Each day presents us with new challenges and tests our resilience. We may experience stress in situations that take us out of our comfort zone. While we can’t eliminate stress completely, we can learn to manage it.
When our emotions overwhelm us, it’s important to know how to disconnect from what’s happening around us. Engaging in activities that bring us pleasure and positive emotions can help.
Some people find solace in creative activities or get lost in books, while others prefer doing sports.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of exercising during stressful situations and why running is particularly effective for managing stress.
Contents
What Is Stress and Why It Occurs
Stress is a natural protective mechanism our body uses in response to adverse environmental conditions. It initiates a chain of biochemical processes that help us to cope with challenges and adjust to new situations.
This mechanism has been a part of our nature since the primary stressors for our ancestors were the need to evade predators or hunt for food, hence its common name “fight or flight.”
Primitive humans needed to focus on one task to survive and procure food: mobilize their body’s resources, concentrate, and activate their muscular system to be prepared for action.
These changes affect nearly all body systems and are regulated at the highest level with the help of hormones that transmit information between organs. When the brain detects danger, it sends a signal that triggers the release of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, by the relevant organs into the bloodstream.
What adrenaline and cortisol do
- Improve the conduction of nerve impulses, leading to a positive effect on the reaction and decision-making speed.
- Increase the frequency and strength of heart contractions, ensuring that working muscles receive oxygen.
- Decrease insulin production and release glycogen from the liver, increasing the level of glucose in the blood, which is the main source of energy for muscles.
- Accelerate lipid and protein metabolism, resulting in the active breakdown of proteins and fats for use as further sources of energy.
- Redistribute blood flow from internal organs, primarily the digestive system, to muscles for better support of their function.
- Destroy lymphocytes, which are immune cells, and suppress immune reactions.
- Have an anti-inflammatory effect, resulting in a reduction in the number of leukocytes.
- Increase the pain threshold.
The body initiates these reactions to ensure that nothing hinders its ability to “fight or flee.” The priority is given to the organs and systems necessary for this purpose, including the muscular system, as well as the nervous, respiratory, and circulatory systems that support it.
The functioning of other body systems, such as digestion and inflammatory responses, is temporarily put on hold during stressful situations.
Once a danger is over or a mammoth is caught, the body returns to a balanced state called homeostasis. Levels of stress hormones decrease, as they have fulfilled their function and are no longer needed, and all the body’s systems return to their normal state.
Even though we no longer chase mammoths or flee from saber-toothed tigers, stress responses still exist within us from primitive times.
These reactions occur in response to any physical or psychological stressor and help us cope with difficult situations and even survive.
Thanks to our ancestors, we have a strong instinct for self-preservation that can serve us well in times of need. Yet, excessive stress can be harmful. Let’s discuss this next.
What Are the Benefits and Harms of Stress
Since the body’s reaction to stress is a normal physiological process that’s inherent in nature, we actually need some stress to keep all our systems functioning properly.
A stress-free life may seem enjoyable, but a complete absence of stress can decrease our body’s functional abilities.
Significant life changes can trigger stress in us, like that which our ancestors had when they needed to hide from predators. So, the ability to adapt to new circumstances is crucial for our survival and comfortable living.
Learning how to manage stress can make us more resilient, but if we experience too much stress, our bodies may not be able to cope with it.
Related: 16 Ways to Balance Work and Running
Nowadays, stress has different causes than those that affected our early human ancestors. The primary sources of stress are now psychosocial, such as work, household problems, and other external factors. However, the body’s response to stress remains the same, whether it’s physical or psychological.
While cortisol and adrenaline levels return to normal after physical stress, in the case of emotional stress, the stress response cycle remains incomplete, and stress hormone levels remain elevated.
Chronic stress can harm the body in various ways, including:
- Elevating blood pressure.
- Causing tachycardia, which is an accelerated heartbeat even at rest.
- Reducing immunity and increasing susceptibility to diseases.
- Creating digestive problems
- Reducing muscle mass.
- Causing joint problems.
- Disrupting sleep patterns.
- Raising blood sugar levels, potentially increasing the risk of developing diabetes.
- Causing the accumulation of fat in the lower abdomen, also known as “cortisol belly,” which is difficult to eliminate even with a diet.
- Leading to depression.
These are just some of the health issues that chronic stress can lead to, and doing sports is one of the best ways to combat it. By exercising regularly and promptly, you can prevent numerous diseases.
Engaging in physical activity is a beneficial stress that helps eliminate the increased stress hormones, thereby completing the above-described chain of body reactions. Essentially, physical stress acts as an antagonist to psycho-emotional stress.
Exercising helps you switch from negative and destructive thoughts to constructive activity. Although you may feel anxious and worried when leaving for a run, you’ll likely notice positive changes in your mood afterward. You’ll regain the desire to do something useful and experience the joy of life.
Related: 7 Tips on How Not to Lose Passion for Running
There are many different types of sports to choose from depending on your preferences and habits. However, running has certain advantages that make it significantly more effective as an antidepressant than other sports.
Let’s now take a look at the primary benefits of running.
4 Reasons Why Running Is the Best for Stress Relief
1. Running helps shift your focus
When you run, your body repeats the same movement pattern over and over again in a cycle. So if you go for a long run at a steady pace, it’s actually a pretty simple and straightforward movement for your body and nervous system to handle.
Of course, if you want to achieve certain results and minimize the risk of injury, it’s important to learn the correct running technique. But in general, anyone can run because it is a natural skill that doesn’t require special mastery.
That’s one of the great things about choosing running as a way to deal with stress. When you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t have the energy to learn something new and complicated, it is better to choose a simple and understandable activity.
A runner’s training regimen typically contains more than just slow-paced runs, but also interval training, special running and jumping exercises, and sometimes the use of equipment such as barriers and boxes.
The benefit of these workouts lies in the complete focus and concentration they require.
When you’re doing technically complex movements, there’s simply no room in your mind for anything else. You have to be fully concentrated on what you’re doing in the present moment. And isn’t that a great way to distract yourself from negative thoughts?
However, keep in mind that these kinds of workouts are more difficult and intense, so it’s important to approach them in a measured way.
2. Running has a positive effect on the endocrine system
Hormones regulate almost everything in our bodies, including our mental and emotional states.
Running has a positive effect on the endocrine system, stimulating the production of various hormones, such as dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin, often called “happiness hormones”. These hormones also act as neurotransmitters, facilitating the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the body.
As a neurotransmitter, dopamine plays a crucial role in several processes, including the formation of:
- the sense of anticipation of a reward for accomplishing something, such as completing a run or finishing a race
- the satisfaction when achieving a goal
- the positive emotions from physical activity
- the emergence of motivation (positive impact on the emotional background).
Endorphins also improve mood and reduce sensitivity to pain. They play a regulatory role in the motility of the intestines, blood clotting, and inflammatory reactions.
Additionally, endorphins are involved in the production of melatonin, which regulates circadian rhythms and promotes normal sleep. Quality sleep, in turn, reduces cortisol levels and aids in recovery, which is essential during times of stress.
Running workouts release testosterone, which is the primary anabolic hormone. It promotes muscle tissue growth and also has a lipolytic effect, meaning it helps break down fat.
Essentially, testosterone acts as an antagonist to cortisol, which has a pronounced catabolic effect, leading to muscle breakdown.
Running stimulates the function of the thyroid gland. This organ is responsible for regulating the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. As a result, it affects tissue growth and development, weight, oxidative processes in the body, heat exchange, cardiac activity, and many other bodily functions.
Even from these few examples, it is clear how interconnected everything is in the body. One aspect affects another, creating a chain of reactions.
A malfunction in any one link of this chain leads to global problems, which is why it is crucial to respond promptly to any signals and changes in the body to prevent further negative consequences.
3. Running enhances antidepressant effects
Running is one of the best types of cardio training, as it leads to many corresponding adaptive changes in the body.
- Regular exercise brings down the heart rate even at rest, and it also increases the heart’s stroke volume (the amount of blood the heart pumps out in one contraction). This, in turn, makes the heart work more efficiently.
- Blood vessels become more elastic in response to the need to pump blood more intensely during exercise. One of the positive outcomes of this is a decrease in blood pressure after several weeks of regular training.
