Exercise keeps stress away, study finds
Published 4:36 pm, Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Those who exercise may already recognize that it immediately reduces their stress. But it may also help keep anxiety at bay well after the exertion, new research from the University of Maryland School of Public Health suggests.
A period of moderate exercise and a period of rest both lowered stress shortly afterward, according to the study led by J. Carson Smith, assistant professor in the department of kinesiology. But only those who exercised experienced prolonged stress relief.
The study was published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
"While it is well-known that exercise improves mood, among other benefits, not as much is known about the potency of exercise's impact on emotional state and whether these positive effects endure when we're faced with everyday stressors once we leave the gym," Smith said in a statement. "We found that exercise helps to buffer the effects of emotional exposure. If you exercise, you'll not only reduce your anxiety, but you'll be better able to maintain that reduced anxiety when confronted with emotional events."
The researchers plan to test whether exercise could benefit patients with regular anxiety and depression.