Exercise and Mental Health

Exercise has proven mental health benefits

According to Mind.org.uk Physical activity can help mange stress, improve sleep and mood, increase your confidence, support social connection, improve mental decline and improve symptoms of depression and anxiety, support memory and overall brain function as well as improving the condition of our heart and other organs. Let’s explore this further.

Exercise for improved sleep and stress management

The sleep foundation have looked at studies that focus on the effect of sleep and movement. There is direct correlation between lack of sleep and lack of movement, improved movement and improved sleep. the National Library of Medicine has listed many research articles that support the correlation between movement and exercise in it’s abstract of many research papers surmises that

‘Recent research, however, has noted that poor sleep may contribute to low physical activity levels, emphasizing a robust bidirectional relationship between exercise and sleep’, (2)

and

‘Sleep duration significantly predicts the age of diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), with shorter sleep duration associated with a younger age of diagnosis of PD’. (3)

Reduction in sleep is associated with high stress

‘High sleep reactivity is also linked to risk of shift-work disorder, depression and anxiety. Importantly, stress-related worry and rumination may exploit sensitive sleep systems, thereby augmenting the pathogenicity of sleep reactivity’. (4)

Looking through medical papers I can see there have been extensive trials done on various demographics, in highlighting the quotes taken from a few of those papers we can see that sleep is essential to overall health and wellbeing. Whilst some hereditary factors and shift-work elements may not work in a individuals favour it is important that sleep is taken into context when managing busy lives. The effect daily stresses has on sleep us also undeniable. The socio-economic stress factors which can lead to insomnia and constant fatigue are wearing on the body. It is important the mind and body gets the rest and recovery it needs for optimal performance whether that been on a sports field, an individual exercise programme or even in a workplace. chronic lack of sleep can have disastrous effects.

Exercise for confidence and mood

Without having to dig too much deeper into medical papers we can see that sleep inevitable will have an impact on our mood, and can even impact our personality over time, taking us from feeling well and happy to feeling depressed, tired and lacking in confidence due to low energy as a result of prolonged stress and lack of an adequate recovery period. If you suffer with sleep issues and you believe or just suspect it is impacting your personality, confidence or performance, whether you exercise for fun right to workplace goals is it worth making some changes to support better personal outcomes?

Setting up a new routine to go to the gym, join an exercise-focused club or local class can improve social connection which also according to Mind.org.uk will impact your stress, sleep, confidence, mood and overall health and wellbeing. If you don’t feel like you are getting enough sleep or exercise you could look into options for exercising alone or within a group depending on what suits you and meets your needs.

The familiar saying ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ may catch up with your if you don’t take a moderate approach to that statement throughout your life. Your key take-aways from this article are;

• Ensure you sleep no-matter what stage of life you are in, do what you can to support your enjoyment of it.

• Keep moving, exercise does not have to be hard and heavy, it’s all relative but it matter.

• If you have hereditary factors or are not sure, speak to your doctor and just loop yourself in the picture to help you choose how you need to approach your options.

• You have options, don’t assume what’s good for one person is good for you, your options maybe different, work with yours, not the latest trend your best mate maybe trying out.

Is there anything else you would like us to explore within the subject of sleep and exercise? if so leave us a comment and we will get back to you.

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References

1. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/physical-activity-exercise-and-mental-health/how-are-physical-activity-and-mental-health-connected

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25729341/

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39263596/

4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7045300/

5. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/705024516695549980/

6. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/705024516695541939/

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