Can exercise really support mental health treatment? It makes sense that some are skeptical about the claim, considering that physical and mental health are often considered two separate fields. However, while the impact of exercise is not always as clear cut as it is made out to be, it is a crucial aspect of healing from mental illness.
A few years back, an exciting study was released on the effect of exercise on mental illness. This study showed a correlation between exercise and mental health for people who had been suffering from depression. It made a big splash in the psychiatric field and was reported in many media outlets.
Unfortunately, the media rarely represents science with accuracy, and this case was no different. The study focused on cases of moderate depression, comparing treating it with antidepressants to treating it with exercise. In these cases, exercise showed better results.
Reports often ignored the nuances. This would not necessarily apply to severe depression. Furthermore, there is a massive difference in the sustainability of antidepressant usage and daily exercise, especially for an illness which often causes a lack of motivation.
The good news is that even if exercise is not a panacea, it can still make a huge difference for people suffering from mental health issues. Here is what you need to know.
The Link Between Mental and Physical Health
We first need to discuss how mental and physical health are linked. These are both crucial aspects of a person’s wellbeing, but they are all-too-often treated as separate things, even within the healthcare industry.
As such, a doctor trained in physical medicine does not always have much experience with psychology and psychiatry. Those trained in mental health do not necessarily have much insight into physical wellbeing.
So, what is the link between physical and mental health?
We will take a brief look at the chemistry of mental health when discussing how exercise impacts mood. For now, a simple thought exercise will demonstrate the point.
Consider what happens when you feel anxious. Your immediate inclination may be to talk about the anxious thoughts. But there is a lot oging on in your body too.
Every person is different, but common physical expressions of anxiety are ‘butterflies in the stomach’, tension in muscles, rapid heart rate, and clenched teeth.
What about when you’re sad? Tears may fall from your eyes and oyur nose runs. Energy drains from your body.
And when you’re angry or ashamed? Your body heats up and your face goes red.
The connection is expressed in the opposite direction as well. When your energy is low, you are more likely to get annoyed. When your energy is high, you are more likely to feel excitement or express anger.
In other words, we are all aware on an instinctive level that feelings are always both physical and emotional. Understandably, when you are experiencing a crisis in one of those aspects, the other will be impacted.
The Fields Collide
Not all fields of medical care have combined treatment of mental and physical health to account for this connection. However, it is ever present in the treatment for addiction at the best recovery centers.
With addiction, the connection between mental and physical health is clearer than in any other realm. After all, the person’s body becomes dependent on a substance which impacts their feelings and behaviors. They require, at the very least, a physical detox in addition to mental health therapies in order to recover.
Why Does Exercise Improve Mental Health?
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how exercise improves mental health.
Exercise and The Brain
The Chemistry of Feeling Good
Exercise influences mental health by affecting the brain’s chemistry. The brain releases endorphins, known as the body’s natural painkillers, which lead to a feeling of euphoria and a positive mood. When you exercise, the release of endorphins increases, reducing the perception of pain and triggering a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine.
Exercise also boosts the levels of serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters. Dopamine is associated with the brain’s reward system, influencing motivation and pleasure, while serotonin impacts mood, anxiety, and happiness. Increasing the levels of serotonin and/or dopamine is the key function of most antidepressants.
Hormones and Stress Reduction
Cortisol is a hormone that your body releases in response to stress. Chronic stress leads to prolonged high levels of cortisol, which increases the risk of mental health disorders, along with other negative consequences. Exercise reduces cortisol levels, which is another way that it promotes a sense of calm and well-being.
Brain Plasticity and a New Way of Life
One lesser-known way in which exercise can improve mental health is by promoting brain plasticity. This refers to the brain’s ability to adapt and change, enabling the person to better learn skills for emotional regulation, while countering the negative impact of mental illness on their thought process.
Exercise and Psychology
The following ways in which exercise can improve mental health are less direct than those we have already mentioned, but they are still significant factors.
Self-Esteem and Body Image
Low self-esteem is a symptom of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression disorders. In many cases, the converse is true – low self-esteem is actually one of the triggers.
When you exercise consistently, you internalize a sense of achievement and growth. You feel better about yourself because the steps you have taken have had a measurable effect. This can also improve body image, as you no longer feel like you have no control over your physical reality.
It is important to caveat that self-esteem and body image issues often require a change in outlook on the deeper meaning of self-worth. While exercise can improve them to some degree, it is often not enough to break through the internalized messaging at the heart of mental illness.
Social Interaction and Community
For many people struggling with mental health issues, isolation makes things worse. It can be tough to keep in touch with friends – or make new ones – when you do not feel good about yourself.
Exercise can counter this by bringing you into a community of people all focused on the same goal. A running group or gym class can offer a sense of belonging that is very difficult to find in modern society.
Can Exercise Replace Mental Health Treatment?
As we mentioned before, exercise has been promoted as a panacea for mental illness, with the implication that medication and therapy is not necessary if you exercise daily. Unfortunately, this is misleading.
There are a number of challenges that keep exercise from being a surefire way of treating mental illness.
Human Psychology
One aspect is the fact that, while physical factors are a significant part of mental wellbeing, the psychological foundation cannot be ignored. Exercise may lead a person to ‘feel better,’ but without dealing with the psyche, thoughts and emotions can counteract those feelings.
This is also why medication isn’t recommended as an isolated treatment for mental illness. It can alleviate a lot of suffering and provides a better platform on which to address the psychological issues, but won’t resolve them on its own.
Sustainability
It is important to point out that medication is not always a sustainable treatment for mental illness. Side-effects impact some people more than others. It is also difficult for some to afford medication every month or to remember to take it daily.
However, the sustainability challenges when it comes to exercise create a bigger barrier. Motivating oneself to exercise regularly is already tough when suffering from mental illness. If circumstances make it impossible to find time to exercise for a few days or weeks, momentum can wane and the motivation to get going again may be hard to find.
Furthermore, the possibility of physical injury is part and parcel of an exercise routine. No matter how careful one is or how balanced they keep their exercise plan, accidents happen. Occasional illness cannot be prevented or even anticipated either. Injury and illness can keep a person from exercising for an extended period of time. When relying on it for one’s mental health, this can be very damaging.
Severe Mental Illness
Finally, the studies on the positive impact of exercise on mental health focus primarily on moderate cases of depression and similar disorders. When those disorders are severe, exercise alone may not be enough.
Integrated Treatment
Ultimately, the positive impact of exercise on mental health should form part of an integrated treatment plan. Treatment should include psychiatry, therapy, exercise, and other physical health pursuits like good nutrition and sleep hygiene.
Exercise is important for mental health, even for those who do not have issues. Providers should always consider it as part of the person’s recovery, but it may not be suitable treatment in isolation.
Sources
- Frontiers in Psychology: The Combined Influences of Exercise, Diet and Sleep on Neuroplasticity. Accessed 16 July 2024.
- NIH: Role of Physical Activity on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Review. Accessed 16 July 2024.
- Harvard Health: Feel-good hormones: How they affect your mind, mood, and body. Accessed 16 July 2024.