Some people relapsed in just 3 days.
People who cut back on their exercise see increases in their depression symptoms in just 3 days, research finds.
While exercise is known to benefit depressive symptoms, this study highlights the dangers of relapsing into inactivity.
People in the study had been doing 30 minutes of exercise, three times a week for at least three months.
Levels of key biological markers also changed after exercise stopped.
Ms Julie Morgan, the lead author, said:
“Adequate physical activity and exercise are important for both physical and mental health.
Current public health guidelines recommend being active on most if not all days of the week.
At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week is recommended to maintain health and prevent depression, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise for added health benefits.
An extensive body of clinical evidence shows that regular exercise can reduce and treat depression.
However, there is limited research into what happens with depressive symptoms when exercise is stopped.”
The research reviewed and collated the results from six separate studies.
Professor Bernhard Baune, study co-author, said:
“In some cases, ceasing this amount of exercise induced significant increases in depressive symptoms after just three days.
Other studies showed that people’s depressive symptoms increased after the first one or two weeks, which is still quite soon after stopping their exercise.”
The researchers did not see the usual changes in biological markers linked to depressive symptoms.
Professor Baune said:
“This suggests some kind of novel effect in these cases, although we should add some caution here, as the number of people included in the studies we examined was small.
Such findings would need to be replicated in additional trials.”
Professor Baune concluded:
“For now, it is important that people understand the potential impact on their mental well-being when they suddenly cease regular exercise.”
The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders (Morgan et al., 2018).