- Tissue capillarization improves. During a run, the muscles that are working require oxygen. The muscle cells involved in running need a well-developed network of small capillaries to deliver oxygen to the mitochondria, which serve as the cell’s powerhouses. The development of the capillary network is an adaptation to this oxygen requirement.
- Another benefit of running is that it stimulates lung ventilation. Deep breathing during running provides oxygen to the body and enhances vital lung capacity over time, resulting in a more efficient breathing process not only during exercise but also in everyday life.
These effects improve oxygen supply to all the organs, including the brain. This results in reduced fatigue and sensitivity to weather changes, increased productivity, improved speed and ease of decision-making, and decreased frequency and intensity of headaches.
On the one hand, these positive changes increase the body’s adaptive capabilities, while on the other hand, they improve overall well-being.
Related: How Much Running is Good for Your Health?
When nothing is bothering or irritating, it becomes much easier to handle any tasks. Therefore, running, with its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, significantly enhances the quality of life.
4. Running outdoors makes you feel better
Running often involves training outdoors, which has a lot of positive effects:
- It helps to oxygenate your body better, which is especially important for people who work in enclosed spaces like offices, homes, or shopping centers.
- Running in sunny weather provides an opportunity to get vitamin D, a crucial substance for the body. Vitamin D regulates the exchange of calcium and phosphorus, which is necessary for bone tissue. It also participates in the production of antibodies, strengthening immunity, and serves as a substance for the production of dopamine.
- Running provides an easy way to change your surroundings.
If you typically exercise indoors, go for a run outside. The brain is wired to release dopamine when we engage in new activities or encounter new environments, rewarding us with positive emotions.
This mechanism has been hardwired into us since primitive times: the more knowledge we had about the world around us, the greater our chances of survival were.
And lastly, replacing a noisy gym with a peaceful park, listening to the rustling of leaves and the songs of birds, and feeling the wind on your skin can also be highly beneficial for your nervous system.
Running outdoors gives you the chance to be alone with yourself. Sometimes, the demands of work and daily life can make it difficult to find this kind of solitude. And running, since it’s an individual sport, offers the perfect opportunity to be by yourself.
You don’t need to round up a team of five or ten people just to go for a run. Of course, you can run with others, but having a partner isn’t as crucial as it is for team sports.
While we’re running in the fresh air, we recharge our batteries. It’s a moment when we disconnect from the outside world, putting away our smartphones and laptops, and staying alone with our thoughts. We focus on our well-being and how we’re feeling.
Running as an Antidepressant from a Scientific Perspective
Several studies have shown that exercise, particularly running, has a significant therapeutic effect in treating depression*.
These studies have established an inverse relationship between regular physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and depression symptoms. It means that as fitness levels increase, the severity of depression symptoms tends to decrease.
Moreover, regular moderate-intensity workouts also make it possible to reduce the dosage of antidepressants needed in the treatment of depressive disorders. Physical activity has a positive effect on sleep quality and cognitive function.
Back in 1991, Swiss scientists found that regular runs (averaging 2 hours per week) over 4 months significantly reduce levels of aggression, anxiety, and seasonal mood swings. This demonstrates that running is an effective method for treating seasonal depression.
Recent studies have also confirmed the mental health benefits of running. For example, in 2022, Chinese scientists found a positive relationship between regular cardio workouts lasting 40-50 minutes, done 10-15 times a month, and an improvement in mental health.
Similarly, researchers from the University of Edinburgh analyzed studies on the relationship between sports and mental health over the past 30 years and came to the same conclusions.
British and Norwegian experts prescribe physical exercise as an alternative to antidepressants.
Movement is a natural and readily accessible way to ease depression symptoms. Running replenishes the lack of neurons and neurotransmitters, performing the same function as antidepressant medications.
John Ratey, a researcher and author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, notes that physical exercise improves our self-perception by balancing the levels of various neurochemicals, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, neurotrophin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and others, in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
Why Running Is Also Stress
Engaging in any physical activity puts stress on the body, causing the release of specific hormones and initiating a chain of processes described at the beginning of the article. The more intense and demanding the workout, the higher the level of stress.
With adequate recovery, including quality sleep, proper nutrition, and a balanced work and rest schedule, the body gradually returns to its normal state. The level of stress hormones decreases, the stress threshold from physical exercise increases, and we become prepared for another workout.
