Can Exercise Reduce Your Stress?
In these uncertain times, life can be quite stressful.
Recently, there has been an increasing amount of research suggesting that exercise-related intervention can improve mental health and reduce stress and burnout[i][ii][iii].
In particular, exercises which combines strength and aerobics training and are more strenuous appear to improve the cognitive benefits[iv].For example, one study found that after 12 weeks of aerobic training, participants reported a reduction in burnout severity and improved cognitive performance[v].
Exercise has been proposed to reduce stress through both psychological and biological mechanisms.
Psychological.
Exercise provides as distraction to stressful situations (Effort-Recovery Model)[vi].
Exercise increases our feeling of self-efficacy (how confident we are in doing a particular activity), control and mastery (Conservation of Resources Theory)[vii][viii].
This helps to restore and/or increase our internal resources.
Biological.
Stress and exercise share similar effects on the neuroendocrine system. So, when you exercise, your body adapts in a way that help it with both exercise and stress (Cross-stressor Adaptation Hypothesis)[ix]
Exercise helps to reduce the autonomic nervous system (the fight or flight system) and increase the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest system)[x].
Exercise can also improve mental health through neurogenesis (the creation of neurons[xi]
Exercises helps increase the production of the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters (endorphins)[xii].
Exercise reduces the levels of stress hormones in the body (adrenaline and cortisol)[xiii].
So, in these stressful times why not get out there and do some exercise.
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[i] Ochentel, O., Humphrey, C., & Pfeifer, K. (2018).
[ii] Walsh, R. (2011).
[iii] Lennefer, T., Lopper, E., Wiedemann, A. U., Hess, U., & Hoppe, A. (2019). Improving employees’ work-related well-being and physical health through a technology-based physical activity intervention: A randomized intervention-control group study. Journal of occupational health psychology.
[iv] Walsh, R. (2011).
[v] Beck, J., Gerber, M., Brand, S., Pühse, U., & Holsboer-Trachsler, E. (2013). Executive function performance is reduced during occupational burnout but can recover to the level of healthy controls. Journal of psychiatric research, 47(11), 1824-1830.
[vi] Meijman T.F. & Mulder G. (2013). Psychological aspects of workload. In: Handbook of work and organizational psychology; 1998. p. 5–33.
[vii] Salmon, P. (2001). Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: a unifying theory. Clinical psychology review, 21(1), 33-61.
[viii] Gerber, M., & Pühse, U. (2008). “Don't crack under pressure!”—Do leisure time physical activity and self-esteem moderate the relationship between school-based stress and psychosomatic complaints?. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 65(4), 363-369.
[ix] Hackney, A. C. (2006). Stress and the neuroendocrine system: the role of exercise as a stressor and modifier of stress. Expert review of endocrinology & metabolism, 1(6), 783-792.
[x] Hackney, A. C. (2006).
[xi] Bitonte, R. A., & DeSanto II, D.J. (2014). Mandatory physical exercise for the prevention of mental illness in medical students. Mental illness, 6(2).
[xii] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469
[xiii] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax