How does physical activity have a positive impact on mental health?
By Shivam Bhindi
Globally, nearly one in every four people will encounter a mental illness during their lifetime. Clearly, mental health is one of the biggest issues in the modern world and measures should be taken to prevent as many of these illnesses as possible. Recent reports have suggested that only one in every eight people with mental health disorders are receiving any form of treatment, highlighting how difficult it can be to diagnose and treat someone, but what if you could prevent these mental health issues in an easy, quick way?
Research has demonstrated that the effects of physical activity, simply moving your body, can provide long-lasting, protective effects for your brain. A number of chemicals are responsible for protection of your brain as well as generally feeling happier after exercise.
It was long-speculated by scientists that endorphins were the chemicals behind the ‘happy’ feeling felt after exercising. However, scientists have discovered this feeling is actually due to a class of brain chemicals named ‘endocannabinoids’. These are the same chemicals that are mimicked by cannabis, reducing the feeling of anxiety while putting you into a state of contentment through the release of dopamine by the brain. The release of these chemicals further primes you to connect and interact with other people, therefore stimulating you to have a better social life. Through strengthening relationships and more positive interactions, there is a reduced risk for you to suffer from a mental illness in the future.
Furthermore, regular exercise can increase not only the amount of dopamine in circulation, but the number of dopamine receptors. Essentially, this means you can be more sensitive to joy and other positive feelings. Whilst substance abuse has been proven to reduce the number of dopamine receptors in your body, these effects can be reversed through regular physical activity. Not only can exercise be beneficial for preventing mental illness, but can also help to relieve depression and alleviate the symptoms, by boosting the amount of dopamine in the blood.
Lactate, a metabolic by-product produced during exercise, was initially thought to be of little benefit, until researchers found that it is essential for neurons in the brain. Lactate, when metabolised, produces a substance called NADH, which can prevent the inhibition of neuron growth and survival. This can have a massive impact on people suffering from depression, as neurogenesis, the production of new neurons from adult brain stem cells, will be restored. This demonstrates how exercise can reduce anxiety as well as protect against depression.
Exercising in a group, with synchronised movements, can trigger the release of endorphins into our bloodstream. Group exercise can be said to be ‘one of the most powerful ways to experience joy’. Not only does this result in an increase in your pain tolerance, but endorphins help you to form bonds with new people, allowing friendships to be created. Endorphins can produce feelings of euphoria whilst helping with pain relief. This chemical works in an extremely similar way to opioids, by binding to receptors and therefore blocking pain signals.
In conclusion, physical activity has an incredible effect on mental health, through boosting your mood, helping you to feel more joy and managing anxiety or stress. This is all achieved through the release of chemicals in your body, ranging from endorphins to endocannabinoids, which are able to act on signalling pathways and receptors in order to either block plain, or increase happiness. Physical activity is essential for us to lead both a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle, and I truly believe that exercise is one incredible way for us to protect our brains from depression and other mental illnesses.
References:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression