Depression affects millions of people. It has been estimated that 15% of the population develops clinical depression at some time in their lives. Along with the many physical benefits of regular exercise, we now know that exercise has many mental benefits as well.
So many of the classic symptoms of depression can be helped by regular exercise. Since you’re burning more calories and burning off excess energy, the loss of appetite and insomnia often experienced during depression can be greatly alleviated. You also get an uplift in your feelings of self esteem because you’re taking charge and doing something proactive that makes you look better and feel better, too.
In 2000, 156 volunteers who have what’s known as major depressive disorder (MDD) participated in a study performed at Duke University Medical Center. The participants were broken down into groups that performed different types and levels of physical exercise. There was also a group that did no exercise and, instead, took Zoloft. After four months, all of the volunteers in the exercise groups reported much improved levels in their feelings of depression. This improvement was regardless of the kinds of physical activity that was performed. In all exercise groups, as physical exercise went up feelings of depression went down.
Medication is one common way of treating depression. Taken together with consultation with a mental health professional, medication can be a big help in treating depression. There are some drawbacks in taking medication though. Side effects can include nausea, diarrhea and insomnia. The researchers in the Duke study found that the volunteers who increased their exercise had 22% fewer feelings of depression than a control group who took Zoloft and didn’t exercise. If you can treat your depression with exercise and get better results without the unpleasant side effects of medication, that’s a compelling argument for daily exercise.
Adding exercise to your daily to-do list has so many physical benefits. Weight control, stress reduction and control over heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis are just a few. Now we know that our mental health can benefit from exercise as well. Get some exercise into your daily schedule and start to experience what exercise can do for you.
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