Daily Exercising Could Help in Your Battle Against Anxiety Disorder

Mental health is as important as physical well being but are they two separate things? The findings of a recent study conducted by the University of Gothenburg suggests that mental and physical health were interrelated. The study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders indicated that the incorporation of daily physical activities could help an individual alleviate symptoms of anxiety, even when the disorder is chronic. The findings were based on a detailed study of 286 patients with anxiety syndrome who were recruited from primary care services in Gothenburg and the northern part of Holland County. 50% of these patients had lived with anxiety issues for at least 10 years. The group constituted of 70% women and its average age was 39 years

During the study, the participants were divided into groups and assigned activities sessions of either moderate or strenuous levels for 12 weeks. The results showed that the session helped to alleviate anxiety symptoms even when it was a chronic condition, compared to a control group who received advice on physical activity according to public health recommendations. Most of the participants in the treatment group went from a baseline level of moderate to high anxiety level down to low anxiety level.

In the case of participants who exercised at a comparatively lower intensity, the improvement in anxiety symptoms rose a factor of 3.62. The corresponding factor for those who exercised at higher intensity was 4.88. Participants had no information about the type of physical exercise or counselling other persons in their group were getting.

Speaking about the findings, Malin Henriksson, a doctoral student at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and the study’s first author said that there was a clear significant intensity trend for improvement. Patients who exercised more intensely showed greater signs of anxiety symptoms improvement.

While previous studies talked about the effect of physical actives on depression, this is the first of its kind tracing the positive aspects of exercising in case of anxiety.

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