Science provides us with evidence of the positive impact that teen sports have.
According to a study by the University of Toronto, Canada, that was published in
the Journal of Adolescent Health, students who play sports between the ages of
13 to 18 (grades 8 to 12) have lower stress levels and a better state of mental
health as adults.

In their study, researchers surveyed 850 pupils from 10 Canadian schools about
their activity in school sports such as wrestling, basketball, gymnastics and
soccer. Then three years after graduation, the participants were specifically
asked questions about how often they experienced symptoms of depression and
how much stress they had in their lives.

They also asked the pupils to rate their mental health on a scale of 1 [poor] to 5
[excellent]. The researchers identified that those who were involved in sports
had better scores on all three mental health assessments compared to those who
didn’t participate in sports at all.

Therefore, the study found that playing sports during teen years is significantly
linked to lower depression, lower stress, and better mental health in young
adulthood.

According a co-author of the study, Catherine Sabiston, PhD, of the University of
Toronto, “Sports offer a heightened emphasis on group goals, social support, and
sense of connection that provide more opportunity for learning adaptive coping
strategies that can be essential for long-term mental health.”

Scientists have been exploring the connection between mood and exercise for
more than a century. A large amount of research shows that physical activity
improves mental health. Specifically, exercise decreases symptoms of
depression. In fact, physical inactivity is linked to the development of
psychological disorders according to vast amounts of research. Therefore, being
inactive puts teens at a higher risk of developing mental health conditions.

Researchers and mental health professionals have outlined some of the reasons
behind this, and both psychological and biological factors come into play.

In terms of depression, regular exercise has a significant positive impact. Several
studies show how physical activity counteracts symptoms of depression in both
adults and teenagers. Studies have found that exercise can even be more
effective than antidepressants both in the short- and long-term for mild to
moderate depression.

In the abovementioned study, researchers divided 156 women and men that
suffered from depression into three different groups. One group took part in an
aerobic exercise program while another group took the antidepressant Zoloft.
The third group exercised and also took the medication.

After 16 weeks, depression had reduced in all three groups. The group scores on
two different depression-rating scales were about the same. However, six
months later, a follow-up study found that the effects of the exercise actually
lasted longer than those of the antidepressant medication. Researchers found
that those who had continued to exercise regularly after completion of the study
were much less likely to relapse into depression. In fact, this was true across all
three groups.

A large amount of the research on the relationship between exercise, dopamine
(hormone), and addiction has been done in laboratories on mice and rats. In one
study, rats that ran on a wheel frequently were less likely to ingest cocaine that
was made available to them.

Combat sports such as boxing, Muay Thai and wresting have been found to
increase dopamine and serotonin, particularly in those who participate regularly.
Serotonin is a hormone very closely linked to depression, as people suffering
from depression tend to produce very low amounts of the hormone that provides
a feeling of confidence and happiness.

Another group of rats whose dopamine receptors were activated with chemical
injections were far less prone to run, due to their pleasure centres already being
stimulated. One study conducted with mice showed how running also produces a
chemical that activates the brain’s cannabinoid receptors—the receptors that
respond to cannabis [marijuana]. Furthermore, exercise fights addiction because
it addresses two of the key motivators for drug and alcohol abuse—depression
and anxiety.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people who have substance
use disorder are twice as likely to have mood and anxiety disorders in
comparison to the general population—largely due to the imbalance of
hormones. newshttps://www.revolutionphuketgym.com/news/the-impact-of-sport-on-mental-health-during-teenage-years/