What exercises are the best to relieve stress? Research answer: Surfing and mountain climbing have significant effects! Reduce symptoms of severe depression by up to 70%
Many studies have confirmed that exercise can be helpful in improving mental health and even assisting in psychotherapy. However, if you are a patient with mental illness, what exercises should you start with? Research published in “BMC Psychiatry” shows that two types of exercise, “surfing” and “hiking”, have a significant positive effect on relieving symptoms of severe depression.
It’s not just hiking that’s good for your mental health! Study reveals: Surfing can alleviate 70% of symptoms of major depression
The Naval Medical Center in San Diego (NMCSD) conducted a study on 96 active-duty military personnel. All subjects suffered from major depressive disorder (MDD). Why did you choose surfing and mountain climbing as intervention measures? The research team derived the following reasons based on previous research:
Physical activity in a natural environment has a greater positive impact on depression than indoor activities.
Hiking or mountain climbing in nature is more conducive to the recovery of people with mental illness than walking in urban areas.
When engaging in water activities, the “blue space” you are in can make individuals feel calmer and their emotional symptoms can be greatly improved compared to the “green space” when mountaineering.
The research team divided 96 subjects into 2 groups, with 48 people assigned to the surfing group and the mountaineering group respectively. Approximately 77% of the subjects completed the designated intervention sessions, that is, they did not miss more than 2 random visits; and 78.1% of the subjects completed the assessment after 3 months of the study. The results showed that both the clinician’s diagnosis and the subjects’ self-reported symptoms of major depression were significantly reduced in both groups.
Finally, after 3 months of evaluation, it was found that the severe depression in both the surfing group and the mountaineering group had improved. The two groups had 74% and 47% remission rates of severe depression respectively, which means that the subjects were able to return to normal social activities. Function. Research shows that surf therapy participants were more likely to experience remission from a diagnosis of major depression, but both groups did experience a decrease in depressive symptoms.
Antidepressant drugs and cognitive therapy have not shown results. Could physical activity be a treatment option for depression?
Study author Kristen H. Walter pointed out that about 5% of the world’s population suffers from severe depression, and the proportion of this disease is higher among military personnel (8%). It is often related to drug abuse or suicidal thoughts. Although antidepressant drugs such as citalopram, escitalopram, and fluoxetine can treat major depression, if patients stop taking the drugs on their own or take them irregularly, they may lead to more severe symptoms.
“Cognitive behavioral therapy is also considered to be able to relieve depression, but many patients with major depression have no response to it and their symptoms will not disappear.” Walter said that after drug and psychological counseling intervention, if the patient’s Major depression has not improved yet, so exercise may be the best auxiliary measure. Among them, surfing, which involves water sports, may be more effective in improving depression than mountain climbing.
“From the perspective of physician assessment, the subjects in this study experienced a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, which means that the study results are clinically significant. In addition, the subjects’ self-reported reduction in depressive symptoms also demonstrated statistical and clinical improvement. “Significantly, the effect is stronger in patients who have previously received medication.” Walter believes that this study contributes to understanding the impact of exercise on improving depression, but considering that the study was conducted on active duty military personnel, it may not be applicable to other groups or the general population. Results may vary.
Just spend 20-30 minutes in nature every day. Experts confirm that it can help restore attention and reduce cortisol.
Contact with nature is not only beneficial to people with depression, it is even more helpful to mediocre modern people! According to the “Attention Restoration Theory” of University of Michigan psychologist Stephen Kaplan, the most restful environment is actually nature. Contact with the sunset, waves, mountains, and waterfalls can help individuals liberate themselves from mental fatigue and restore their attention. Strength and composure.
Research from the University of Michigan in 2019 also proved that walking in a natural environment for at least 10 minutes more than three times a week can reduce the concentration of the “stress hormone” cortisol in saliva by up to 21.3%. The research team observed that walking in nature for 20-30 minutes at a time is the most relaxing frequency. However, walking in an urban environment did not provide the same cortisol-lowering effect.
Kaplan believes that if people want to take a break, they should focus on enjoying their own immersive experiences, such as mountain climbing, surfing, water play, camping, and traveling with friends. As long as you can “live completely in the present” activities, it will help restore your attention that is exhausted by the bombardment of messages on weekdays. Therefore, for the sake of brain health, people who are under excessive work pressure should put down their mobile phones and laptops at the right time and go outdoors for more walks.
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