Running for your Mental Well-being
We often hear the expression “runners’ high” — but what really is it, and how does running affect our mental health? Apart from the known physical benefits associated with aerobic exercises, research shows that running has notable positive effects on our brain. Here’s how:
Running can boost your mood
The feeling of runner’s high has been described to be a euphoric state resulting from long-distance running. Research suggests that running triggers the release of endorphins, which in turn can boost our mood and alleviate stress. Furthermore, it has been shown that building a regular exercise regimen into our lives, such as a running routine, can act as an effective buffer to the negative impact of daily stressors in life.
Running can alleviate anxiety and depression
Running has also been shown to reduce the effects of clinical depression. A study found that running could be an effective treatment in the alleviation of symptoms of depression. Running, in tandem with therapy, can help improve outcomes for some. If you are feeling mentally unwell, and are looking for treatment options, please speak with your GP or a clinical professional.
In recent years, mindfulness-based practices such as meditation have gained prominence and are known for their capacity to reduce anxiety and depression; however, some brain scans have shown that running can also have similar therapeutic effects. Running provides another opportunity for us to practise being present, aware and tuned in to both our body and breath.
Running can improve cognitive functions
Research has shown that competitive distance runners had greater functional connectivity, including in the frontal cortex (which is crucial for the effectiveness of cognitive functions such as planning and decision-making).
Benefits to our cognitive functions can be found in both high and low intensity running. Our capacity to learn and retain new information and vocabulary can be improved by running; the benefits are even more evident for high-intensity runners. Moreover, any degree of running has been found to boost levels of the protein BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and the neurotransmitter catecholamine, both of which are important for the brain’s healthy cognitive functioning.
Regular aerobic exercise, such as running, has also been shown to protect our brains from ageing. In a study involving a group of participants aged 70, those who exercised the most over the three-year study period showed the least shrinkage in white matter in their brains, compared to those who were least active.
Get running
The benefits of running are not only reserved for competitive long-distance runners. Although running may not be an immediate panacea to all mental health problems, there is strong evidence to show that even regular, short periods of jogging and running can have a powerful positive effect on our physical and mental wellbeing.
This article was written in support of Mind HK’s Move it for Mental Health campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of how exercise impacts both our mental and physical well-being. To learn more about Move It for Mental Health, please visit www.moveithk.com
This article is informative only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
For a list of emergency contacts, please visit: www.mind.org.hk/find-help-now/
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Questions? Email the team at media@mind.org.hk
References:
Henning Boecker, Till Sprenger, Mary E. Spilker, Gjermund Henriksen, Marcus Koppenhoefer, Klaus J. Wagner, Michael Valet, Achim Berthele, Thomas R. Tolle, “The Runner’s High: Opiondergic Mechanisms in the Human Brain”, Cerebral Cortex, Volume 18, Issue 11 (November 2008): 2523–2531, https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhn013
Puterman, E., Weiss, J., Beauchamp, M. R., Mogle, J., & Almeida, D. M., “Physical activity and negative affective reactivity in daily life”, Health Psychology, 36(12), 1186–1194, https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000532
Lynette L. Craft, Ph.D. and Frank M. Perna, Ed.D., Ph.D., “The Benefits of Exercise for the Clinically Depressed”, The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2004; 6(3): 104–111, https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v06n0301
Yi-Yuan Tang, Britta L. Holzel, Michael I. Posner, “The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation”, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Volume 16 (2015),13–225, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3916
Ben Martynoga, “What does running do to your brain?”, The Guardian, 21 June 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2018/jun/21/what-does-running-do-to-your-brain
Raichlen DA, Bharadwaj PK, Fitzhugh MC, Haws KA, Torre GA, Trouard TP, Alexander GE, “Differences in Resting State Functional Connectivity between Young Adult Endurance Athletes and Healthy Controls”, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 29 November 2016, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00610
Winter B, Breitenstein C, Mooren FC, Voelker K, Fobker M, Lechtermann A, Krueger K, Fromme A, Korsukewitz C, Floel A, Knecht S, “High impact running improves learning”, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Volume 87, Issue 4, (May 2007), 597–609, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2006.11.003
Alexandra Sifferlin, “Exercise Trumps Brain Games in Keeping our Minds Intact”, Time Magazine, 23 October 2012, http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/23/exercise-trumps-brain-games-in-keeping-our-minds-intact/?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange_article
