Even Small Amounts Of Physical Activity Can Significantly Improve Mental Health
Our modern world can be a stressful one. For many people, dealing with more than two years of fear, anxiety, and debate revolving around the coronavirus pandemic has had a harsh impact effect on the state of one’s mental health.
As a result, rates of depression—which were already high even before the pandemic—have been steadily increasing over the past two years, with no signs of slowing down. Major depressive disorder affects about 15 million American adults (or 6% of the adult population), and some research has suggested that the prevalence of depression symptoms has more than tripled during the pandemic. Depression is also the leading cause of mental health-related disease burden and is associated with a host of negative health effects, including an increased risk for chronic conditions and premature death.
Exercise – an Often Overlooked Treatment Option
Effectively treating and preventing depression often requires a multifaceted approach, and most health experts recommend talk therapy as a central intervention for those suffering from depression symptoms. But another strategy that’s being increasingly recognized as a powerful and vital tool against depression is regular physical activity. Ample research has shown that physical activity can prevent future depression, but no study is yet to describe the strength or shape of this association according to on a dose-response relationship.
Researchers Analyze the Findings of 15 Studies
Therefore, a study called a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to explore the impact of physical activity on the risk of depression. Researchers performed a search of four medical databases for studies with at least 3,000 participants that reported on the relationship between physical activity and the estimated risk for depression. All measurements of physical activity in these studies were then converted to a weekly duration and an activity volume, which was based on whether the activity was light, moderate, or vigorous. For reference, the World Health Organization recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week.
This search led to 15 studies being accepted, which included data on more than 191,000 participants. Results indicated that most participants were not meeting the recommended levels of weekly physical activity, and those with higher rates of depression symptoms were generally less active.
Just Doing Modest Amounts of Exercise is Helpful According to this Review
Physical activity was found to be associated with significant benefits, as participants who completed half the recommended volume of weekly physical activity had an 18% lower risk of depression, and those who met the full recommended volume—about 2.5 hours of brisk walking per week—had a 25% reduced risk. Further analysis revealed that the benefits of physical therapy were most notable when comparing individuals who progressed from no physical activity to at least some activity.
These findings suggest that even small amounts of physical activity may lead to major mental health benefits, as approximately 1 in 9 cases of depression could potentially be prevented if everyone meets the recommended weekly level of physical activity. At
Mental Health is as Important as Physical Health!
Bacci & Glinn Physical Therapy, we believe it’s extremely important to address not only physical conditions but mental health issues as well. While physical therapists primarily see patients with physical movement problems, this is another example where the appropriate exercise program can also help with mental health as well.
Have a Movement Disorder? We Can Help
Call us at 559-733-2478 (Visalia) or 559-582-1027 (Hanford) for more information or schedule an appointment today.
