With grad school application deadlines right
around the corner, stress levels have been at an ultimate high. On top of a full-time
course load, a full-time job and multiple internships, applications would seem
to be the tip of the iceberg. Often, I'm asked how I manage all that is going
on. The answer is simple: exercise. Many people think that this answer is just
something "health nuts" say too encourage other people to have a six
pack but there is science behind why people feel less stress and anxiety after
working out.
The hippocampus, which is located in the medial temporal lobe of
the brain, is a part of the limbic system which controls emotions. The
hippocampus is associated largely with memory and in particular, long-term
memory and spatial navigation. The hippocampus also becomes activated during
stress. Stress can be defined as an organism's response to a stressor such
as an environmental condition. Both exercise and what society often refer
to as stress such as being overwhelmed with grad school applications, are both
considered to be stress physiologically. This means that the brain reacts
to both in the same way. Nerve cells in the hippocampus that become
overstimulated during times of stress can be calmed almost immediately after exercise.
Also, certain chemical signals in the brain inhibit nerve cell activity, and
some of these signals are likely responsible for the observed reduction in
stress and anxiety.
Next time you are stressed,
consider putting your work on hold, grabbing a pair of running shoes and going
to the gym. We always don’t get to control the different stressors in our lives,
but we can control what we do with that stress. Choose to exercise, I promise, “you’ll
just feel better.”
Schoenfeld, T. J., Rada, P., Pieruzzini, P. R., Hsueh, B., & Gould,
E. (2013). Physical Exercise Prevents Stress-Induced Activation of Granule
Neurons and Enhances Local Inhibitory Mechanisms in the Dentate Gyrus. Journal
of Neuroscience, 33(18), 7770-7777.
doi:10.1523/jneurosci.5352-12.2013
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