how does physical activity buffer against...

How does physical activity buffer against stress?

Serge Brand, PhD.Adjunct and Visiting Professor

Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, Basel - Switzerland

Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel - CH

Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel – CH

Lecture at the Psychiatric Hospital of the Kermanshah University ofMedical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Wednesday, July ١٩th, ٢٠١٧

What is physical activity?Every kind of change in tonicity of skeletal muscles

Change in tonicity is generally intended

What is exercising?Regular body movements; intended to achieve goalssuch as improving skills, keeping a good body shape,feeling healthy, getting healthy

What is sports?Exercising related to specific skills and specific aims

How to define stress?

Imbalance between resources and needs

Imbalance between physical and mental resourcesand demands/needs

Imbalance between physical and mental resourcesand demands/needs from the environment or from own expectations

Individuality of stress perception

Not all ‘stressors’ trigger stress in all people

Identical ‘stressors’ do not trigger stress in all people

Different ‘stressors’ trigger identical reactions in different people

= ‘stress’ is highly individually perceived

Exceptions: threat of life, loss of a beloved person,continuous danger

Is ‘stress’ only and always ‘bad’?

Why has stress become so ‘bad’?

Continuous stress is more distressing compared to acute stress

Continuous stressors: work load; ‘producing’ more in less timeprivate life; daily life issues such as children’s education, families of origin, financial issues, etc.

‘Dark side’ of continuous stress: no outlook ofimprovements = helplessness

Short and long-term effects of stress and coping

Short and long-term effects of stress

What is the function of regular physical activity?

Regular physical activity = how much, when,how often?

What is the the evidence that regularphysical activity has a favorable impact onbody and mind?

Body (see Deslandes, ٢٠١۴): • higher levels of dopamine and serotonine = impact on• mood• more blood vessels in brain = more oxygen and glucose• regulation of sleep-wake-rhythms• increased immune system• balancing hormones responsible for food intake (Beaulieu

et al. ٢٠١٧: J-shaped association• balancing body fat• impact on brain structures (Erikson et al ٢٠١١)

Beaulieu et al ٢٠١٧Physical activity and food intake

Stress and food intake;Metabolic feedback hypothesis

Imbalance between resources and demands/needs

(stress) leads to increased calorie-intake

Why?١) Evolutionary aspects: food intake in case of ‘danger’to gather resources and energy storages

٢) cortisol secretion as a marker of stress triggersghrelin (‘hunger-hormone) and reduces leptin (“I’m full-hormone”)

Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken Basel | www.upkbs.ch |

Erikson et al ١٢٠ :٢٠١١ elderly people; fitness group vs. control group (stretching, gymnastics); ٢ years, ٢x/week

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Studie von Erikson et al ١٢٠ :٢٠١١ ältere Personen; Fitness-Gruppe vs. Kontrollgruppe (stretching, Gymnastik); über ٢ Jahre

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Irrespective of age, regular PA was associated withgreater volumes of thehippocampus andparahippocampus

Regular physical activity and brain structures

Demirakca et al (٢٠١۴)

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Acute and regular PA has a favorable impact on executivefunctions, which again are related to favorable pre-frontal cortex activity (see also Moraes et al ٢٠٠٧)

Regular physical activity and brain functioning

Ludyga et al ٢٠١۶

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Regular physical activity and brain functioning

Moraes et al ٢٠٠٧

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These studies (Ludyga et al ٢٠١۶; Moraes et al ٢٠٠٧; Demirakca et al ٢٠١۴, Erikson et al ٢٠١٢) show that brainfunctions increase above all in areas related to behaviorcontrol and memory

= behavior control = increased skills to cope with stress!

What do we learn from the studies on physical activity and brain structures and functioning?

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What is the the evidence that regularphysical activity has a favorable impact onbody and mind?

Mind (see Knapen et al ٢٠١۵): • Self-efficacy and self-esteem (Liu et al ٢٠١۵)• pride• mood enhancing• rumination decreases• regular day activities• increased quality of life• positive experiences• increased cognitive capacities (Oertel-Knoechel et al ٢٠١۴)• stronger body shape and body image (Samani et al ٢٠١٧)

• INCREASED SELF-CONTROL = INCREASED CONTROL • OVER STRESS

Is physical activity related to stress and coping?

Gerber, Ludyga, Mücke, Colledge, Brand, Pühse ٢٠١٧

Is physical activity related to stress and coping?


Physical activity has a positive impact on stress perception and coping

Lindegard et al ٢٠١۵۶٩ patients with burnout; ١٨-months observational time; following the recommendations to exercise at least ٣x/w

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Summary

Stress is an individual appraisal to cope more or less with demands/needs

Different triggers lead to the same stress responseThe same trigger leads to different stress responses

Physical activity is THE poly-pill to prevent and to cope with stress

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Future directions

Physical activity as intervention in people with stress-relateddisorders

Physical activity as intervention in patients with MS

Physical activity as prevention in people with high stress levels

physical activity as intervention in patients with substance abuse disorders/substance dependence

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THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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