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Exercising Your Way To Happiness
19 November 2019
Sure, you know exercise is good for you. It keeps your weight in check, makes you stronger, and keep you feeling youthful and active all the way into old age. But other than the physical benefits, did you know that it also elevates your mood and make you happy?
Better Mood
One of the main reasons why you generally feel more positive post workout is the result of your body releasing a bunch of happy hormones called endorphins. But it’s not as simple as that. When you work out, the physical activity your body experiences results in stress, which leads to the fight-or-flight reflex. When this happens, your brain releases endorphins that fight the feelings of stress, as well as a protein called BDNF, which protects your brain from that stress.
Endorphins are somewhat similar to morphine in terms of the effects that each can have on your brain. But of course a healthier option. The hormone activates certain neural receptors that reduce discomfort. The key to all of this, though, is the relationship between stress and endorphins as you only get that euphoric release if your body is under enough stress. This means a higher level of working out will result in a higher amount of endorphins released thus leading to more good feelings at the end of your sprint.
Helps with Anxiety
While stress and anxiety are a normal part of everyone’s life, anxiety disorders afflict almost a third of Malaysians according to the 2017 National Health and Morbidity Survey. While medication and seeing a doctor helps, research has also shown that exercising can help with anxiety as well. In fact, research has shown that it can be quite effective at calming sensory nervous systems, producing feel-good hormones, lowering resting heart rate, increasing confidence, and decreasing sensitivity to anxiety symptoms.
Physically active people also have lower rates of anxiety and depression than people who lead sedentary lifestyles. Between just sitting in front of the TV or computer screen all day, a brisk run or light game of football with some friends will definitely help put a smile on your face. In fact, the brain learns to cope better with stress as you exercise more and it may also help improve your mental health.
Helps with Sleep
Who doesn’t love to sleep? The feeling of your head landing on a soft pillow and smooth sheets is probably one of the best feelings in the world. Unfortunately in Malaysia, approximately 35 percent of the general population suffers from insomnia symptoms and 12.2 percent have chronic insomnia. Our hectic lifestyles and the proliferation of electronic gadgets precipitate a tendency for us to suffer from insomnia. Getting enough quality sleep can help protect your mental health, physical health and quality of life. Without adequate sleep, your mood is affected, you can’t focus and you are unable to pay attention.
Exercising regularly will help to improve your sleep quality and probably alleviate some of those suffering from insomnia. (Of course this doesn’t apply to everyone suffering from insomnia, proper consultation with a doctor is still recommended.) While researchers have yet to completely understand how physical activity improves sleep, moderate aerobic exercise is known to increase the amount of slow wave sleep you get. Slow wave sleep refers to deep sleep, where the brain and body have a chance to rejuvenate.
Keeps your Mind Sharp
You have probably heard of the saying “your brain is like a muscle.” That comparison usually leads to people to suggest activities such as reading, writing and such contributes to the growth of the brain. While that is true, the brain-as-a-muscle comparison isn’t all that accurate. When it comes to your brain, getting busy working your glutes will also directly benefit your grey matter.
The part of the brain that responds strongly to exercise is the hippocampus, which is the core of the brain’s learning and memory systems. In a study done at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart and your sweat glands pumping, appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, which is good news for most as researchers say one new case of dementia is detected every four seconds globally leading to an estimate that by the year 2050, more than 115 million people will have dementia worldwide. Other studies also show that exercising improves balance, coordination and agility that impact the brain structure and cognitive function of the elderly.
References
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/13/health/endorphins-exercise-cause-happiness/index.html
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15026138
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/195688
https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-anxiety/exercise-stress-and-anxiety
https://www.businessinsider.my/nearly-25-of-malaysians-have-had-suicidal-thoughts-yougov/
https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-016-0432-4
https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/heal/2018/05/367079/sleep-it
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercising-for-better-sleep
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/04/22/stay-active-less-sleepis-dr-ms-secret-to-life
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jun/18/how-physical-exercise-makes-your-brain-work-better
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25255932
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24029446
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-exercise-affects-your-brain/
The above articles are intended for informational purposes only. AIA accepts no responsibility for loss, which may arise from reliance on information contained in the articles.
