Exercise Can Reconfigure the American State of Discontent

Many Americans live in a state of distress and unhappiness. We are suffering from a host of mental health problems.

According to The National Institute on Mental Health, approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 18.1 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety prevents us from being happy, can cause physical ailments, and keeps us from taking healthy risks that may improve the quality of our lives.

Another report from the National Institute of Mental Health states that nearly 18.8 million Americans over the age of 18 suffer from major depression. Suicide, closely linked to depression, is the third leading cause of death in 10- to 24-year-olds.

The Health Resource Network found that 75% of the general population experiences at least "some stress" every two weeks (National Health Interview Survey). Half of those experience moderate or high levels of stress during the same two-week period. Millions of Americans suffer from unhealthy levels of stress at work.

According to CNN, Sleep problems are reaching epidemic proportions, estimated to be the #1 health related problem in America. Lack of sleep adversely affects mood, school and job performance.

Exercise can help alleviate anxiety, depression, stress and sleep deprivation because of the changes that occur in brain chemistry when you work out. The brain’s neurotransmitters, chemicals that send out signals to the brain to all parts of the body play an integral role in exercise’s healing power.

The three neurotransmitters that are affected mostly by exercise are endorphins, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

Endorphins can both relive pain and effect feelings of euphoria, commonly know as runners high. It can lower blood pressure and may protect against Parkinson’s disease. One study stated that after only 15 minutes endorphin levels are raised.

Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that adjusts mood, sleep and appetite. Low levels of serotonin have been deemed to be the cause of clinical depression. Studies have shown that exercise increases the serotonin in the brain much like the new generation of anti-depressants such as Prozac, Paxil and Celexa, but without the side effects of those drugs. Matter of fact, two studies at Duke University indicate that exercise was as effective as the anti-depressants’ for subjects with major depressive disorder.

Norepinephrine is the neurotransmitter that is involved in our body’s stress response. Exercise helps train the body to become familiar with experiencing stress.

So, exercise brings a sense of euphoria, improved mood and the increased ability to face stress. Amazing changes happen in the brain’s neurotransmitters when exercising. A sense of calmness and self-confidence is created; making it possible to face and work through our emotional pain. It may have been impossible to deal with emotional pain while you were sedentary because looking at your angst was too scary.