corona
The pandemic is stressing us so much – and how exercise can help
Everyone wants something from you – everyday office life during the corona pandemic has become more stressful for many. The growing lack of exercise like running is also a factor.
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Lockdown, omicron, fear of infection, working from home – the Germans are more stressed than they have been in a long time. That’s why it’s important to get enough exercise right now. Running in particular has a particularly positive effect on the brain and mood.
The numbers are very clear. The corona pandemic has increased the stress factor in Germany. According to the TK Stress Study “Relax, Germany” say around two thirds (64 percent) in this country, they felt stressed at least sometimes. More than a quarter even more often. The effects of the Corona period are clear. When asked whether their life has become more stressful since the pandemic began, around half of those surveyed answered yes (47 percent).
Families with children in the household feel more stressed (60 percent) than households without children (43 percent). Home office workers with at least one child (64 percent) are particularly stressed compared to home office workers without children (42 percent). This is not without consequences. Of those who are frequently stressed, a large proportion suffer from exhaustion, insomnia, headaches, low mood and even depression. Psychological absences from work have been increasing in companies for years.
So what to do? Exercise, particularly endurance sports such as running, can play an important role in reducing stress. Because it has a proven mood-enhancing effect. The biochemical messengers from the muscles not only affect the physique, but also the brain and psyche. Children who are physically active, for example, do better at school than those who are inactive. Aerobic endurance training in adults boosts what is known as neurogenesis, the formation of new nerve cells in the brain. This prevents Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s and numerous other neurological diseases. There is now very good evidence that depression can be treated almost as well with regular physical activity as with psychotropic drugs or talk therapy. Exercise also has a similarly positive effect on anxiety.
Movement affects the brain in many ways
There’s a good chance we’d be dealing with far fewer cases of mental illness if we made everyone exercise more from an early age – many experts now agree on this judgement. Unfortunately, the corona pandemic, the lockdowns and the fear of infection have also caused many to exercise even less than they already did. There are quite a few who predict an increase in mental illnesses because of this. Because sport has a particularly diverse effect on the brain. Today, experts are getting better and better at understanding the processes involved. For example, activity in the frontal lobe, the prefrontal cortex, decreases during movement. Therefore brooding, thinking or anger noticeably decrease. The neural resources are now needed in the cortex area. So the area that is responsible for movement control and body perception. It’s like an actual respite for the brain. A phenomenon that runners in particular know well, since every quick step is a process that is perfectly orchestrated and controlled by the brain.
The messenger substances emitted during movement act like balm for the mood. Those who exercise regularly are in a better mood and suffer less from depression. As American researchers found out, the neuropeptide and protein VGF, which makes the brain more resistant to stress, is found in the body of athletic people. At the same time, the level of the stress hormone cortisol decreases. That makes you more balanced. But that’s not all: The amino acid tryptophan, a precursor of the feel-good hormone serotonin, is better transported to the brain. In the end, it helps to process emotions better and provides more balance. The perfect good mood mix. And if dosed correctly, it is also the only known method without side effects.