Can exercise cause stress?

Mental stress - NO, exercise raises seratonin levels which helps the body cope with stress.

Stress on muscles - YES, but in a good way, to break down and rebuild the muscle.

Stress on joints - YES and NO.  It depends on if you're doing a particular exercise correctly or not.  That's why it's important to have a qualified personal trainer, like myself or another fitness expert here on Sharecare, to help guide you and make corrections before you have an injury.

 

 

The physiological changes that take place during a walk or run, for example, appear to be similar to all those changes that take place during other times of stress, with elevated blood pressure and raised levels of catecholamines and adrenaline in the blood.

But it's also clear that exercise reduces stress. So how can exercise both cause and reduce stress? This is something stress researchers don't fully understand. But we know there are qualitative differences between the stress of exercise and the stress of a bad day at the office. Brisk walking, for example, is for most of us a pleasurable stress, a "good" stress. For one thing, our sense of control over a situation plays a big role in how we respond to stress. A lack of control leads to harmful stress. But we have complete control over our walking -- we can quit when we're tired, not when the boss is done with us. And there may be significant but as yet unidentified differences between the chemistry of exercise-induced stress and stress caused by other demands on our ability to adapt to change. For example, the release of some types of endorphins during a walk does not appear to take place during other types of stress. And walking is a "self-contained" stress, short-lived and self-limited, whereas a hectic day at the office can go on and on and on. And for most of us, a brisk walk is followed by a deep sense of peace and relaxation; a fatigued muscle is a relaxed muscle.

But the stress of exercise can be just as harmful as stress from other sources. There can come a point at which we're overtraining -- putting a load on our bodies that they can't repair. How much exercise is too much depends on the individual, of course, but there are clear signs of overtraining, and these are probably good indicators that you're doing too much. In fact, these objective signs of overtraining -- elevated blood pressure, reduced resistance to disease, sleep problems, depression, loss of appetite, trouble concentrating, and so on -- are indistinguishable from the symptoms associated with chronic stress from other sources.

Commonsense training is the best way to keep exercise from becoming yet another source of stress in our lives.

From my experience exercise is a stress reliever. I enjoy taking an afternoon fitness class to relieve me of the morning stress of daily work. Often times I start my day with an exercise routine because it is a great way to start the morning with a clear mind and plenty of energy.

I have never had exercise be the cause of my stress rather the lack of exercise that causes the stress.

Now if you exercise improperly or too much that can cause muscular stress.

Exercise does not directly cause stress. An article posted in the July 11, 2011 Health section of the New York Times cites several research articles, which show why exercise makes us feel good. Many other research studies have shown that exercise can actually reduce stress. Exercise can reduce cortisol levels, which are known to be elevated during stress. In addition, exercise can increase endorphin release, which is the feel-good  hormone.  

In general exercise does not cause stress. It can usually help you manage stress better. Cardiovascular and aerobic exercise often helps to relieve stress and allow you to get a better night's sleep.