About 10% of the teenagers and adults in the US suffer from clinical depression. Clinical depression can greatly reduce quality of life and is associated with increased risk of other diseases such as heart disease, pancreatic cancer and suicide. Anti-depressant medications can be helpful to many, but not all, depressed people. However, common anti-depressants often carry common adverse side effects such as significant financial cost, sleep changes, drowsiness, dry mouth and sexual problems.
Physical exercise is an excellent way to treat depression which has few adverse side effects. Exercise can improve mood in many different ways including providing a good social outlet, toning muscles, reducing fat, improving circulation and by increasing the levels of endorphins in the blood. Endorphins are hormones which produce a good feeling or a “high” after exercise.
A meta-analysis (ie statistical analysis of several studies) of 58 randomized studies was published in the June 2009 issue of Sports Medicine. These studies involved 2,982 patients ranging from children to elderly adults. The exercise involved either aerobic (walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming) or resistance exercise of at least 20 minutes for at least 3 times per week. This meta-analysis reported that exercise significantly reduced depression and improved mood. Many of the studies reported that many of the depressed patients were significantly improved or even “cured” from depression after participating in regular exercise.
It is important to regularly participate in exercises that you enjoy. Walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, rowing, climbing stairs, aerobic exercise classes, weight lifting, dancing, tennis, skating (ice and roller) all provide excellent exercise that can be helpful in fighting depression. If one exercise provides difficult or boring, one can consider switching to a different exercise. For treatment of depression, try to exercise at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes for at least 3 times per week