Exercise is Effective in Overcoming Depression and Anxiety

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Highlights:

• Physical activity has been shown to promote mental wellness
• It reduces depression and anxiety symptoms in most people, with some individuals demonstrating much greater relief
• Aerobic workouts including walking, strength training, Pilates, and yoga were all effective forms of physical activity and exercise

Physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than psychotherapy or the leading drugs in treating depression, suggests a new study by experts at the University of South Australia.

The review, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, is the most extensive to date, containing 97 studies, 1039 trials, and 128,119 participants. It demonstrates that physical activity can significantly improve symptoms of sadness, anxiety, and discomfort.

Physical Activity Improves Mental Health

The analysis found that exercise regimens lasting 12 weeks or less were the most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, highlighting the rapidity with which physical activity may make a difference.

‘When compared to short and mid-duration bursts of physical activity, higher-intensity exercise had better improvements for depression and anxiety, but longer durations had smaller impacts.’

Those suffering from depression, pregnant and postpartum women, healthy adults, and those with HIV or renal illness reaped the greatest benefits.

Prevalence of Mental Disorders

According to the World Health Organization, one out of every eight persons (970 million) globally suffers from a mental condition. Bad mental health costs the global economy some $2.5 trillion each year, with that figure expected to climb to $6 trillion by 2030. In Australia, one in every five people (aged 16 to 85) has had a mental disorder in the previous year.

Dr Ben Singh, the lead UniSA researcher, believes that physical activity should be prioritized to better manage the growing cases of mental health issues.

"Physical activity is known to help improve mental health. Yet despite the evidence, it has not been widely adopted as a first-choice treatment," Dr Singh says. "Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations, with some groups showing even greater signs of improvement."

What Type of Exercise Helps Overcome Depression and Anxiety?

"Higher intensity exercise had greater improvements for depression and anxiety, while longer durations had smaller effects when compared to short and mid-duration bursts. We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercises such as walking, resistance training, Pilates, and yoga. Importantly, the research shows that it doesn't take much for exercise to make a positive change to your mental health."

Prof Carol Maher, a senior researcher at UniSA, claims that the study is the first to examine the impact of all types of physical activity on depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in all adult groups.

"Examining these studies as a whole is an effective way for clinicians to easily understand the body of evidence that supports physical activity in managing mental health disorders. We hope this review will underscore the need for physical activity, including structured exercise interventions, as a mainstay approach for managing depression and anxiety."

Source: Medindia

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