Can Exercise Prevent Anxiety Disorders?

At the height of the second deadly wave of the covid-19 pandemic, besides the very real danger of contracting the virus, the other, less examined trend was the toll it was taking on people’s mental health. The relentless bad news caused anxiety, and this was exacerbated by the fact that everyone knew people who had died from covid-19. Fear of the pandemic has struck home and has caused anxiety and depression for many.

Mental health cannot be treated easily and ideally requires long-term care and professional attention. However, many people back then took to exercising every day to avoid feeling helpless. Especially during a health crisis, anecdotal evidence suggests that exercise has given people a semblance of agency regarding their health, and it has helped.

Also Read: Can Exercise Help Protect Your Mental Health?

A story published in May by Salon writer Shrenik Avlani looked at how people are doing. Some, like 28-year-old Tanya Rocque, have turned to HIIT, MMA and aerial yoga to “stay sane,” as she put it. Others, like 34-year-old businessman Shahid Lokhandwala, have created a makeshift home gym and have sought solace in the daily workout routine.

New research published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry supports this anecdotal evidence that exercise can help ward off anxiety. Or even develop anxiety in the first place. Swedish researchers have found that people leading active lifestyles are less prone to developing anxiety disorders.

Also Read: Can Exercise Boost Your Creativity?

“We found that the group with a more physically active lifestyle had an almost 60% lower risk of developing anxiety disorders over a follow-up period of up to 21 years,” said lead author Martine Svensson of Department of Experimental Medical Sciences of Lund University, Sweden. “This association between a physically active lifestyle and a lower risk of anxiety has been seen in both men and women,” Svensson added. The study is based on data collected from nearly 400,000 people in Sweden.

However, researchers have also found that the effects of this vary by gender. The highest performing group of female athletes in the study reported nearly double the risk of developing anxiety disorders than their low performing counterparts. While it may have a lot to do with the anxiety of excelling in sports, this is an area that would require further research. But one thing is certain: exercise helps. And that’s reason enough to adopt a physically active lifestyle.

Also read: How to age with your physical form intact