Reported depression rates have reached an all-time high. According to a 2023 Gallup poll, 29 percent of American adults have been diagnosed at some point in life — a 10 percentage point jump since 2015.
Meanwhile, according to the National Institutes of Health, generalized anxiety disorder (the most common type of anxiety) affects 3.1 percent of the U.S. population.
While they’re separate mental health conditions, depression and anxiety commonly occur together — and addressing one often helps the other.
“Exercise is a potent treatment for depression and anxiety,” says integrative psychiatrist Henry Emmons, MD, author of The Chemistry of Joy.
Movement increases production of the natural painkillers known as endorphins; it also enhances dopamine and serotonin, brain chemicals that uplift mood and tend to run low in people with depression. “Anything that increases your heart rate, even for a short period, is going to release those endorphins and chemicals that improve your mood,” Vortherms says.
Exercise can also calm anxiety-producing stress hormones like epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine, Emmons adds.
Indirectly, regular movement can combat depression and anxiety by benefiting your sleep. Research has shown that improvements in sleep quality boost the mental health of people with these conditions.
“Improving sleep goes a long way toward improving mood,” Emmons says. It’s common to feel irritable and short-tempered after a sleepless night. But once you get some good rest, your mood stabilizes, and you’re better prepared to tackle the day.
The best exercise for depression and anxiety depends on your personality and preferences. Some people benefit from the meditative quality of aerobic activities like running, walking, and cycling. Others prefer more-intense workouts.
“Giving 100 percent to a high-intensity workout may make someone feel the absolute best,” says Life Time trainer Austin Head, who teaches the mind-body focused MB360 classes. “For someone else, a gentle yoga or tai chi session may do the trick.”
Consistency is key, Head adds. “There was a period when I wasn’t working out, and it was probably the worst I’ve ever felt mentally.”
Today, he says movement is a nonnegotiable for him. “My mental health is the strongest when I have a consistent fitness routine.”
Learn More
For a whole-person approach to addressing depression, check out
“A Whole-Person Approach to Treating Depression.”
For four ways to treat anxiety, visit
“4 Ways to Treat Anxiety.”
Moving for Mental Health
Exercise is a powerful tool for improving mental health: It can reduce stress, relieve depression and anxiety, and be a salve for loneliness, to name a few of its benefits. Delve into the many ways movement can serve as medicine for the mind at “7 Ways Movement Benefits Mental Health,” from which this article was excerpted.
The post How Does Exercise Combat Depression and Anxiety? appeared first on Experience Life.
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