Scientists from Iowa State University found Exercising for half an hour may reduce symptoms of depression for at least 75 minutes post-workout and amplify the benefits of therapy.
The research was conducted by Jacob Meyer et al.
In the study, the researchers recruited 30 adults who were experiencing major depressive episodes.
The participants filled out electronic surveys immediately before, half-way-through and after a 30-minute session of either moderate-intensity cycling or sitting, and then 25-, 50- and 75-minutes post-workout.
Those who cycled during the first lab visit came back a week later to run through the experiment again with 30-minutes of sitting, and vice versa.
The researchers then used the survey data to track any changes in three characteristics of major depressive disorder: depressed mood state (e.g., sad, discouraged, gloomy), anhedonia (i.e., difficulty experiencing pleasure from activities previously enjoyed) and decreased cognitive function (e.g., difficulty thinking, juggling multiple pieces of information at once).
The team found during the cycling experiment, participants’ depressed mood state improved over the 30 minutes of exercise and consistently up to 75 minutes afterward.
The improvement to anhedonia started to drop off at 75 minutes post-exercise but still was better than the participants’ levels of anhedonia in the group that did not exercise.
The team says the cool thing is these benefits to depressed mood states and anhedonia could last beyond 75 minutes.
The results suggest a window of time post-exercise when it may be easier or more effective for someone with depression to do something psychologically or cognitively demanding.
The team also found that those who exercised before talking with a therapist had more pronounced reductions in symptoms of depression.
They say the results indicate exercise could help amplify the benefits of therapy for adults with depression.
Overall, the study showed people were interested and would stick with the combined approach, and that exercise seemed to have some effects on depression and a couple of the mechanisms of therapy.
The researchers hope to better understand how exercise could be incorporated into an effective treatment or intervention for people experiencing chronic depression.
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Previous research has found that exercise can strongly reduce pressure and boost brain health.
In a study from Ruhr-Universität Bochum published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, researchers confirmed the dual beneficial effect of physical activity on depression.
They found physical activity not only reduces depressive symptoms. It also increases the brain’s ability to change, which is necessary for adaptation and learning processes.
The results show how important, seemingly simple things like physical activity are in treating and preventing illnesses such as depression.
People with depression often withdraw and are physically inactive.
In the study, the team tested 41 people who were undergoing treatment at the hospital. The participants were each assigned to one of two groups, one of which completed a three-week exercise program.
The program, which was developed by the sports science team, was varied, contained fun elements, and did not take the form of a competition or test, but instead required teamwork from the participants.
The study team ascertained the severity of the depressive symptoms, such as a loss of drive and interest, lack of motivation, and negative feelings, both before and after the program.
The brain’s ability to change, known as neuroplasticity, was also measured. It can be determined externally with the help of transcranial magnetic stimulation.
The results show that the brain’s ability to change is lower in people with depression than in healthy people.
Following the program with physical activity, this ability to change increased strongly and achieved the same values as healthy people. At the same time, depressive symptoms decreased in the group.
The team says the more the ability to change increased, the more clearly the clinical symptoms decreased. This shows that physical activity has an effect on symptoms and the brain’s ability to change.
It is known that physical activity does the brain well, as it, for instance, promotes the formation of neuron connections. This could certainly also play a role here.
If you care about depression, please read studies about a core feature of depression and findings that this metal in the brain is strongly linked to depression.
For more information about mental health, please see recent studies about this drug for mental health that may harm the brain, and results showing that this mental problem can help predict dementia years before memory loss.
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