding appropriately to stressful situations and have a negative impact on interpersonal relationships. According to one study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, participants showed improved implicit emotion regulation after eight weeks of mind-body exercise.
- Improves Sleeping Patterns
There are various studies linking sleep deficiency and deprivation to poor mental health and risk-taking behavior. On the other hand, a lack of sleep, also known as insomnia, is a common symptom of anxiety and mood disorders. This leads to a vicious cycle in which your symptoms grow worse due to a lack of sleep. Regular exercise is an effective way to break the cycle and start getting more Z’s.
Exercise improves sleep by reducing cortisol levels, which would otherwise cause you to stay awake. Not to mention, exercising during the day keeps you energized and reduces daytime sleepiness. This means you take fewer naps, causing a build-up of sleep pressure that helps you fall asleep quickly.
How Much Exercise Do I Need?
Now that you understand how exercise can improve your mental health, you’re probably wondering how much you need. Don’t worry; you don’t need intense workouts to gain the mental health benefits of exercise. Most studies show that low-intensity aerobic exercise for about 30 minutes, 5 days a week, is effective at improving your mood.
Of course, you can’t expect to feel better in a day, especially if you haven’t exercised in a long time. It’ll take anywhere between 10 to 12 weeks until you start feeling a difference. It’s also important that the right exercise routine will differ based on your mental health symptoms, age, and whether you have any preexisting health conditions. It’s best to consult your physician so they can recommend suitable exercises to maintain your mental well-being.
Conclusion
Exercise is highly effective at alleviating symptoms of mental health disorders while improving mental health. It’s proven to stimulate the release of important neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine while reducing stress hormone levels. Exercise also helps you sleep better, breaking the cycle of sleep deprivation that exacerbates symptoms. Research also indicates an improvement in ADHD, PTSD, and schizophrenia with regular exercise routines.
