Exercise is one of the best ways to de-stress, but is exercise stressing you out? During Stress Awareness Week, we decided it was time to highlight the unique relationship between exercise and cortisol so that you can use exercise as a tool. for Relieve your stress instead of against it.
There is an infinite wealth of research – like this study published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (Opens in a new tab) Regular exercise reduces symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression, raises mood and even improves sleep. But (surprisingly) there be Times when exercise can raise cortisol levels. Who knows?
We spoke to Dr. Ramy Hashish, a body performance and injury expert, to discuss the relationship between cortisol and exercise and how exercise can stress you out. Find out how to sleep better naturally to reduce stress and the best fitness trackers to monitor your health, or read on for low cortisol and exercise information.
Dr.. Ramy Hashish
Ramy Hashish received his Ph.D. in biomechanics from the University of Southern California. He worked as a clinical instructor of physical therapy for several years before founding the National Institute of Biomechanics. He is active on social media channels spreading the word about everything related to health.
What is cortisol?
Cortisol has gotten a bad reputation, but it can be a useful hormone. according to Cleveland Clinic (Opens in a new tab)Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, and its many roles include regulating metabolism and blood pressure, suppressing inflammation and controlling the sleep-wake cycle.
Dr. Hashish explains that despite its functions, cortisol is known as ‘stress hormoneResponsible for regulating your response to stress and producingfight or flight’ Response. In the good old days of hunting and gathering, this was crucial to hitting the pause button on everything else and directing your adrenaline to help you respond to danger. However, too much cortisol can negatively affect your health, increase anxiety and blood pressure and disrupt snoozing (is 8 hours of sleep enough?)
Although the days of a lion hunt are over (hopefully), your body can’t distinguish between perceived and actual danger. So, whether it’s relentless emails or an overzealous driver honking your car horn, your body is spending more time on ‘Fight or escape’The state – and you may not realize it.
How does exercise reduce stress?
As mentioned, there is a body of research showing that exercise reduces stress and anxiety and boosts mood. According to Dr. Hashish, the relationship between exercise and cortisol is mostly positive. “Exercise lowers levels of cortisol and other stress hormones, such as adrenaline, and stimulates endorphins,” he says.
“This promotes feelings of relaxation and euphoria, like High Runner.“Yes, that happy hit of dopamine is real.
Hashish explains that exercise causes the release of neurotransmitters throughout your nervous system, such as endorphins, dopamine, and endocannabinoids. These chemicals help regulate your sleep cycle and mood, promoting attention, motivation, and relaxation.
Does HIIT Workout Stress You?
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While exercise is often a positive stress management tool, some types of exercise can exacerbate your stress levels, such as high-intensity training (HIIT).
HIIT (think CrossFit and boot camps, for example) definitely has a time and place and offers benefits like building lean muscle and burning calories. However, these intense workouts are designed to raise your heart rate. And imagine what? Your body feels this as danger and stress.
Dr. Hashish explains that when the brain feels stressed (remember your body doesn’t differentiate), it releases cortisol. “Cortisol provides your body with instant energy by breaking down fats and carbohydrates and raising sugar levels,” he says. “This allows your body to perform in a fast and powerful way.
But the cortisol released into the bloodstream can cause negative changes in the immune system and sleep pattern and lead to fatigue and anxiety,” he says. When your cortisol levels rise, your heart rate and blood pressure also rise, negatively affecting sleep as you feel more alert.
We know that sleep and mood are closely related, with poor sleep contributing to higher levels of stress and anxiety. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), prolonged stress situations have adverse effects such as slowed metabolism and muscle repair, suppressed growth hormones, chronic pain, and a higher likelihood of depression.
How to prevent exercise from causing stress
While you can’t fight your body’s chemical response to exercise, there is an argument that this is the best time to exercise according to science. What’s more, the Writes And the timing Exercise can improve your sleep and mood.
Research, including this peer-reviewed article at medical news (Opens in a new tab)supports morning Exercise to improve sleep quality later in the day. This could be a great way to incorporate high-intensity exercise into your routine without the effects of high heart rate, temperature, and metabolism close to bedtime.
Another study was published in Journal of Health Psychology (Opens in a new tab) Supports this. It found that those who exercise in the evening suffer from delayed sleep and lower quality of sleep, which may lead to poor personal hygiene and mood for long periods.
On the other hand, some Research (Opens in a new tab) Indicates that exercise is low-impact decrease Diffuse cortisol levels, which can be the perfect choice if you want to exercise close to bedtime. Yoga and Pilates are mind and body exercises that help reduce stress and anxiety. Try this bedtime yoga routine for a better sleep and mood if you’re eager to try it out (and if you need a new pillow, check out our picks for the best yoga mats).
What’s more, a mental health charity mind (Opens in a new tab) Strong recommends gentle exercise outdoors to relieve stress and improve mood, so an evening walk might be the way to go if you’re feeling stressed or exhausted. Plus, you get your steps too.
Recovery benefits
when you are in ‘fight or flight’, You are sitting in your sympathetic nervous system. But your parasympathetic nervous system signals your body to relax and repair. Excessive training and intense regular exercise limit the time your body can spend here, which means that your body does not prioritize recovery, further exacerbating these stress levels.
Returning to intensity with techniques such as meditation and gentle exercise can help you prioritize recovery. Results? Your body gets the fruits of HIIT exercise — think muscle repair, growth, and increased energy levels, to name a few — rather than exhaustion.
next one: Why don’t you give this deep sleep meditation going? See what happened when our editor He walked 10,000 steps a day for a monthAnd the And the How to get a good night’s sleep if you are stressed
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