Depression is a really difficult state to be in. Sometimes it may be observed simply as a general unhappiness, while other times it may manifest as a perpetual state of despair or a person not wanting to live anymore. A study shows that an estimate of 17 percent of the U.S. population may suffer from depression at one time or another, making it a very prevalent occurrence this generation.
However, the treatment for depression has not been fully developed. For example, there are antidepressant drugs being given to those clinically diagnosed as having depression, or medically known as the manic-depressive condition. But these drugs usually only alleviate the symptoms without really curing the condition; after all, patients who take these medications are usually tied to them for the rest of their lives. Certainly, there are those who do seem to get better, but could it be that there were other factors at work that caused the recovery? Why else would the same drug treatment not have the same effect on every individual that takes it? Is that not supposedly the purpose of medication?
These recent years, more research has pointed to other alternative ways of dealing with depression. The top contender is exercise. Back in 2007, several studies were undertaking researching the effect of exercise on people suffering from depression. One such study took 202 depressed people and gave one group an exercise therapy while the other group was given antidepressant drugs. The scientists were happy to note that both groups performed in similar levels. The evidence seemed to support the hypothesis that exercise indeed does wonders to the body, not just physically but also emotionally.
Indeed, exercise does help a person cope with depression. This is related to the substances that the brain produces when one is in an intense physical activity, among which is endorphins, a hormone which is known as the “happy hormone” as it relieves stress. This is definitely helpful for someone who is depressed. The concentration on the physical movement may also distract the individual from whatever thoughts are plaguing him in his depressed state, albeit temporarily, and also improve his sleep. Most depressed patients do not sleep well, and exercise is known to make the body more relaxed and easier to fall into slumber, and stay asleep in a rested way, too.
In addition to that, since people with depression tend to overeat or not eat, in two extremes, or binge eat and other forms of binge eating, and are under a lot of stress and perpetual anxiety, the usual diseases that come as an offshoot of the condition are diabetes and heart problems. These are at least curbed when the person does regular exercise, ensuring a healthy heart and healthy burning of unwanted calories and sugars.
However, some scientists went one step further and checked whether these beneficial effects of exercise have a long-term effect on treating depression. The same kind of study done in 2007 was extended to check on the patients in about 6 months’ time, all the way until two years later. The results were heartbreaking, because it turned out that exercise only has benefits on people suffering from depression at the time when it is being undertaken. Months down the road, the patients were back to being depressed just like those who are in need of continual intake of antidepressants.
What does this mean for a person suffering from depression and looking for a way out? It would seem that exercise is a good tool for fighting it, but it has to be continued. After all, the release of hormones only happens when there is a stimulant, so it may be a good idea to think of exercise not as a quick-fix but as a lifestyle change. After all, the effects it has, although limited to the actual time it is happening, cannot be denied. Perhaps it is no accident that it has to be continued, or else people would just jump on the treadmill in hopes of getting his depression lifted forever. Besides, having a fixed exercise program will not only curb depression symptoms, it will result in an overall healthy body for the user, giving him strength to seek more ways of getting rid of his depression altogether.
