The evidence keeps mounting every
year – the positive effects of exercise on depression are undeniable. Exercise
increases blood flow to the brain, which helps regulate the brain’s chemical
balance. The brain’s feel-good hormones – endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin –
experience a gradual upsurge while harmful stress hormone levels steadily
plummet. Mood is elevated, which clarifies and enhances thinking on day-to-day
tasks and challenges. Stress levels are reduced and a longer, deeper night’s
sleep is almost certainly assured.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine:
According to the Mayo Clinic,
regular exercise is also effective in: “Reducing immune system chemicals that
can worsen depression.” and “Increasing body temperature, which may have
calming effects.”
American Journal of Preventive Medicine:
“There is promising
evidence that any level of Physical Activity, including low levels (e.g.,
walking <150 minutes/weeks), can prevent future depression. From a
population health perspective, promoting PA may serve as a valuable mental
health promotion strategy in reducing the risk of developing depression.”
Physical Activity and
the Prevention of Depression
The British Journal
of Psychiatry:
“Our findings suggest
that, for older people who present with clinically meaningful symptoms of
depression, prescribing structured exercise tailored to individual ability will
reduce depression severity.”
Effect of exercise on
depression severity in older people: systematic review and meta-analysis of
randomised controlled trials
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/201/3/180
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/201/3/180
Division of
Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.:
“There is evidence to
suggest that the addition of cognitive-behavioral therapies, specifically
exercise, can improve treatment outcomes for many patients … Exercise is a
behavioral intervention that has shown great promise in alleviating symptoms of
depression.”
The Benefits of Exercise for the Clinically Depressed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15361924
The Journal of Sports
Medicine and Physical Fitness:
“Results indicated
that the reduction in anger, confusion, fatigue, and tension, and increase in
vigor was significantly greater in the depressed mood group, hence consistent
with theoretical predictions ….. Findings lend support to the notion that
exercise is associated with improved mood. However, findings show that this
effect was significantly greater among individuals reporting symptoms of
depressed mood before exercise.”
The effects of exercise on mood changes: the moderating effect of
depressed mood http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11687775
Journal of the American Medical Association
The finding is exciting not only because depression is very common and
can be deeply debilitating among people with heart failure — up to 40% are
clinically depressed and three-quarters score higher than average on tests of
depressive symptoms, according to background information in the study — but
it’s also consistent with previous research suggesting that exercise may be
effective as a treatment for depression more widely.
More Evidence that Exercise May Help Treat Depression
Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine:
“Among individuals with Major Depressive Disorder, exercise therapy is
feasible and is associated with significant therapeutic benefit, especially if
exercise is continued over time.”
Exercise Treatment for Major Depression: Maintenance of Therapeutic
Benefit at 10 Months http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/62/5/633.short
Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry:
“Aerobic exercises, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking,
gardening, and dancing, have been proved to reduce anxiety and depression.3
These improvements in mood are proposed to be caused by exercise-induced
increase in blood circulation to the brain and by an influence on the
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and, thus, on the physiologic
reactivity to stress …… Health benefits from regular exercise that should be
emphasized and reinforced by every mental health professional to their patients
include the following: improved sleep, increased interest in sex, better
endurance, stress relief, improvement in mood, increased energy and stamina,
reduced tiredness that can increase mental alertness, weight reduction, reduced
cholesterol and improved cardiovascular fitness.”
Exercise for Mental Health http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/
John J. Ratey, MD, author of Spark: The Revolutionary New
Science of Exercise and the Brain, offers some experienced counsel:
“Exercise is not an instant cure, but you need to get your brain working
again, and if you move your body your brain won’t have any choice. It’s a
process, and the best strategy is to take it one step – and then one stride –
at a time. Start slowly and build on it. At its core, depression is defined by
an absence of moving toward anything, and exercise is the way to divert those
negative signals and trick the brain into coming out of hibernation.” (page140)
Photo: artmonia.tumblr.com CC
Jerry De Luca is a Christian freelance writer who loves perusing dozens of interesting and informative publications. When he finds any useful info he summarizes it, taking the main points, and creates a (hopefully) helpful blog post.
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