Depressed? Have you taken your daily dose of exercise?

Depressed? Have you taken your daily dose of exercise?

The numerous advantages to regular exercise are well known: weight control, reducing risk of heart disease, boosting energy, better sleep, stress relief and so on. Exercise is also good for improving mood. During exercise your body releases serotonin and dopamine (AKA endorphins) and norepinephrine: chemicals that trigger a euphoric feeling and can reduce perception of pain.

A recent study in the journal Behavioral Therapy (July 2016) entitled: “Influence of Exercise Intensity for Improving Depressed Mood in Depression: A Dose-Response Study”, researchers Meyer et al. studied the effect of the intensity of exercise on mood in major depressive disorder (MDD). In the study 24 women with MDD exercised weekly with varying levels of intensity and their mood was evaluated after exercise. The researchers found that regardless of whether the women were taking antidepressants mood improved after exercise (10 and 30 post-workout). However, contrary to predictions the intensity of the exercise did not significantly affect mood improvement.

The researchers concluded that: “to acutely improve depressed mood, exercise of any intensity significantly improved feelings of depression with no differential effect following light, moderate, or hard exercise… Acute exercise should be used as a symptom management tool to improve mood in depression, with even light exercise an effective recommendation.”  This was a small study but the results suggest that anyone with low mood and depression can benefit from regular exercise, of varying intensity.

If you struggle with negative thinking, low mood, cyclical mood or depression regular exercise is an effective addition to other treatments and is great for general health. The good news from this study is that even light exercise is beneficial: good news, because when you have depression it can be hard to get motivated to exercise. An hour-long exercise class or a busy gym filled with model-like gym bunnies can seem very daunting if your mood is low. Instead opt for lighter exercise, start with a gentle stroll, follow a yoga video at home or hop on your bike for a quick spin and gradually increase the duration and intensity to gain full health benefits. Don’t forget to check with your doctor before starting any exercise routine, if you have pre-existing medical problems.  

Image: courtesy of iStock.

Disclaimer

This article pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion about med­i­cine, health and related sub­jects.  The content is not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately-licensed health care worker and in an emergency call 911. Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay in seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this article.