Running Head: EXERCISE ON STRESS AND ANXIETY

Exercise on Stress and Anxiety Disorders

Lauren Hribar
Academy for the Arts, Science, and Technology
September 28, 2016

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Exercise on Stress and Anxiety Disorders

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), about
eighteen percent of American adults have a diagnosed stress or anxiety disorder and according to
the American Psychology Association (APA) and about forty-four percent of American adults
claim their stress levels have increased over the past five years. It is also believed that there may
be a correlation between anxiety levels and amount of daily activity suggesting that stress and
anxiety may be a factor in the obesity epidemic in America (Mouchacca, Abbott, Ball. 2013).
Along with this cause and effect correlation between anxiety and unhealthy lifestyles, there are
studies that claim exercise may be an effective treatment or therapy for those with stress or
anxiety disorders. Physical activity has been shown to be, Very effective at reducing fatigue,
improving alertness and concentration, and at enhancing overall cognitive function which in
turn, helps calm a persons anxiety or stress (ADAA. 2014). Exercise has also been shown to
promote neurological health; according to Harvard Medical, exercise can promote the release of
chemicals that help the brain be healthy to function as it should (Godman. 2014). While exercise
is an agreeable treatment or prevention system for many with or at high risk for anxiety, exercise
is not commonly prescribed by psychologists, instead of exercise most psychologists resort to
medication or psychotherapy for their patients. While it is widely understood that physical
activity can help lower stress levels, the common consensus is that exercise is reserved as a
treatment for those with more minor situations and medication and psychotherapy are reserved
for those with more severe cases, which also happen to be the majority of the people that seek
treatment (Bandelow, Lichte, Rudolf, Wiltink, Beutel. 2015). According to various studies, the
simple act of exercise and a daily dose of daily activity may be a factor to ending obesity in
America along with holistically improving patients health and neurological functions, but

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psychologists need to prescribe the option more often so people can see the effects of physical
activity on their stress and anxiety disorders.
Lack of Exercise
It is easy to see in ones own life that stress can be detrimental on physical appearance,
especially weight. According to a study that observed socioeconomically challenged women and
their stress levels, the main conclusion was that Higher perceived stress in women was
associated with a higher BMI, and to increased odds of being obese (Mouchacca, Abbott, Ball.
2013). This result helps to show the direct correlation between stress and obesity; women with
higher BMIs (body mass index) and high body weight tended to have higher stress levels as
well. The APA also suggests that there is a relationship between anxiety and overall fitness
levels, the article Stressed in America claims that self-care isnt a priority and the lack of
willpower is failing meaning that obesity is becoming a common result of poorly managed
stress. The article says that often times people cope with stress in unhealthy ways such as eating
junk food instead of getting help, this cause and effect relationship could be part of a cause of the
obesity problem in America because the cheaper foods tend to be the unhealthiest. Cheap,
unhealthy foods can lead to obesity single-handedly but if certain demographics of people are
being forced to buy that food due to money issues then it is highly likely that they may also be
stressed because of their monetary situation. Also, those healthy foods tend to be addicting and
not fulfilling to a persons appetite which could promote overeating while stressed. Due to the
unhealthy food that many lower-class people stock their homes with and the stress they carry
day-to-day about their money situation and other environmental factors, then they may be at a
higher risk for obesity (APA, 2011).

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Exercise as a Solution
Exercise as a treatment or therapy for people with stress or anxiety disorders can be seen
from two different perspectives: holistically and neurologically. Holistically, it is believed that
regular aerobic exercise can help alleviate stress and tension, promote a better mood, improve
ones self-esteem, and also improve sleep (ADAA. 2014). This holistic approach is also seen by
some psychiatrists such as Jennifer Carter, PhD, as she claims that, I often recommend exercise
for my psychotherapy clients, particularly for those who are anxious or depressed (Weir. 2011).
Exercise can help alleviate stress and even long-term anxiety disorders due to its mood
enhancement effect. James Bluthmental, PhD, and some of his colleagues ran an experiment
that examined the correlation between exercise and mood. Based on their study, they noted that
patients in the exercise and antidepressant groups had higher rates of remission than did the
patients on the placebo (Weir. 2011). This means that peoples symptoms of a pre-existing
major depressive disorder tended to regress more with regular aerobic exercise than sedentary
individuals or those taking a placebo. It is also believed by some psychiatrists that exercise can
help a patients anxiety disorder because physical activity conditions the body to respond better
to the fight or flight mechanism. This is because the symptoms of exercise reflect many
symptoms of anxiety and fear such as increased sweating, increased heart rate, and difficulty
breathing; when people learn to deal with those symptoms that come with exercise, they are
more likely to cope with the similar symptoms of anxiety. Better sleep cycles also tend to result
from regular aerobic exercise and can help alleviate stress and depression; it is believed that a
good nights rest is the cure to a lot and if a person is refreshed and ready for their day then
they wont be as stressed or anxious. Neurologically, exercise promotes various chemical
reactions in the brain such as an increase of serotonin, the neurotransmitter targeted by anti-

