There are good reasons to learn to manage stress. Besides affecting your mood and your sleep, chronic stress may also contribute to skin problems, digestive problems, headaches, high blood pressure, heart attacks and depression. It may also make you more vulnerable to infection and accentuate pain. But an antidote may be at hand — regular exercise.
How does stress affect your health?
Chronic stress can be harmful in two ways:
- Although stress starts inside your head when you feel anxious or overwhelmed, it can have physical effects too. Stress triggers the release of stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline which can affect different parts of your body including the immune system. If you’re constantly under stress for any reason, your body can be exposed to higher than normal levels of stress chemicals — and this can affect your health.
- Stress can also have an indirect effect on health — people who are stressed may be less likely to eat well or find time to exercise. They may also use ways to cope with stress that can damage their health such as smoking, over-use of alcohol and other drugs or over-eating.
What are the symptoms of stress?
We all react differently to stress. The following are common signs of stress, although some of the symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation and headache may have other causes:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Difficulty sleeping
- Lack of concentration
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Feeling anxious or worried
- Feeling irritable and easily upset
- Feeling tense
- Increased use of alcohol or other drugs.
How does exercise help you manage stress?
Research by the Black Dog Institute has found that regular exercise can reduce anxiety and improve mood. Possible reasons are that regular exercise can:
- Boost production of ‘feel-good’ chemicals in your brain. Physical activity helps to increase production of brain chemicals such as endorphins that help to improve mood. It also increases levels of serotonin, a brain chemical linked to mood and sleep.
- Distract your mind from anxious thoughts. Whether you’re taking aim at a soccer ball or trying to get a yoga posture right, the effect is the same — you’re focused on the activity not the stressful thoughts.
- Improve sleep. Lack of sleep contributes to stress and may also increase the risk of depression.
- Increase your self confidence. This can help to give you a feeling of control which in turn improves mood.
- Increase your energy levels. With more energy you may feel better.
- Warm you up.
- Reduce stress chemicals.
Are some exercises better than others for reducing stress?
It’s important to choose an activity you enjoy that fits easily into your lifestyle, not one that creates more stress. However, it may be that some forms of exercise have better anti-anxiety effects than others, according to the Brain and Mind Institute at the University of Sydney. They suggest that aerobic exercises — those that significantly raise the heart rate such as jogging, walking, cycling, swimming and dancing — may be better for anxiety, while anaerobic exercise — those physical activities where breathing is less important such as weight training, Pilates and rock climbing — work better against depression. The US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has found research that suggests yoga, which links movement to breathing, can also help reduce stress.
Tips for making an exercise habit stick
- Schedule regular exercise into your time table — just like any other commitment
- Make exercise convenient — walking is a good first choice because you can do it anywhere and at a time to suit you. If you plan to use a gym, find one close to work or home so it’s easy to get to.
- Exercise with a friend or in a group — it makes exercise a social activity and helps keep you motivated
- Mix it up — going for a walk is good, but so is a bike ride, a swim or a dancing class. Including a variety of activities can make exercising more enjoyable.
Further Information
Mayo Clinic. Win control over the stress in your life www.mayoclinic.com
Sources
Australian Medical Association. Stress and your health. [online] Barton, ACT: Australian Medical Association Limited. c1995–2009 [last updated 1 Jan 2005, accessed 23 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.ama.com.au/node/4329
Black Dog Institute. Exercise and Depression. [online] Randwick, NSW: Black Dog Institute. c2010 [accessed 23 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.ama.com.au/node/4329Mayo Clinic. Exercise and stress: Get moving to combat stress. [online] Mayo Foundation for Medical Research and Education. c1998–2010 [last updated 23 July 2010, accessed 23 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-and-stress/SR00036
McBride R Whitwell B. Exercise and your mood. [online] Camperdown, NSW: Brain & Mind Institute. c2002–2010 [accessed 23 Aug 2010] Available from: http://sydney.edu.au/bmri/docs/exercise_and_your_mood.pdf
Nabkasorn C Miyai N Sootmongkol A et al. Effects of physical exercise on depression, neuroendocrine stress hormones and physiological fitness in adolescent females with depressive symptoms. European Journal of Public Health. 2006; 16(2): 179–184.
National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Yoga for health: An introduction. [online] Bethseda, Maryland: National Institutes of Health. 2008 [last updated 13 Oct 2009, accessed 23 Aug 2010] Available from: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/yoga/introduction.htm
Penedo FJ Dahn JR. Exercise and well-being: a review of mental and physical health benefits associated with physical activity. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2005; 18(2): 189–193.
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