Get Expert Advice Now: How Long Does Exercise Take to Help with Depression?

Exercise is a great way to combat depression. It can improve mood in the short term and also alter your brain structure for the long haul in a way that positively influences mental well-being. If you’ve worked out for some time and see no signs of your depression easing, you may begin to wonder just how long it will take for you to reap the fruits of your effort. Alternatively, you may just be outright curious about how long it will take for the effects of exercise on depression to kick in. Either way, this article is for you. So how long does it take for exercise to work for depression? We sat down with healthcare experts and some of the best gyms in San Diego to get you answers. Here’s what we discovered. 

The rate of recovery differs from person to person

Symptoms of depression vary so widely that it’s almost impossible for any two individuals to share identical episodes. Consequently, this also means that treatment may vary, and the effect of behavioral therapy such as exercise may also begin to manifest at different timelines. This is further compounded by differences in terms of: 

Risk factors 

Personality traits 

Genetic composition, etc.  

In a nutshell, there’s no one-fit-all answer because all of these unique factors play a part in the speed of your recovery. That being said, numerous studies have over the years provided an estimation of this duration. We’ll be taking a look at some of the most significant ones to try to map out an approximate timeline. 

How long does it take for exercise to work for depression? 

Depending on who you ask, recovering from depression through exercise could be a matter of a couple of months or a number of weeks. Sometimes, even days, as is occasionally the case for seasonal depression. Here’s a more detailed breakdown from various experts and sources:  

Short-term relief can kick in in just minutes 

When running, the average person needs to push past 3 miles for the runner’s high effect to kick in. For more experienced individuals, it may take a lot longer, with estimates in the region of 30-40 minutes of running. 

Regardless of the specific nature of the exercise, the American Psychological Association finds that even a short 5-minute-high intensity workout can help you feel better mentally. One personal fitness trainer we reached out to said he sees a positive mood change in clients after just 10 to 20 minutes of working out. 

Further revelations by the APA also suggest that pushing beyond your limits may delay symptom relief. It finds that exceeding your respiratory threshold- the point at which you can talk comfortably during physical activity- can delay the mood-boosting effect of exercise by half an hour.

Long-term benefits may take much longer

Findings by doctors at Harvard University established that exercise could be as good as antidepressants in certain situations, more so where acute to intermediate depression is concerned. 

While unclear on the exact duration, the physicians suggest that patients may start to feel better within a “matter of weeks,” depending on consistency, the intensity of the routine, and other factors. A hypothesis that was well confirmed by another personal trainer we consulted.

The University of California was more upbeat about the turnaround time when exercising to treat depression. Researchers revealed that you may begin noticing positive changes within just a week of exercising, in particular, stationary biking. They attribute this to the improvement of the generation of the following neurotransmitters that can be depleted when you have depression: 

Norepinephrine

Serotonin 

Glutamate 

GABA

It may take 1 month with exercise plus antidepressants

Is depression 100% curable? For the most part, it is. With exercise and medication treatment, a Psychiatry.org report finds that at least 8 in 10 individuals will respond positively. Nonetheless, the researchers established that every person who turns to a combo of exercise and antidepressants can treat at least one of their symptoms. 

Moreover, in another study published in the MedicalNewsToday, it came to light that exercise may be 150% more effective at alleviating acute to moderate depression compared to generic antidepressants.

The study, which featured more than 128,000 participants, substantiated improvement in symptoms for those battling: 

Distress 

Anxiety

Depression

Duration of recovery within the sample group clocked an average of 4 weeks although in some cases it varied between weeks and months. For some individuals, more so those with severe depression, some of the symptoms did come back. 

Further WebMD reports suggest that, in 3 out of every 10 individuals who’ve experienced depression, some of the symptoms may come back. In certain cases, depression can be a long-term illness, just like cancer, and therefore requires a continual exercising regime to keep the condition at arm’s length. A personal trainer San Diego can keep you honest and help you reap the benefits of exercise for the long haul if you’re battling with chronic or recurrent depression. 

Exercising for 45 minutes may be the sweet spot for depression recovery

In 2018, CNN Health highlighted a study that rounded up data from over 1 million Americans. It became apparent that individuals who put in 45 minutes of workout daily for at least three times a week reaped the biggest mental health benefits. 

At the onset of the study, researchers established that the average person experienced approximately 3.4 “bad days,” in terms of mental health. Of course, our personal fitness trainer finds that this figure could be much higher for individuals with depression.

However, individuals who exercised regularly experienced just 1.5 fewer “bad days.” This all points to a 43% reduction in gloomy mental health days overall. 

Exercise may not be a quick fix. Patience is key 

The jury is still out on how long it takes for exercise to help with depression. Some sources say 1 week, while others suggest months. Generally, San Diego fitness experts find that you should begin to feel much better within a few days of starting out provided you maintain your consistency, and that’s where a personal trainer may be of use to you. Exercise is a long-term treatment route that you’ll need to keep working at. Crucially, it’s highly important to note that exercise is by no means an alternative to getting medical treatment, more so in instances of severe depression. It should therefore not be a stand-alone treatment option. To learn more about the links between fitness and depression, check out the Iron Orr Fitness blog. 

Report this Page