Exercise can curb anxiety in patients dealing with a chronic illness, such as heart and circulatory problems, fibromyalgia, arthritis and other pain conditions.
Exercise can curb anxiety in patients dealing with a chronic illness, such as heart and circulatory problems, fibromyalgia, arthritis and other pain conditions, mental health problems, cancer, as well as the breathing disorder COPD.
Anxiety is common among people who are dealing with a chronic illness, yet it often goes unrecognized or untreated by doctors who may view it as an unimportant response to a chronic illness. Yet, anxiety can have a negative impact on treatment, in part because anxious patients may be less apt to stick to their prescribed treatment regimen. Although the role of exercise in alleviating depression symptoms has been well studied, the impact of exercise training on anxiety symptoms has received comparatively little attention.
To investigate whether exercise helps relieving stress and anxiety, researchers searched the medical literature for relevant studies that tested the effects of exercise (versus no exercise) in sedentary adults with a chronic illness. The people included in the 40 selected studies were 50 years old on average, and 59 percent were women. Those assigned to exercise worked out three times per week for an average of 16 weeks, for an average of 42 minutes per session.
The types of exercises performed varied considerably, but that didn't matter. Exercise reduced anxiety symptoms by approximately 20 percent, compared with no exercise. Multiple sclerosis was the only illness for which exercise seemed to do little to curb anxiety. The benefits of exercise on anxiety were similar whether or not the exercise regimen met recommendations for moderate or vigorous physical activity.
Exercise programs lasting between 3 and 12 weeks resulted in larger anxiety symptom reductions than programs longer than 12 weeks, while exercise sessions greater than 30 minutes elicited larger anxiety reductions compared to sessions less than 30 minutes.
The above findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weight lifting may be low-cost, effective treatments to help alleviate anxiety symptoms among patients.
Anxiety is common among people who are dealing with a chronic illness, yet it often goes unrecognized or untreated by doctors who may view it as an unimportant response to a chronic illness. Yet, anxiety can have a negative impact on treatment, in part because anxious patients may be less apt to stick to their prescribed treatment regimen. Although the role of exercise in alleviating depression symptoms has been well studied, the impact of exercise training on anxiety symptoms has received comparatively little attention.
To investigate whether exercise helps relieving stress and anxiety, researchers searched the medical literature for relevant studies that tested the effects of exercise (versus no exercise) in sedentary adults with a chronic illness. The people included in the 40 selected studies were 50 years old on average, and 59 percent were women. Those assigned to exercise worked out three times per week for an average of 16 weeks, for an average of 42 minutes per session.
The types of exercises performed varied considerably, but that didn't matter. Exercise reduced anxiety symptoms by approximately 20 percent, compared with no exercise. Multiple sclerosis was the only illness for which exercise seemed to do little to curb anxiety. The benefits of exercise on anxiety were similar whether or not the exercise regimen met recommendations for moderate or vigorous physical activity.
Exercise programs lasting between 3 and 12 weeks resulted in larger anxiety symptom reductions than programs longer than 12 weeks, while exercise sessions greater than 30 minutes elicited larger anxiety reductions compared to sessions less than 30 minutes.
The above findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weight lifting may be low-cost, effective treatments to help alleviate anxiety symptoms among patients.
COMMENT
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.