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depressants, and other hormones that stimulate neuron growth (Weir. 2011). Physical activity
also increases the production of endorphins, which are the natural painkillers of the brain
(ADAA. 2014).
Medication and Psychotherapy Versus Exercise
Although many studies suggest that exercise is a decent therapy technique to combat
anxiety and stress, there is still a wide belief that the top choice for therapy should be medication
or psychotherapy. According to the German Guidelines for the Treatment of Anxiety disorders,
patients symptoms regressed at a better rate when prescribed medication or psychotherapy
versus exercise. Although they did not completely rule out exercise as an aid to the solution but
exercise was put towards the bottom of the list of techniques to try. Often times if a patient did
not respond to the medication or psychotherapy then they would suggest alternative techniques
such as physical activity. According to charts from their studies and experiments, the
combination of psychotherapy and psychotropic drugs was simply the most effective for anxiety
disorders while exercise was second-to-last out of the five options for treatment (Bandelow,
Lichte, Rudolf, Wiltink, Beutel. 2015). Although medication and psychotherapy have a more
direct effect on a persons neurological and psychological symptoms, perhaps exercise is not as
commonly prescribed because of the lack of communication from the psychologists to the patient
about the benefits of physical activity. Jennifer Carter, PhD, claims that maybe it is simply the
psychologists that need to increase the prescription of exercise as a treatment and that graduate
programs need to teach their students the correlation between exercise and anxiety disorders.
Agreeing with Carter, Michael Otto, PhD, noted that, Exercise is something that psychologists
have been very slow to attend to and that overall, exercise is not being seen or considered as a
path of action for the psychologists (Weir. 2011).

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Conclusion
While a solution for many people with stress and anxiety disorders may simply be
medications and psychotherapy, perhaps psychologists should prescribe exercise more often.
Even though there are studies that have shown medications and psychotherapy together worked
better than exercise alone, exercise has a more holistic effect on a persons body than the other
methods. Exercise can help combat not only a persons anxiety and stress disorders, but their
overall health as well. If psychologists prescribed physical activity more often then it could
possibly help lower obesity in America; stressed people tend to overeat as a coping mechanism
which, if their stress is reoccurring, can lead to obesity. Exercise also helps promote mood
enhancement and better sleep along with having positive effects on the brain. Physical activity
encourages the production of hormones that are natural pain killers and help neurons grow. At
this point in time there are not many studies that compare medications and psychotherapy versus
exercise but some believe the reason of that is because some psychologists simply are not
conscious of the positive effects of physical activity, therefore not prescribing it as an aid in
treatment. If psychologists gave exercise as an option for treatment, people may be more willing
to try that as an option prior to trying medication or therapy and those patients may end up being
healthier holistically.

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References
American Psychological Association (January 2011). Stressed in America. American
Psychological Association. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/01/stressed-america.aspx
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (July 2014). Exercise for Stress and Anxiety.
Retrieved from https://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-anxiety/exercisestress-and-anxiety
Bandelow, B., Lichte, T., Rudolf, S., Wiltink, J., & Beutel, M. (2015). The German guidelines for
the treatment of anxiety disorders. European Archives Of Psychiatry & Clinical
Neuroscience, 265(5), 363-373.
Godman, H. (April 5, 2016). Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking
skills. Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved from
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memorythinking-skills-201404097110
Mouchacca, J., Abbott, G. R., & Ball, K. (2013). Associations between psychological stress,
eating, physical activity, sedentary behaviours and body weight among women: a
longitudinal study. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-11. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-828
Weir, K. (December 2011). The Exercise Effect. American Psychological Association.
Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/exercise.aspx