Topic > Benefits of Exercise in Reducing the Effects of Post-Traumatic Stress

Exercise is beneficial in many different aspects of life. It can have a huge impact on improving mental and/or physical health. One factor that can be effective on mental or physical health is stress. Specifically, PTSD provides results of reduced and improved effects from various types of exercises, neurobiological benefits, and sleep quality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder in which an individual has difficulty recovering from the experience of a traumatic event. Scioli-Salter el al. (2016) found that cardiopulmonary exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness show positive effects on plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY), allopregnanolone and pregnanolone (ALLO), cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which benefits the neurological function of an individual with post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, the ability to synthesize and release NPY correlates with cardiorespiratory fitness, which correlates with the results of this study showing positive correlations between peak oxygen consumption, baseline, and peak NPY levels. As examined by Scioli-Salter, pain can trigger the memory of a traumatic event. Thus, returning to normal levels of NPY and ALLO may help manage chronic pain, which is an effect of PTSD, in individuals diagnosed with the disorder. Distinct physical activities are tested and provide evidence of results in reducing the adverse effects of PTSD. In adult females, improvements were seen after just one month of completing sixty minutes of weekly aerobic exercise. Preliminary research has tested that depression – one of the most commonly studied symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder – showed a significant decrease in effects through aerobic exercise. Research revealed that aerobic exercise benefited PTSD patients from a therapeutic (anxiolytic) aspect, reducing any anxiety, distress or fear. Due to these types of symptoms showing that PTSD is largely behavior and anxiety based, any type of exercise to calm one's mindset can be effective. A second type of exercise that is very useful for patients suffering from this disorder is yoga. This form of physical activity is “body-mind oriented” and focuses specifically on stretching and breathing exercises, as well as restoring attention to the present, helping those living with symptoms due to traumatic exposure over a long period of time. Sixty adult women were tested for positive benefits, revealing lower levels of depression, engagement in negative activities such as drugs and alcohol, and dissociation from surrounding family and friends. An additional symptom that patients experience when dealing with PTSD is poor sleep quality. , due to excessive fear and anxiety resulting from previous traumatic experiences. Getting a good night's sleep is vital to a person's health, so if someone has poor quality sleep for a long period of time, their health can be negatively affected. Tests performed on veterans living with PTSD revealed that exercise significantly benefited sleep quality through interoceptive exposure. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a.