Decreased levels of physical exercise during pandemic affect mental health

Decreased levels of physical exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic show lasting effects on the mental health of college students.

A recent study led by Paulo José Puccinelli, a professor at the Federal University of São Paulo, confirmed an existing association between increased levels of mental health disorders and the lack of exercise during the pandemic.

Physical activity is an effective treatment strategy towards symptoms of major mental illnesses. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, moderate to vigorous physical exercise throughout the day correlates with increased levels of self-esteem and concentration skills.

Aaron Kandola, a researcher at University College London’s Division of Psychiatry, said maintaining good fitness with a combination of resistance and cardio exercises is important for physical and mental health.

A study from Primary Care Companion showed that exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.

Physical exercise may alleviate symptoms of anxiety by decreasing reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, two components of the fight-or-flight response. 

The fight-or-flight response triggers a release of hormones that activate the sympathetic nervous system, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release adrenaline. 

Although the fight-or-flight response is natural, human bodies can overreact to the released adrenaline triggered by non-life-threatening stressors, such as personal conflicts or traffic jams. 

“This results in continued production and higher levels of these stress chemicals in the body,” said Adam Moeser, the Matilda R. Wilson Endowed Research Chair of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. “They bind to target receptors in many organs, which can have profound effects on physiology and function.” 

Puccinelli’s study found that a lack of exercise has the opposite effect: individuals with decreased levels of physical activity reported the highest measures of mood disorders.

Due to government-issued stay-at-home orders, the pandemic resulted in lower levels of physical activity as individuals were discouraged from leaving their homes for non-essential tasks. 

For many, this resulted in a disruption in their daily routine that might have already included regular exercise, contributing to the rising levels of physical inactivity during the pandemic. 

Puccinelli’s study found that inactive individuals increased by 147 percent compared to the start of the pandemic. 

Closure of fitness centers and outdoor recreational facilities and other in-person activities and events may have further contributed to a rise in mental health disorders, such as anxiety. 

College students experiencing campus closures and postponement of in-person instruction faced changes in daily routine that may have affected their mental health.

According to a study from the Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection, 24.9 percent of college students had symptoms of anxiety directly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The pandemic has raised awareness of mental health symptoms and service needs,” said Dr. Joshua A. Gordon, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. 

With college students isolated from their families and experiencing disruptive changes in their daily routines, the resulting increased rates of anxiety and depression compounded with the observed lack of physical activity is associated with the drastic decline in the mental health of students. 

“The mental health impacts of COVID-19 continue,” Gordon said. '“From all that we know, it is clear these impacts will outlive the pandemic itself.”