Does Jogging Help Fatigue & Anxiety?

Jogging -- or any other exercise -- can help relieve anxiety. And anxiety and depression can make you feel fatigued. As Mayo Clinic website states, if you have anxiety or depression, jogging or other exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing. But if you can summon up the motivation to exercise, it can make a big difference, since research has shown that jogging or other exercise produces psychological and physical benefits that help reduce anxiety and improve your mood.

Exercise Benefits

Jogging and other forms of exercise produce brain chemicals, neurotransmitters and endorphins, that elevate your mood, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Jogging also can reduce chemicals in your immune system that tend to worsen depression and increase fatigue. Vigorous exercise also increases your body temperature, something that might have a calming effect on a person.

Anxiety and Fatigue

The Calm Clinic website states there is a connection between anxiety and feeling tired all of the time. It recommends steps to help alleviate the anxiety and reduce fatigue. One step involves cutting stimulants such as coffee an sugar out of your diet, since such stimulants give you only a temporary rush followed by a crash. Another important step is exercise. Jogging or other exercise will curb your anxiety while helping overcome extreme fatigue.

Vigorous Exercise

Anything that gets the heart pumping, such as jogging and other forms of vigorous exercise, will help relieve anxiety and depression. If you participate in vigorous exercise three to five times per week for 30 minutes, you can significantly alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to the Mayo Clinic. More vigorous exercise elevates your mood more quickly.

Moderate Exercise

Moderate exercise, walking or gardening or washing the car is good for you too. "Anything that gets you off the couch and moving is exercise that can help you improve your mood," states the Mayo Clinic website. Even 10 to 15 minutes of moderate exercise, spread throughout the day, can help. Talk with your doctor before starting an exercise program. You need to adopt a program that is appropriate for your overall health condition and considers any medications you may be taking.

Excessive Exercising

You can overdo it. Too much exercise can lead to fatigue marked by anxiety, depression and insomnia. As Holistic Online explains, this condition usually is associated with serious athletes such as competitive swimmers and distance runners. So if you are in rigorous training and begin to feel down in dumps, cut back on your mileage.