Kaitlyn D’Onofrio

DocwireNews

Exercising too often could have a negative effect on mental health, a cross-sectional study published online in&nbsp;The Lancet&nbsp;Psychiatry&nbsp;journal&nbsp;suggests.&nbsp;The large study assessed 1.2 million people and found that&nbsp;over a one-month period,&nbsp;those who exercised&nbsp;had about 1.5 fewer days of poor mental health compared to people who didn&rsquo;t exercise at all, regardless of the type of activity. Popular team sports, cycling, and aerobic/gym activities all showed the most positive results, and the best length of time to exercise was 45 minutes three to five times a week.&nbsp;<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Exercise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Exercise</a> linked to improved <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mentalhealth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mentalhealth</a>, but more may not always be better&mdash; results from study of 1.2 million people in the USA published in <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLancetPsych?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheLancetPsych</a> <a href="https://t.co/jRE8PoheXB">https://t.co/jRE8PoheXB</a> <a href="https://t.co/TDZ37Pe2fU">pic.twitter.com/TDZ37Pe2fU</a>
&mdash; The Lancet (@TheLancet) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLancet/status/1027324921091944448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2018</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Too much or too little activity diminished these benefits, though. For those who exercised more or less than 30 to 90 minutes a day, three to five times a week, mental health benefits decreased.&nbsp;More than an hour and a half of exercise each day still showed better benefits than those who did not work out at all, but exercising for more than three hours a day was worse than not exercising at all.&nbsp;<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Does exercise reduce mental health burden, depression? The largest cross-sectional study ever says yes. And quantified by time and type of exercise. <a href="https://t.co/wEJFCsMGO6">https://t.co/wEJFCsMGO6</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLancetPsych?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheLancetPsych</a> @itschekkers <a href="https://twitter.com/hmkyale?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hmkyale</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/srchekroud?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@srchekroud</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/YaleMed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YaleMed</a> and collaborators <a href="https://t.co/QVY2SwmUc4">pic.twitter.com/QVY2SwmUc4</a>
&mdash; Eric Topol (@EricTopol) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1027326164635811840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2018</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>&ldquo;Previously, people have believed that the more exercise you do, the better your mental health, but our study suggests that this is not the case. Doing exercise more than 23 times a month, or exercising for longer than 90 minute sessions is associated with worse mental health,&rdquo; said Dr. Adam&nbsp;Chekroud, one of the study&rsquo;s authors.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our finding that team sports are associated with the lowest mental health burden may indicate that social activities promote resilience and reduce depression by reducing social withdrawal and isolation, giving social sports an edge over other kinds.&rdquo;&nbsp;Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30227-X/fulltext#%20">The Lancet</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/exercising-too-much-worsen-mental-health-study-a8484126.html">The Independent&nbsp;</a>

Sara Nunnery, MD, MSCI

Reclassifying HER2: What Oncologists Need to Know About HER2-Low and -Ultralow Breast Cancer

HER2 Breast Cancer

Jeffrey Perl, MD

Joel M. Topf, MD, FACP

Thoughts From the 2025 Lazarus Award Winner

NKF Spring Clinical Meetings 2025

Brandon Twyford

DESTINY-Breast09 Demonstrates First-Line Superiority of Enhertu Plus Pertuzumab in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer

Latest News

Too Much Exercise May be Bad for Mental Health

Mental Health

Exercising too often could have a negative effect on mental health, a cross-sectional study published online in The Lancet Psychiatry journal suggests.  ...

About Us

Editorial Policy

Advertising

Contact Us

eNewsletters

Contribute

Career Center

MashupMD

Blood Cancers Today

Cancer Nursing Today

GU Oncology Now

Urban Health Today

Bile Duct Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

Gastroesophageal Cancer

Gastric Cancer

GEP-NETs

GIST

Liver Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

GI Oncology Now

Anemia

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Essential Thrombocythemia

Hemophilia

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelofibrosis

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Polycythemia Vera

Pulmonary Embolism

Sickle Cell Disease

Thrombocytopenia

Thrombophilia

Thrombosis

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Venous Thromboembolism

von Willebrand Disease

Heme Today

Acute Kidney Injury

ADPKD

Anemia and Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease

COVID-19 and Kidney Disease

Diabetes and Hypertension

End-Stage Renal Disease

Gout

Hyperkalemia

IgAN

Kidney Transplantation

Metabolic Acidosis

Nephrology Times

HR Breast Cancer

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Genetics & Breast Cancer

Breast Cancers Today

Atherosclerotic Disease

Atrial Fibrillation

Heart Failure

Hypertension

Interventional Cardiology

Lipid Management

Practice Tips With Dr. Lichaa

Preventive Cardiology

Stroke

Cardiology

Breast Cancer

Gynecologic Cancer

Head and Neck Cancer

Skin Cancer

Oncology

Sleep

Urology

Diabetes

Ophthalmology

— Demodex Blepharitis

Neurology

Rheumatology

Gastroenterology

Pulmonology

Infectious Diseases

— HIV

Health and Wellness

Lupus

Future of Medicine

Orthopedics

Pharmacology

Career News

More

Conferences

CardioNerds

The Sleep Source With Dr. Morse

Rheumatology Rounds With Dr. Maheswaranathan

Partners

Expert Interviews

Subscribe