Does Exercise Help With OCD? 

There’s no doubt that Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention Therapy, and medication are the most effective ways to treat OCD. However, it’s also worth noting that therapy for OCD may not be effective without implementing healthy coping mechanisms in your daily life. 

It may feel cliche to hear that exercise can help with OCD, but multiple studies back up this suggestion. Daily aerobic exercise doesn’t just have physical benefits; it can also reduce your OCD symptoms when done right. 

If you’re wondering, “Does exercise really help with OCD?” the answer is yes, and here’s everything you need to know about it.

Research on Exercise and OCD

Although the advice may seem cliche, aerobic exercise has proven helpful in improving symptoms of depression and anxiety. In addition, when combined with the right treatment plan, exercise can also improve certain OCD symptoms. 

According to a study by Dr. Ana Abrantes of Butler Hospital in Rhode Island, adding a healthy exercise plan to your OCD treatment regimen can guarantee better results. Participants in this study engaged in moderate aerobic exercise alongside therapy and medication. 

As a result, 30% of the participants benefited from decreased depression, anxiety, and OCD symptoms faster than those who only saw a health counselor. 

Another study revolved around people still disturbed by their OCD symptoms despite therapy and medication. After enrolling in a 12-week aerobic exercise program, the participants noted a significant improvement in their symptoms. 

Another 2021 study indicates that the evidence for aerobic exercise’s long-term benefits for the symptoms of OCD is promising, especially when it comes to reducing obsessions and compulsions.

In a 2018 study, 11 participants received standard treatment but reported no improvement in their symptoms following medication over six months. Then, they were required to engage in a 30-minute moderate-intensity aerobic walking exercise three times a week for six weeks. After a month, follow-up scores showed a significant decrease in OCD symptoms.

How Exercise Helps With OCD

Exercise can help reduce OCD symptoms in various ways, but most importantly, it alters your brain. Researchers have conducted multiple studies on mice, showcasing that exercising on a running wheel allows mice to sprout new connections between neurons in their brains.

This indicates that exercise can cause the release of growth factors in your brain. These growth factors trigger neurons to establish new connections, which inevitably reduce mild OCD symptoms. 

Additionally, multiple imaging scans have shown how exercise changes brain activity and structure. Overall, it improves cellular function and blood flow in the brain, reducing depression, anxiety, and OCD symptoms.

Exercise can also be likened to exposure therapy, one of the most effective ways to treat OCD. Experts detail that it exposes the individual to uncomfortable feelings while leaving no space for ritualistic behaviors, making them feel better afterward. 

Additionally, a healthy exercise plan also promotes the release of endorphins. These “feel good” neurochemicals boost your mood and fend off stress. Exercising regularly may also improve your physical and mental confidence, inevitably leading to lower stress levels which typically trigger your OCD symptoms.

Aside from triggering new connections in your brain and releasing endorphins, exercise can also improve your social life. For example, daily trips to the gym or joining a sports team will facilitate the ideal means of social support, which can reduce stress levels. 

Lastly, exercise is an excellent distraction from intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors that may worsen your OCD symptoms. So the next time you find yourself immersed in your compulsions, going for a quick run can distract your brain with a healthy coping mechanism.

How to Pair Exercise With Your OCD Treatment

It’s worth noting that you cannot expect reduced symptoms after replacing OCD treatment with exercise. Exercise can only reduce OCD symptoms when combined with cognitive behavior therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, and medication.

Instead of replacing your current treatment, you can add a healthy hour or two of exercise to your daily routine. Even if exercise doesn’t significantly reduce your OCD symptoms, it can reduce your general day-to-day stress, making it easier to manage your symptoms.

To reduce your OCD symptoms with exercise, getting up early in the morning or paying for a gym membership isn’t necessary. But, in reality, a quick run or a daily cardio session at home can make a big difference. 

Your only goal is to increase your heart rate enough, which is when the exercise will begin stabilizing your mood, decreasing stress, and improving your overall symptoms. Luckily, there are various aerobic exercises to choose from, so you can pick one that suits your lifestyle best.

It can be as simple as going for a run, learning to jump rope, riding a bike to work, or taking up rollerblading. It’s important to pick an exercise plan you enjoy, so you can look forward to it every morning instead of viewing it as a chore. 

You can also perform mental exercises, which are especially helpful for invisible forms of OCD, such as ruminations OCD or relationship OCD. 

Exercise and Anorexia Nervosa

However, if you have a history of over-exercising to control your OCD symptoms or lose weight, experts wouldn’t recommend increased physical activity for reducing your symptoms. 

If you have anorexia nervosa, additional exercise is strictly not recommended. This life-threatening eating disorder is a common tag along with OCD. Since individuals with anorexia nervosa have abnormally low body weight, exercise is not a good way for them to reduce OCD symptoms. 

Research shows that the relationship between OCD and excessive exercise can be damaging. Instead of reducing OCD symptoms, increased exercise may increase the individual’s stress levels, worsening their mental disorder and eating disorders.

Conclusion

Aside from boosting endorphin production to reduce OCD symptoms, exercise is generally a great distraction from your obsessions and compulsions. Despite popular belief, you don’t need expensive equipment or a gym membership to reduce OCD symptoms with exercise.

Instead, half an hour of aerobic exercise at home every day can make enough of a difference. So, if you’re interested in pairing your professional OCD treatment with exercise, we’d recommend consulting your doctor and trying out their suggestions for the ideal exercise program.

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