Study Reveals the Impact of Exercise on Children's Stress Levels

November 7th, 2023

By John Patterson

Staff Writer for Wake Up World

In our increasingly dynamic and demanding contemporary society, stress has become an almost omnipresent companion, affecting even the youngest generation. The burdens associated with school, peer relationships, and extracurricular commitments can exert a substantial influence on the well-being of children. However, a study carried out by researchers hailing from the University of Basel in Switzerland has shed light on the significance of daily exercise as a coping mechanism for stress among school children. These findings serve as a testament to the pivotal role that physical activity plays in enhancing the mental well-being of young individuals.

Exercise: A Key to Stress Resilience

“Get some exercise!” It’s advice often given to adults grappling with stress. Exercise is known to be a potent stress reliever, but the question arises: Does this principle hold true for children as well? Dr. Manuel Hanke and Dr. Sebastian Ludyga, leading a research team from the Department of Sport, Exercise, and Health, delved into this query. Their study, recently published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, examines the effect of physical activity on children’s stress levels.

In their study, the researchers enlisted 110 children aged between 10 and 13. These young participants wore sensors to track their daily movement for an entire week. Subsequently, the children were brought into a laboratory setting for two separate tasks—a stressful task and a non-stressful control task. The researchers measured the children’s physical stress reactions by analyzing the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva.

The results were telling. Children who engaged in more than an hour of exercise daily, aligning with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations, exhibited lower cortisol levels during the stress-inducing task compared to their less active peers. Dr. Manuel Hanke, lead author of the study, commented, “Regularly active children seem to have a reduced physiological stress reaction in general.” This resilience even extended to the control task, suggesting that physically active children experience less stress in unfamiliar situations.

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