WebMD reports that stressed employees generate 46% more healthcare costs annually, and depressed staff members cost 70% more to insure and care for than non-sufferers. The University of Maryland reports that in a study of more than 46,000 employees, stressed and depressed staff members generated 147% higher healthcare costs than their coworkers. A Thomas Reuters study revealed that depression sufferers were more than twice as likely to use short-term disability leave than their healthier counterparts; further, when depressed employees took disability leave, their mean short-term disability cost was three times higher than the control group. Corporate Wellness Today reports that severely depressed employees generated five times higher short-term disability costs.[xvii] Worse, those figures don’t address the lost productivity and absenteeism that accompany depression.
In contrast, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, and lack of exercise each only raise costs by 21% or less. It’s clear that traditional wellness programs don’t address the most important contributors to healthcare costs.
Physical activity and exercise can go a long way toward taking the edge off stress and anxiety and helping you relax.
How exercise relieves stress and anxiety
Regular aerobic exercise brings remarkable changes to your body, your metabolism, your heart, and your spirits. It can exhilarate and relax, provide stimulation and calm, counter depression, and dissipate stress. It’s a common experience among endurance athletes and has been verified in clinical trials that have successfully used exercise to treat anxiety disorders and clinical depression.
How can exercise help with problems as difficult as anxiety and depression? There are several explanations, some chemical, others behavioral.
The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. Endorphins are responsible for the “runner’s high” and for the feelings of relaxation and optimism that accompany many hard workouts.
Behavioral factors also contribute to the emotional benefits of exercise. As your waistline shrinks and your strength and stamina increase, your self-image will improve. You’ll earn a sense of mastery and control, of pride and self-confidence.
Let your healthcare provider know about your stress or depression. By “filling” a prescription for the right physical activity or sport for your current condition you might enjoy physical and mental changes that will enhance your quality of life.
