Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMagazine - Jan21 - Flipbook - Page 20
Reduce stress
When we feel threatened or upset, our bodies produce a flight-or-fight response
where our brains flush stress hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline
into our body. This raises blood pressure and increases our heart rate which, in
turn, decreases our appetite and worsens our sleep quality.
Not only does a workout ultimately reduce the excretion of stress hormones, but
it also has other wide-ranging benefits, such as increasing our tiredness —
prompting a better night’s sleep. This is why physical exercise can be very
effective in relieving stress. Research has found that highly active individuals
tend to have lower stress rates compared to individuals who are less active.
