It's well known that physical activity is a mood elevator. But writing in "The Athlete's Way" blog on Psychology Today's website, endurance athlete Christopher Bergland discusses a study indicating that combining movement with the attention-focusing benefits of meditation can be an extra-effective tool in fighting depression.
The small study, conducted at Rutgers University in New Jersey, was based on a set of assumptions: Healthy brains are constantly producing neurons. Brains of people under stress or suffering depression produce fewer neurons. Physical activity increases neuron production, as do antidepressant medications. (Meanwhile, a certain number of newborn neurons die off.) Mental exercise - "effortful learning," which requires focus - reduces those deaths. People with depression often have problems with focus.
The researchers tested a novel intervention - it's called MAP because it involves mental and physical training - aimed at both increasing neuron production and keeping those neurons alive.
Fifty-two people completed the study - 2 with major depressive disorder, or MDD, and 30 who were not depressed. Twice a week, they performed 30 minutes of meditation during which they were directed to constantly focus on their breathing; they began each session seated, but for the last 10 minutes they meditated while walking slowly. Then they performed 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on a treadmill or stationary cycle.
After eight weeks, the researchers found that the MDD patients' depressive symptoms had been reduced by 40 percent. (The non-depressed participants also said they felt happier.) "Although previous research has supported the individual beneficial effects of aerobic exercise and meditation for depression," the researchers wrote, "these findings indicate that a combination of the two may be particularly effective."
Or, as Bergland puts it, it's a "double whammy" against depression, And the best part is, both aerobic exercise and meditation are universally available, nonpharmaceutical and free.
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The small study, conducted at Rutgers University in New Jersey, was based on a set of assumptions: Healthy brains are constantly producing neurons. Brains of people under stress or suffering depression produce fewer neurons. Physical activity increases neuron production, as do antidepressant medications. (Meanwhile, a certain number of newborn neurons die off.) Mental exercise - "effortful learning," which requires focus - reduces those deaths. People with depression often have problems with focus.
The researchers tested a novel intervention - it's called MAP because it involves mental and physical training - aimed at both increasing neuron production and keeping those neurons alive.
Fifty-two people completed the study - 2 with major depressive disorder, or MDD, and 30 who were not depressed. Twice a week, they performed 30 minutes of meditation during which they were directed to constantly focus on their breathing; they began each session seated, but for the last 10 minutes they meditated while walking slowly. Then they performed 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on a treadmill or stationary cycle.
After eight weeks, the researchers found that the MDD patients' depressive symptoms had been reduced by 40 percent. (The non-depressed participants also said they felt happier.) "Although previous research has supported the individual beneficial effects of aerobic exercise and meditation for depression," the researchers wrote, "these findings indicate that a combination of the two may be particularly effective."
Or, as Bergland puts it, it's a "double whammy" against depression, And the best part is, both aerobic exercise and meditation are universally available, nonpharmaceutical and free.
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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