Every day, about 42.5 million adults struggle with mental health issues in the United States of America. Mental health is the emotional, psychological and social well-being. Besides medicines and therapy, there are few alternative ways to treat mental illnesses. Exercise is one good way of treatment for mental health problems. Studies have shown that exercise has positive short-term and long-term effects on mental health and mood. Increased self-esteem, decreased stress and anxiety, improved mood, and a decreased chance of mental illness are all positive side effects attributed to exercise. During exercise, the body releases many chemicals. Production of endorphin chemicals happens in the pituitary gland. This chemical decreases stress, increasing the effectiveness of the immune system and reduces appetite. Serotonin is another chemical released during exercise, which is a natural mood enhancer. Exercise is in effect, an alternative or additional treatment for people with mental health issues.
Mental health is still a field of study that is a mystery to this day. The brain is an extremely complicated organ that researchers do not understand fully. Even though this is the case, there is a great deal of evidence to support the fact that exercise has positive influences on one’s mental health. With all of the evidence, it is strange that use of exercise is not a common treatment or additional treatment when dealing with mental illness and mental health. Even though there have been many studies coming to the same conclusion, many scientists hesitate to make the blanket statement that exercise has positive mental health benefits. This is due to there being studies that have been done that do not link exercise and benefits together (Landers, 1997). Inasmuch as this is the case, an ever-increasing literature in the form of empirical study or otherwise indicates that exercise has to be a part of everyday treatment for people with mental health.
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Background
The value of exercise predates history, as we know it. Evidence indicates that exercise started a long while ago even at the time of the ancient Pharaohs. Historical archives and records from the Cairo museum tell the tale of Tutankhamun, a Pharaoh who displayed gifted athleticism in spite of his health complications (Callaghan, 2004). The Bakhtiari and Turkomans of ancient Iran valued exercise and practiced it on a daily basis. They climbed mountains and performed dances that were vigorous in nature for them to tackle the high demands of their nomadic lifestyle (Callaghan, 2004). In America, the natives have always been engaged in various vigorous sporting activities such as playing handball, racket ball among other games that were physically demanding. In the Far East also, the Chinese Government of Manching introduced reforms in their educational curricula to incorporate physical education as a way to enable healthier lives and the production of a generation that was fit. In addition, the boarding schools of England introduced exercise in the form of sports during the 19th century. These schools had the idea of inculcating exercise as a means to improve the student’s scholastic prowess and physical well-being.
The conjecture that exercise improves the health and overall physical welfare of an individual not to mention, the mental health is one that has a long history. Around 131 AD, a physician called Claudius Galen, who commenced his medical study from the time he was 17 years of age, travelled the world seeking writings and teachings of great physicians of his time. In his travels, he visited Africa, the Middle East and Europe, finally settling in Rome. In Rome, he was the chief physician of the then Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. According to varied accounts, Claudius Galen lived 70 years and attributed his health and well-being to regular exercise and eating healthily (Callaghan, 2004). In one of his famous books called Galen’s Hygiene, he writes of the benefits of exercise to health. In each book, he states ‘the habit of the mind is impaired by faulty customs in food, drink and exercise… and these constitute the beginnings of severe diseases’ (Green, 1951). In conclusion, we see that mental well-being is heavily dependent on exercise and the overall physical status of a person.
Exercise and Depression
As a serious impediment to the overall health welfare, reducing mental health and illnesses has become an important milestone to reach for many health services and facilities throughout America. In the UK, through services such as the National Service Frameworks for Mental Health, more physicians are involved in curbing the numbers of mentally ill patients through radical measures such as exercises. In 1987, there was the assembly of a team of experts in the U. S. by the National Institute of Mental Health to determine and come up with a statement of consensus on the matter of exercise and its relation to mental health (Crone, Smith, & Gough, 2006). After the deliberations, the experts reached a consensus that exercise was positively linked to mental health and that it helped reduce stress and anxiety. In addition to all these, exercise has positive emotional benefits for all genders according to the experts.
In a review of the results and meta-analytic narratives of different studies on the effect of exercise on depression, the researchers reached an inevitable conclusion. The review suggests that exercise helps remove depression symptoms through changing the daily routine, increasing interactions with other people, through helping in weight loss, and participation in outdoor psychological challenges. There are biological factors that control and serve to explain the effect of exercises on the state of depression. The evidence is quite clear since through exercising there is the promotion of the secretion of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which affects the mood, social behavior appetite and digestion, memory and even sleep. Another evidence of exercise as a relief and even possibly a cure for mental disorder is through animal research, whereby the findings show that animals’ secretion of morphine that is endogenous results in a state of euphoria in them. This showed that the same effect is also applicable to humans through the secretion of serotonin, consequently resulting in a state of normal well-being. In addition, systematic reviews indicated that exercise led to a significant reduction in the symptoms of depression compared to the lack of treatment. Nonetheless, most reviews and empirical studies have a poor quality of their presentation and findings due to inadequate randomization and lack of binding while assessing the outcomes (Crone, Smith, & Gough, 2006).
