TheRoleofPhysicalActivityinPreventingMentalHealthDisorders
Physicalactivityhasbeenlong-recognizedasaneffectivewaytopromotephysicalhealth.However,recentresearchhasalsoshownthatphysicalactivityplaysinanimportantroleinmaintainingandimprovingmentalhealth.Inthismeta-analysis,weaimtoevaluatetherelationshipbetweenphysicalactivityandthepreventionofmentalhealthdisorders.Numerousstudieshavefoundthatphysicalactivityisassociatedwithreductionsindepression,anxiety,andstresssymptoms.Inaddition,increasedphysicalactivityhasbeenshowntohaveapositiveimpactonsleeppatterns,cognitivefunctioning,andself-esteem.Thesefindingssuggestthatphysicalactivitymaybeaviablealternativeorcomplementtotraditionaltreatmentsforthoseexperiencingmentalhealthdisorders.TheRelationshipbetweenPhysicalActivityandSpecificMentalHealthDisorders
Whilephysicalactivityshowspromiseinpromotingoverallmentalhealth,thereisalsoevidencetosuggestitseffectivenessintreatingspecificmentalhealthdisorders.Forexample,researchrevealsthatphysicalactivitycanhelpmanagesymptomsofanxiety,particularlyinindividualswithgeneralizedanxietydisorder.Similarly,researchhasshownthatphysicalactivityisnotonlyeffectiveintreatingdepressionbutcanalsopreventitsonsetwhenpracticedregularly.Furthermore,severalstudieshavedemonstratedthatphysicalactivityisbeneficialforindividualswithschizophreniainmanagingsymptomssuchassocialwithdrawal,cognitivedeficits,andnegativesymptoms.Thesameappliestoindividualswithpost-traumaticstressdisorder(PTSD):physicalactivityservesasapromisingmethodforreducingPTSDsymptomssuchasanxietyandstress.RecommendationsforIncreasingPhysicalActivityforMentalHealth
