Group 10
Anxiety
Everyone feels anxious every now and then, whether it’s because of an upcoming exam, a promotion at work, or just everyday life. The good news is there’s a way to help reduce your anxiety and help you better cope with it.
Exercise!
Exercise has been shown to have a positive correlation with reducing anxiety, and it doesn’t really matter what kind! Whatever you’re into will do the trick whether it’s weight lifting, yoga, or kick boxing. All intensity levels show positive results but try to aim for the moderate level for longer lasting benefits (Broman-Fulks 2014).
Depression
Depression is a common and serious illness that negatively affects the way a person feels, thinks and acts. Depression has become one of the leading major health issues in history and its impact is only increasing. Treatment plans for depression vary based upon the type and the severity, most doctors will prescribe their patient antidepressants or refer them to psychotherapists. I have found that exercise can be as effective, if not more so than medication to combat depression. While exercising you release endorphins in your brain that help reduce the feeling of pain and most importantly the endorphins trigger positive feelings in your body that will help you feel better all around. A study done by Lund University found that individuals that regularly exercise experience mood enhancing effects which results in an effective treatment against depression. Another study performed by the Department of Public Health found that any level of physical activity, light, moderate or vigorous, can be as equally effective in treating mild to moderate depression. Individuals facing depressive episodes may experience positive side effects when engaging in exercise.
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Stress
Stress is a part of everyone’s daily life, but can be detrimental to one’s health. Daily tasks such as being stuck in traffic, facing difficult tasks at school/ work, and trying to meet other people’s expectations can cause one to face feelings of stress. What is the best way to relieve our stress? Exercise. Exercise has positive effects on not only coping with our emotions, but has a positive physical effect as well.
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Exercising as a part of our daily routine can help individuals manage their lifestyles, and result in more positive experiences and emotions. Studies prove that even low intensity exercise lowers reactivity to stress. High intensity exercise has the greatest positive effect in reducing stress. Blood pressure, heart rate, and VO2 max were observed in both athletes and people whom do not perform enough physical activity. Start today by finding any way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine!
Sleep
We all know that when we don’t get enough sleep we tend to be cranky and/or not functional. Sleep is a very important part of health. During sleep, the brain is brought to homeostasis and essential functioning for the next day (Goldstein & Walker, 2014). Getting the right amount of sleep before an exam or even during finals week is very important and not getting the right amount is going to have negative effects on exam performances.
Sleep loss is associated with irritability, emotional volatility, and memory and alertness impairments (Goldstein & Walker, 2014). This explains why we get grouchy without enough sleep, and this also doesn’t help when trying to function in class either or studying.
Fact: Young adults (age 18-25 years old) should get 7-9 hours of sleep; no less than 6 hours; no more than 10 hours (Lichtenstein, 2015).
Impact On Students
Of course, fitness has several impacts on our mental health, but those effects have a correlation to our academic success. According to a meta-analysis study by Bernice Andrews and John M. Wilding, financial life can play a role in a student’s anxiety and depression which in turn will affect their GPA negatively in the University. Andrews states, “We have shown that exam performance appears to be adversely affected by the presence of depression” (Andrews 2004). It is common knowledge that having stress in your life can definitely affect how you can focus, and the quality of your everyday studying. At the same time, it should also be noted that school could also have positive effects on a student if they pre-existing conditions. Fitness in research is commonly shown to help manage those mental health conditions as well as help you become the best version of yourself. Since anxiety and depression could have a negative impact on your academic performance, it is important to seek help not only for school but for your overall mental health. Exercising is also something good to do on the side because of it wonderful physical benefits as well as the impact it holds mentally.
Interviews With Students
References
Andrews, B., & Wilding, J. M. (2004). The relation of depression and anxiety to life-stress and achievement in students. British Journal of Psychology, 95(4), 509-521. doi:10.1348/0007126042369802
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Bartholomew, J. B. (2000). Stress reactivity after maximal exercise: The effect of manipulated performance feedback in endurance athletes. Journal of sports sciences, 18(11), 893-899.
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Bjorg Heladottir, et al. “Training fast or slow? Exercise for depression: A randomized controlled trial.” Preventive Medicine, Academic Press, 8 Aug. 2016, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743516302171.
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Broman-Fulks, Joshua J., Berman, Mitchell E., Rabian, Brian A., Webster, Michael J. “Effects of aerobic exercise on anxiety sensitivity.” Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 42, no. 2, 2004, pp. 125-136.
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Goldstein, A.N., Walker, M.P. (2014). The role of sleep in emotional brain function. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 10:679-708. doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153716
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Hamer, M., Taylor, A., & Steptoe, A. (2006). The effect of acute aerobic exercise on stress related blood pressure responses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biological psychology, 71(2), 183-190.
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Lichtenstein, G. R. (2015). The Importance of Sleep. Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 11(12), 790.
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Sebastian Eriksson, and Gunvor Gard. “Physical exercise and depression.” Taylor & Francis, 12 Nov. 2013, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/1743288X11Y.0000000026.
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