Mood Enhancement
Many people experience a jolt in their moods after going out for a run or after playing an engaging game. Researchers and most psychologists reaffirm this observance through a factual statement in which they say that usually, within the first five minutes of engaging in an exercise, be it moderate, an effect of mood enhancement effect works through the whole body. This effect is what causes mood enhancement. There is sufficient evidence to support this hypothesis, which originates from broad association studies based on the population. According to James Blumenthal, a Duke University researcher and clinical psychologist, there is sound epidemiological data that suggests that active people are less depressed than those who are not. Moreover, those people who were active and stopped experienced more depression than those who maintained (Weir, 2017). More evidence is in experimental studies whereby there is the exploration of the connection between mood and exercises through randomized trials. In one such experiment Dr James together with his colleagues, assign adults diagnosed with depressive orders to four groups that included placebo pill, antidepressant therapy, and home-based exercises or supervised exercises. Following four months of intensive treatment Dr James came to the inevitable conclusion that the patients in the exercise group displayed advanced levels of remission, more so those under supervised exercises (Weir, 2017).
In all research pertaining to exercises, there are challenges to its methodological approach. These challenges permeate from identifying suitable groups for comparison to limitations of reporting. Although there are challenges, an overwhelming body of evidence shows that exercise is a good intervention for clinical depression. One such evidence is in a study conducted in 2006, whereby, research colleagues reviewed 11 studies that were investigating mental health in relationship to exercises. After generation of the findings, they concluded that clinicians should, in fact, add exercise to their treatment regimen for patients diagnosed with clinical depression. A famous psychologist at Indiana University’s Department of Medicine called Mary de Groot is taking her research further through investigating roles played by exercising. Her research focuses on a specific subset of patients suffering from depression; those who have diabetes. In her deduction, she clearly states the difficulty in treating depression in diabetic persons simply stating that diabetic people have a higher chance of developing depression (Weir, 2017). However, in a pilot project, the results indicate that those patients who exercised showed a marked improvement in their overall well-being. This goes a long way to show that exercise is pivotal in improving the moods of an individual
Exercise and Anxiety
Anxiety refers to having a feeling of worry, uneasiness or nervousness about an event that is yet to happen or an uncertain outcome. The moment an individual senses a threat from external agitators, some of the reactions they experience include an increased heartbeat, dizziness, sweating among others. The people who respond this way have a heightened anxiety sensitivity and most likely tend to develop panic disorders. Through a meta-analysis of narratives, we see that aerobic exercises are associated with a profound reduction in anxiety levels. Although exercise is similar to other kinds of interventions such as relaxation, it has a higher effect when placed in comparison to these interventions. There is a need for regular exercises if an individual is to reduce the level of anxiety. The most significant variable being the time spent in performing this exercises. A good example is regular jogging or a sporting activity that demands aerobic prowess (Van Raalte, 2015). Irrespective of the measure of anxiety, aerobic exercises prove necessary in lowering anxiety levels. In a study conducted by a group of clinical psychologists, volunteers were asked to take a carbon monoxide challenge test. In this test, the participants who had anxiety issues had to breathe CO2 enriched air, which often triggers the symptoms of panic attacks. Surprisingly those who did regular exercises were less prone to the attacks than those who did not.
Several views explore and explain the beneficial outcomes of exercises on the anxiety a person experiences. One insightful view suggests that through exercising the temperature of the body increases, consequently leading to muscle tension that is similar to the one experienced during a warm bath. Through this body temperature increase, calm on the body ensues that erodes the negative feelings of anxiety and stress. Also through exercise, there is the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system SNS, which increases adrenaline in the body, ultimately producing a rousing effect. Through the activation of the SNS, a catalyst for the parasympathetic nervous system PNS activation called acetylcholine releases and this, in turn, brings a calming effect on the body. In addition, exercise makes people not to concentrate on stressful situations and events, thereby making it a distractor and this proves effective when it comes to relieving stress.
Exercise and Cognitive Functioning.
