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We all know that stress is a silent killer. Not only can stress ruin your day, but it can affect your physical and mental health, leading you to lose interest in your favorite activities and experience burnout at work. Luckily, you can learn how to manage and combat stress with a few simple tips and tricks. One way many people cope with stress is through exercise. Exercise has been scientifically proven to improve your life by supporting physical and mental health and reducing stress and anxiety. Let’s discuss how it does this.
How Does Exercise Reduce Stress?
Exercise can help you manage your stress and anxiety regardless of the underlying cause because it releases endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are natural painkillers and stress reducers that can improve the quality of your life by reducing or eliminating stress altogether. Regular exercise will encourage your brain to release endorphins to improve your mood every day.
In addition, exercise lowers the amount of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. When you’re stressed, cortisol levels rise. In addition, cortisol levels can cause stress, leaving you in an endless and vicious cycle of the stress hormone and anxiety until you find a way to reduce these hormones that naturally occur as a response to stress. Exercise can help by lowering the stress hormone to help you feel calmer and less stressed.
How Do Different Types of Exercise Reduce Stress?
There are several different types of exercises, and we bet you’ve tried at least some of them. Unfortunately, you probably didn’t take note of how these exercises made you feel, so we’re here to explain it to you. Here are a few ways different exercises impact your mood:
Cardio
If you’ve ever experienced a runner’s high, then you already know the effects of cardio on your mental health. However, you don’t need to throw on your favorite running shoes and accessories gifts to experience the same feeling. Running, biking, hiking, walking, and swimming are all forms of exercise that support a healthy heart and lungs and can also act as a form of medication because it requires endurance and focus. In addition, cardio is one of the best ways to reduce stress because it releases endorphins and can help you burn off any nervous energy to help you fall asleep faster and easier at night to get the sleep your brain needs to stay healthy throughout the day and reduce stress.
Strength Training
Strength training can significantly reduce anxiety and stress. This type of exercise is less intensive than yoga and focuses on building muscle rather than burning calories. However, during strength training, many physiological changes take place that can reduce anxiety by forcing you to focus. In addition, strength training is difficult to do without focus, and taking the time to take care of your body and work your muscles can take your mind off of other stresses.
Yoga
Yoga is another workout you can use to reduce stress. While yoga can relieve stress because it helps release endorphins, it works differently from cardio because it’s a slow-moving type of exercise that focuses on breathing and mindfulness. Yoga is similar to meditation and can reduce anxiety while supporting healthy blood pressure and preventing heart disease. Certain yoga poses can also support relaxation.
Is There a Best Time to Exercise?
Believe it or not, you can exercise at any time during the day, depending on your schedule and what’s most convenient for you, to reap the benefits of working out for mental health. However, depending on your reason for exercising, you may choose to do it in the morning or at night after work. For example, if you want to exercise to improve your sleep quality and enhance your ability to cope with stress, you can exercise any time of day. However, exercising too close to bedtime can actually give you a boost of energy that prevents you from falling asleep, so if this happens to you, you should try to exercise earlier in the day.
Of course, you already know the relationship between stress and sleep, but ultimately, you need quality sleep if you want to combat stress. You can’t get sleep if you’re too stressed, so you’ll need to find a way to enhance your sleep quality while reducing stress to get a better night’s sleep and improve your mood. The best way to do this is through exercise, but of course, you may benefit from other forms of treatment like therapy.
Can Exercise Cause Stress?
Experts agree that exercise is healthy for you and can improve your physical and mental health. However, there is a point where exercise can indicate a more serious problem. For example, if you’re exercising a lot to reduce stress, you may need to rethink your stress, including what’s causing it. Exercising too much can become unhealthy, especially if it becomes a compulsion and you start doing it any time you feel anxious or stressed.
If you find yourself with a lot of stress in your life, using exercise alone may not be enough to improve your quality of life. However, if stress is upsetting you in the short-term, exercise can be a good way to reduce it. In addition, regular exercise can be a great way to prevent stress from becoming unmanageable as it allows you to take your mind off of your problems to focus on something that benefits your health.
However, exercise alone is not an effective coping mechanism if you have chronic stress or anxiety. A run or bike ride won’t be enough to prevent or reduce your stress and anxiety, although it can help you feel better in the short term. If exercise isn’t helping you feel less stressed or you find you’re exercising more than you need to just to reduce your stress levels, consider consulting a therapist who can help you identify your stressors and ways to cope that can be more effective.
Final Thoughts
How often you exercise to reduce stress depends on your schedule and how important it is to you. Most people can experience the positive effects of exercise on their moods by exercising at least two times a week, while others prefer to exercise every day. Stress is something that affects everyone throughout their lives, and exercise can help you reduce or eliminate it altogether, depending on the type of stress. However, it’s not a cure for anxiety or depression.
Author Profile
- Ashley Nielsen earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration Marketing at Point Loma Nazarene University. She is a freelance writer who loves to share knowledge about general business, marketing, lifestyle, wellness, and financial tips. During her free time, she enjoys being outside, staying active, reading a book, or diving deep into her favorite music.
