Exercise And Mental Health: How Much Is Too Much?
Exercise and mental health have a direct impact on your overall health. In fact, many studies suggest that exercise helps people deal with mental health problems and that it significantly increases well-being. However, a recent study confirmed a hypothesis that should come as a warning to some: Too much exercise can negatively affect your mental health.
Studies of mental health
Another observational study, the largest of its kind in the world, found that people who exercise report fewer mental problems compared to people who do not exercise.
The study also concluded that team sports such as cycling, aerobics and going to the gym are associated with the largest reductions in mental health problems. This study was conducted by researchers at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
The study was conducted to better understand how exercise affects mental health. The researchers also tried to identify the types of exercise that provide an emotional boost. In addition, they wanted to know how much exercise is too much. These findings were published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.
More can be less
More exercise is not always better. The study mentioned above states that exercising three to five times a week for 45 minutes is very beneficial. The study included all kinds of physical activities, such as babysitting, housework, mowing the lawn, fishing, cycling, exercise activities, running and skiing.
We know that exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and that it can even delay death a little. However, the connection to mental health remains unclear. This is because the research that has been conducted on the effect of exercise on mental health has yielded conflicting results.
While some evidence suggests that exercise improves mental health, the effect goes both ways. For example, inactivity can be a symptom of, and a contributor to, poor mental health. Being active can be a sign of or contribute to resilience. The authors point out that their studies cannot determine what is a cause and what is an effect.
In the study, the authors used data from 1.2 million adults from all 50 US states who completed the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey in 2011, 2013 and 2015. This included demographic data, as well as information on physical and mental health. The study only took into account depression.
The relationship between exercise and mental health
Participants mentioned how many of the last 30 days they felt that their minds were not functioning well due to stress, depression and other emotional problems.
The researchers also asked the participants how many times they trained in the last 30 days and for how long. All results were adjusted for age, race, gender, marital status, income, level of education, employment status, body mass index, self-reported physical health, and previous depression diagnoses.
On average, the results indicated that the participants experienced 3.4 days of poor mental health each month. People who exercised reported 1.5 fewer days of poor mental health each month. This represents a reduction of 43.2% or 2 days.
The results and what they mean
The reduction in the number of days with poor mental health was greater for people who had previously been diagnosed with depression. In this group, exercise accounted for 3.75 fewer bad days with mental health compared to people who did not exercise. This represented a reduction of 34.5% or 7.1 days for people who trained compared to 10.9 days for people who did not train.
In general, 75 types of exercise were included in the study and were divided into eight categories: aerobics and gymnastics, cycling, home activities, team sports, leisure activities, running and jogging, walking and winter or water sports.
All types of exercise resulted in improved mental health. But the strongest results for all participants came from those who practiced team sports such as cycling, aerobics and gymnastics. They represented a reduction in poor mental health days of 22.3%, 21.6% and 20.1%, respectively. Even completing the housework is beneficial and represented 10% fewer poor mental health days.
The link between exercise and mental health gains depends on social or demographic factors. For example, college graduates had 17.8% fewer poor mental health days compared to people without college education. And people with normal BMI had 4% fewer days with poor mental health compared to people who were overweight. In addition, people with incomes above $50,000 showed 17% fewer poor mental health days compared to people who earned less.
Exercise and mental health
The frequency and time people spent exercising was also an important factor in the study. People who exercised three to five times a week said they had better mental health than those who exercised less or more in a week. This means 2.3 fewer days of poor mental health compared to people who exercised twice a month.
Exercising for 30-60 minutes shows the largest reduction in days with poor mental health (approximately 2.1 fewer days compared to people who did not exercise). The results were not so significant in people who exercised for more than 90 minutes a day. However, exercising for more than three hours a day meant poorer mental health.
The authors noted that people who exercise too much may have obsessive compulsive traits that may put them at greater risk for poor mental health.
Recent Comments
Team sports lead to the lowest mental health burden, and this may indicate that social activities increase resistance. They also reduce depression as they reduce social isolation and feelings of loneliness. This gives social sports an advantage over other types of sports.
Furthermore, keep in mind that the study analyzed people’s self-esteem in relation to their mental health and exercise. Thus, it analyzed perceived mental health and not objective mental health. The participants only mentioned their main form of training. Thus, there can be a good amount of uncontrolled variance if we take into account people who train more than one sport.