In numerous occasions, researchers use cognitive functioning as an outcome to measure studies undertaken on the effects of exercise on mental health. In a meta-analysis of eighteen muscular resistance, exercise, calisthenics and step tests of varying intensity, definitive conclusions emerge of the impactful outcome of exercise on the cognition of an individual. The results indicate that exercise affects an individual’s cognition profoundly (Van Sickle et al., 1996). This study included intervention locations such as hospitals, classrooms, fitness centers, laboratories and homes. Analysis from cross-sectional and correlational data indicated that chronic exercises produced a larger effect compared to acute exercises, whereby chronic exercises are those done over a long period and acute ones happen over a short and limited period.
Overall, sufficient evidence suggests that performing aerobic exercises of between 20-30 minutes in a span of three to five times a week greatly improves the mental health and well-being of an individual. Inasmuch as there are methodological limitations to numerous exercise studies, the practical results render these errors inadmissible and therefore do not invalidate the case for exercise benefits on an individual’s mental health. According to psychology today, new studies come up every day indicating the health benefits of exercise. In addition, it was found out that an activity that is more physical improves cognition every day and that the improvement lasts a lifetime ("Physical Activity Improves Cognitive Function", 2017). Furthermore, exercise makes one smarter due to the release of a brain-derived neurotropic factor and this, in turn, causes the stimulation of neurogenesis, which is the growth of hormones. These growth hormones are crucial when it comes to building and maintaining one’s mental faculties. Therefore, in conclusion, there is a need for sufficient exercises for sound mental health.
Exercise in Dealing with Other Pertinent Issues
Through regular exercise, there is an improvement in innumerable facets of life. From psychological to health improvements, regular exercise remains to be a good means of elevating one’s life and overall mental health. In the case of people experiencing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, regular exercise causes the individual to develop better memory, motivation, mood and overall concentration. Through physical activity, there is a boost in the brain’s dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine levels thereby causing an increase in focus and attention (Faulkner, 2001). This way, exercise provides an alternative to medications such as Adderall and Ritalin. Other mind-related benefits of exercising include better sleep, since the body is tired and unwinds through sleep
A number of evidence suggest that through focusing on the body its response while performing and exercise activity, one can aid in removing a state in which the body becomes stuck or unable to move on from traumatic experiences. Evidence show that exercises that involve movements are the best at reducing the effect of post-traumatic stress disorder. Through paying close attention to the physical sensations instead of other things the individual is able to draw his/her thoughts from the stressful and traumatic experience they went through to the more immediate physical reaction, consequently reducing the negative effects of the trauma on his/her mind.
Conclusion
Mental health is something that millions of people worldwide struggle with on a day-to-day basis. Besides medications and therapy, exercise can be used to help those people overcome their mental health issues. Even though exercise cannot be used alone to help treat patients, it should still be used to assist with their current prescribed treatment. The natural health benefits of exercise are enough that all doctors who have patients with mental health issues need to be stressing the importance of it. Ample exercise brings about a number of changes, especially through aerobic exercises, which increases the blood oxygen consequently leading to proper brain function. In additions through exercising, social bonds are formed that lead to productive mental well-being. Doctors the world over are resulting to exercising as a means to elevate not only physical complications but also mental conditions as well; the social impact being a rise in the number of training locations and gyms all over the world.
References
Callaghan, P. (2004). Exercise: a neglected intervention in mental health care?. Journal Of Psychiatric And Mental Health Nursing, 11, 476–483.
Crone, D., Smith, A., & Gough, B. (2006). THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MENTAL HEALTH RELATIONSHIP – A CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE FROM QUALITATIVE RESEARCH. Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn, 36(3), 29-35.
Faulkner, G., & Biddle, S. (2001). Exercise and mental health: It's just not psychology! Journal of Sports Sciences, 19(6), 433-444.
Green, R. (1951). A Translation of Galen’s Hygiene (de Sanitate Tuenda) (1st ed., p. 26). Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publisher.
Physical Activity Improves Cognitive Function. (2017). Psychology Today. Retrieved 12 April 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201404/physical-activity-improves-cognitive-function
Van Raalte, J., & Brewer, B. (2015). Exploring Sport and Exercise Psychology [electronic resource]. (3rd ed.). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Van Sickle, T., Hersen, M., Simco, E., Melton, M., & Van Hasselt, V. (1996). Effects of physical exercise on cognitive functioning in the elderly. International Journal Of Rehabilitation And Health, 2, 67-100.
Weir, K. (2017). The exercise effect. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved 12 April 2017, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/exercise.aspx
