How Exercise Decreases Stress Levels

Most people know that exercising can decrease stress levels, but few know why. It may be tempting to dismiss this benefit as a small effect. However, powerful scientific forces give insight into how your brain and body works, and ways to live a better life by decreasing stress levels through regular exercise.

Instructions

• 1

  Exercise is a kind of pleasure.

  Exercise raises your "feel good" neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters, the little chemical bundles in the brain, dictate your thoughts and emotions. The right balance of neurotransmitters can create feelings of contentment, happiness and inner peace. In someone with depression, calming neurotransmitters like norepinephrine are lower than they should be. Exercise raises these. It also creates a burst of dopamine, the fuzzy happy chemical responsible for feelings of pleasure and joy. This is the same chemical released by drugs like nicotine or opium, but generating it naturally through exercise means getting to feel good, with a bikini body and without the side effects of dependence.

• 2

  Regular exercise lowers your "feel bad" neurotransmitters. For every neurotransmitter that leaves you feeling blissful, there is a corresponding one to make you feel jittery, stressed or sad. In human history it may have been useful to always look for danger from a lion or falling tree, but in modern society those pesky neurotransmitters are more likely to keep you up at night worrying about whether the coffee maker is set rather than protect you from real danger. Luckily, neurotransmitters like cortisol decrease with daily exercise -- and a reduction in cortisol lowers your stress levels.

• 3

  Exercise creates brain cells.

  According to a study published in the journal "Neuroscience," daily exercise can actually grow new cells in the brain. These new cells may help you avoid making small mistakes, like misplacing car keys. Reducing daily stressors can help you maintain an emotionally balanced and relaxing life. In addition, the cells created through exercise also act differently than other brain cells. Brain scans of rats have revealed that brain cells created through exercise are less likely to overreact in stressful situations. If human brains work the same way, it means exercise over time actually rewires your brain to be less susceptible to stress.

• 4

  Exercise decreases stress while reinforcing positive behaviors. It demands patience and practice, gradually working up to running a full mile or bending into lotus position. The skill set needed to accomplish these goals can be applied to other aspects of your personal life. For example, your commitment to exercise builds confidence, self-esteem and gives you the opportunity to inspire others toward a healthier lifestyle. Having more confidence and self-esteem can reduce the stress associated with making important life decisions. Exercise is an effective way to empower your choices, while greatly improving your mood and helping you get a better night's sleep, which also reduces stress.