Yet, if we are also experiencing high levels of daily stress and fail to recover sufficiently, we risk worsening its negative effects.
How to Choose the Right Amount of Running When You’re Stressed
Your strategy for choosing the amount of running should depend on the level of stress you’re experiencing.
If it’s a one-time event, such as having a difficult day at work or receiving criticism from your boss, there’s no need to adjust your training plan. In fact, physical activity can be beneficial in these situations as it helps to burn off the stress hormones, complete the stress response cycle, and provide you with positive emotions.
However, if you’ve been experiencing stress for a prolonged period, it’s essential to adjust your workouts appropriately. First and foremost, you need to pay attention to whether your body has already started to react to the stress. Take the time to listen to your body and understand its signals.
Signs of physical stress include:
- Sleep disturbances such as difficulty falling asleep and insomnia
- Irritability and mood swings
- Increased anxiety
- Feeling tired and lacking energy in the morning even after having a normal amount of sleep
- Decreased or increased appetite
- Sudden weight loss or gain
- Digestive problems such as pain and discomfort in the stomach
- Episodes of tachycardia, that is, increased heart rate
- Lack of interest in activities that usually bring positive emotions and satisfaction
- More frequent colds
- More frequent headaches
- Skin irritation such as eczema, dermatitis, or allergic reactions that were previously uncharacteristic.
These signs show that the body is no longer able to cope with the effects of stress, and intense physical activity will only exacerbate the situation.
The best course of action would be to reduce or even temporarily give up exercise and focus on recovery, which includes normalizing sleep and nutrition, regulating heart rate, and strengthening the immune system. If necessary, seek medical advice, as your doctor may recommend certain medications.
However, remember that physical activity, especially running, can help ease depression. Thus, after establishing the basics, such as adequate sleep and nutrition, incorporate running or other activities into your routine. Perhaps running will be the trigger that initiates a positive chain of changes.
You may wonder how to organize a training program during times of serious stress.
If you are preparing for a race and are used to intense workouts and high volumes, temporarily reduce your training volume by 25-30%, and avoid high-intensity tempo and interval exercises. This should allow your body to recover without compromising your fitness level.
Listen to your body: you should not feel like you are constantly forcing yourself or exerting yourself to the point ofexhaustion.
During stressful periods, your workouts should aim to maintain your existing fitness level rather than improve it. For successful performance in competitions, mental state is just as important as physical condition. If your nervous system is exhausted, good results are unlikely.
It is important to remember that sports stress hardens the body.
People who regularly engage in sports are better able to handle stress because the nervous and endocrine systems are accustomed to working under conditions of physical stress, and the body’s response to both physical and emotional stress is the same. Therefore, regular exercise is a great way to prevent depression and enhance stress resistance.
Conclusion
When experiencing emotional stress, physical exercise can be beneficial as it allows the body to complete the stress response cycle and expend the stress hormones.
It’s essential to focus on establishing fundamental things such as sleep and nutrition. Nevertheless, light jogging can help stimulate the production of hormones that promote feelings of well-being.
Running is a better sport for coping with stress than others due to its various positive effects, such as improving the body’s oxygen supply, strengthening the heart and blood vessels, activating the endocrine system, and producing “happiness hormones.” These benefits not only improve well-being but also enhance the quality of life.
Running is so beneficial that it can help you overcome depression. In some countries, psychotherapists suggest physical activity and exercise instead of antidepressants. This is because running acts as a natural antidepressant, stimulating the body to produce the same substances found in the medication.
If you’ve grown to love running, or if you’ve been running for months or years, don’t ever give up on it, even if it’s sometimes challenging to motivate yourself to keep going. And if you’ve never run before, now is the perfect time to start.
*Sources
- Relationship between physical activity and mental health in a national representative cross-section study: it’s variations according to obesity and comorbidity. Peng Xu et al. J Affect Disord, 2022.
- Effects of jogging on mental well-being and seasonal mood variations: a randomized study with healthy women and men. E Suter et al., Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1991.
- A scoping reside of the relationship between running and mental health. Freya Oswald et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020.
- Spark. The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. John J. Ratey, Eric Hagerman, 2008
