Most Americans report high levels of stress! About half of American adults say uncertainty about the future makes them feel impossible to plan for the future. About a third say their stress levels are so high that they sometimes even struggle with basic decisions. It is estimated that 75 – 90% of all visits to GPs are related to stress-related problems.
The good news is that exercise is extremely effective for reducing stress and relieving anxiety and depression!
Exercise leads to multiple pathways to reduce anxiety and depression
Exercise boosts BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor), which improves learning and memory and literally works like a miracle drug for the brain.
Through a separate action exercise, the muscles help detoxify a toxic chemical called Kynurenine. Kynurenine is produced from the defective metabolism of tryptophan. In acute or chronic inflammation, Kynurenine forms quinolinic acid instead of serotonin. Excess quinolinic acid is directly linked to depressive disorders, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. The clearance of Kynurenine in trained muscle cells suppresses this accumulation in the brain.
Regular exercise remodels the brain’s reward system, leading to higher levels of dopamine and more dopamine receptors. This action practice can both relieve depression and increase your capacity for joy.
Exercise also increases levels of endocannabinoids (yes, the same ones that come from the cannabis plant!). The ‘high’ of exercise comes from a boost of endocannabinoids. These endogenously produced chemicals attach to brain receptors and reduce anxiety and induce a state of contentment. Studies have shown that these brain changes help promote positive interactions with friends and family.
In fact, the latest research shows that lactate – produced during intense exercise – travels from the muscles where it is produced to the brain and changes brain chemistry in ways that can reduce anxiety and protect against depression.
The evidence on the effectiveness of exercise for anxiety and depression
A recent meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials has shown that aerobic exercises have a good effect
improved depression – especially with moderate or intense aerobic activity.
Moreover, this meta-analysis showed that previous studies had weakened the power of
exercise to control anxiety and depression.
Intense aerobic exercise has also been found to be very effective in treating anxiety; in particular, the lactic acid produced during intensive intervals appears to have a strong antidepressant effect. Additionally, lactic acid has been shown to be associated with improved REM/dream sleep. After lactate is released by the muscles, it travels through the bloodstream to the brain, where it can reduce anxiety and protect against depression.
An analysis of 15 different studies found that aerobic exercise – especially high-intensity aerobic exercise – reduces symptoms of anxiety. These anti-anxiety effects persisted for several months after stopping the exercise.
All participants in the studies had some degree of anxiety, with their conditions falling on a spectrum that included anxiety disorders, increased anxiety levels, and increased anxiety sensitivity – a condition in which a person worries about the physical symptoms that often accompany anxiety. People on waiting lists for anxiety treatment who did not exercise were used for comparison.
They found that participants who engaged in both low- and high-intensity aerobic exercise experienced greater improvements in their anxiety than non-exercisers on treatment waiting lists. High-intensity exercise reduced anxiety symptoms more effectively than low-intensity exercise. The various interventions lasted between 10 weeks and 6 months, with participants training an average of three times a week.
Multiple mechanisms are responsible for the anti-anxiety effects of exercise. One of the key mechanisms mentioned above is the production of lactate. Lactate increases the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. Low levels of these neurotransmitters can cause anxiety and the inability to cope with stressful situations.
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