According to two recent studies from Iowa State University, exercising for just 30 minutes can considerably reduce depressive symptoms and boost the benefit received from therapy sessions, at least temporarily (ISU).
While much is known about how exercise may help individuals in general, less is known about how it might help people with depression, according to Jacob Meyer, PhD, a professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University and the lead author of both publications.
Meyer told Healthline, "We did these trials to obtain a better understanding of the short-term effects of exercise and how we might effectively capitalize on them for adults with depression."
Researchers looked at the link between depression and physical activity. The study included 30 people who were suffering from significant depressive episodes.
Before, half-way through, and after a 30-minute bout of moderate-intensity cycling, as well as 25, 50, and 75 minutes afterwards, participants completed electronic surveys.
Those that cycled during the first lab visit returned a week later to repeat the experiment, but this time sitting for 30 minutes first, with the other group doing the same.
Participants completed surveys with standard questions and measures to measure depressive symptoms after these sessions. The study looked at changes in three primary depressive disorder characteristics: gloomy mood, trouble enjoying pleasure from previously loved activities (anhedonia), and reduced cognitive performance.
The data show that during the cycling experiment, individuals' sad mood improved for up to 75 minutes after the 30 minutes of activity. They investigated how exercise affected a person's anhedonia, or inability to experience pleasure.
The effects of exercise in combating anhedonia began to wear off after around 75 minutes. However, it was still better than the non-exercising group. Cycling participants performed better on a mid-exercise depression test than the resting group, but the results were less obvious 25 and 50 minutes later.
Meyer believes that more research is needed to fully comprehend this variation. He explained, "We weren't sure how long the short-term impacts would endure." "The discovery that sad mood condition improved up to 75 minutes after exercise – and likely lasts longer – was positive."
According to Meyer, this shows that a single exercise session has an effect that lasts an hour or longer, and they discovered similar benefits for anhedonia, but they may not last as long.
Exercise may condition the brain to engage more with emotionally hard activity, such as that which may occur during CBT, as participants who exercised experienced a faster, stronger connection with their therapists. Although, in more severe cases, greater measures, according to Dimitriu, may be required to address this illness.
"Therapy has been proved to be as helpful as depression medicine - although, unlike two pills of Prozac, it can take longer," he advised.
For people with more severe symptoms or strong family histories of psychiatric problems, drugs, according to Dimitriu, may be more effective and faster acting than therapy. The findings show that following exercise, someone with depression may be able to complete psychologically or cognitively demanding tasks, such as taking an exam or going to therapy, for a short period of time.
Meyer and his colleagues ran a separate pilot research to see if this effect may be combined with the long-term effects of therapy to provide even more benefits.
It enlisted 10 individuals, half of whom exercised for a half-hour at a moderate intensity on their own before enrolling in an hour of virtual cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) each week. During the week leading up to therapy, the other five individuals went about their normal routines.
A little activity each day could have a tremendous impact.
"The most important takeaway is that, while we already know that exercise has numerous cardiovascular and physical health advantages," Meyer said. "Even one session can provide significant psychological advantages." He further said that exercising only once could influence "the way the next several hours unfold" by lowering the severity of significant depression symptoms. "Learning how to schedule short bouts of lighter-intensity exercise into people's days could have a significant impact on their well-being and day-to-day activities," Meyer concluded.
It has the potential to "rewire" a depressed brain
"Exercise is known to help with depression," said Dr. Alex Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine and BrainfoodMD, who is double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. "In my practice, I advocate SEMM maximizing Sleep, Exercise, Mediterranean Diet, and Meditation – on a daily basis to anyone suffering from depression or anxiety."
He pointed out that exercise can help with cognition and depression by increasing blood flow to the brain and stimulating the creation of new neurons, which could help to "rewire" a depressed brain.
Increased blood flow and oxygenation caused by exercise can influence neurotransmitters and "other hormones that regulate alertness, anxiety, reward, and pain," according to Patricia Haynes, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She went on to say that exercise boosts self-esteem and body image, increases outdoor access, and creates social chances.
When you're depressed, she says, it can be difficult to start a new workout routine. Exercise may be unpleasant at first, or you may have a bad attitude about exercise and avoid it in the future. "An option is to congratulate yourself on taking the extremely enormous step of exercising at all," Haynes suggested. "It's extremely tough to try new and difficult hobbies while you're in a bad mood."
Last but not least
According to new research, even 30 minutes of exercise can provide significant short-term relief from depression symptoms and even help us respond better to therapy. Experts believe this is due to increased oxygen and changes in brain chemistry brought on by exercise.
They also claim that even short bouts of activity during the day might have a significant impact on our overall happiness.
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