Depression or inactivity, which came first?

Exercise makes you feel better. Exercise is also an effective treatment for depression. Being depressed can mean feeling less likely to exercise…

The COVID pandemic has brought many changes to our lives, uncertainty, and stress among them. The Canadian Mental Health Association states that requests for help have been increasing as we head into another pandemic winter. While it is positive that more people are asking for help, there are things we could all do to improve our mental health.

Researchers from the Wellbeing and Exercise Laboratory at Iowa State University study the effect of physical activity and sedentary behaviours on mental health. They knew that COVID would change our behaviour as well as our mental health, so they decided to track these changes during the pandemic.

More sitting, more depressed?

One of these changes is that we are sitting more.

Researcher, Jacob Meyer, assistant professor at the Wellbeing and Exercise Laboratory at Iowa State University surveyed more than 3,000 Americans. He found that the people who were meeting exercise guidelines of 150 minutes of exercise per week before the pandemic decreased their physical activity by 32% when COVID-19-related restrictions went into effect. 

These previously active people then reported increased feelings of depression and anxiety. 

The researchers followed up with the same people for 8 weeks and found that as the pandemic continued their feelings of depression and anxiety improved as they increased their activity level, except for the participants who did not return to exercise.

Jacob Meyers says, 

“People adjusted to life in the pandemic. But for people whose sitting times stayed high, their depressive symptoms, on average, didn’t recover in the same way as everyone else’s.”

Jacob Meyer

Meyer also reminds us that a little activity goes a long way. If you are stuck at home, get up and walk to another room. Take short breaks and walk around the block. Get outside for a few minutes a day and break up your day with movement.

The pandemic brought about many interesting changes in our lives and we adapted to all types of stressful situations. So why don’t doctors prescribe exercise for mental health?

While some physicians do prescribe exercise to treat moderate depression, others worry about how likely it is that their patients will exercise.

The pros of exercise as a treatment

A prescription for exercise comes with positive mental health benefits. Physical health increases. Strength training and cardiovascular exercise improve the health of the brain. Exercise increases the growth and connectivity of brain cells. Physical activity improves sleep quality – also critical for mental health and brain maintenance.

Physical activity is as effective as some pharmaceuticals to treat mild to moderate depression.

The (possible) downside of prescribing exercise therapy

Many physicians won’t prescribe exercise for two main reasons (well maybe three).

First, how do they know if their patients are actually exercising? When prescribing drugs as treatment most doctors understand that 50% of their patients will take them as directed.

But exercise? That can be much more difficult.

The second reason exercise is not on the prescription? People who suffer from depression may not feel like getting up and exercising.

The third reason? Many doctors don’t exercise. If they don’t do it, how could they even understand the benefits?

The possible benefits of pharmaceuticals

They may be effective and save lives.

They may be easier to take as prescribed.

The downsides to pharmaceuticals

Listed are just a few of the side effects of some anti-depressants:

• anxiety
• abnormal thinking
• sexual dysfunction
• weight loss or weight gain
• headaches
• dizziness
• high blood pressure
• insomnia
• irregular heart rate
• anxiety
• abnormal thinking
• suicidal thoughts
• withdrawal

Another downside that is rarely mentioned? It can take weeks for medications to have an effect and people take them for months or years.

What to do?

Depression should not be taken lightly, it can be a life-threatening condition.

However, like high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, reversing the symptoms is possible with lifestyle. The first response doesn’t need to be a pharmaceutical intervention although it often is.

Why are normal life circumstances being treated as a disease? Loss, upheaval, tragedy, these are normal and expected life events. As is joy, love and celebration. Emotions are not stagnant. The first response to unpleasant events doesn’t have to be drugs – prescription or otherwise.

Take a small step

While exercise is recommended to see an improvement in mental health you can start even smaller.

The first and maybe not so obvious is to sit less.

Change your mind, change your health,

Shayla