Getting Depressed After Working Out

Because your body releases powerful mood-lifting hormones called endorphins during a workout, doctors commonly prescribe exercise to alleviate mild depression. Sometimes, however, the negative physiological and psychological factors outside of the workout may be greater than the positive effects of the endorphin release, and you may feel depressed after a workout. With a few tweaks to your workout routine, you can help the endorphins to win the battle and alleviate post-workout depression.

Hormones and Overtraining

When you work out, your body releases endorphins, powerful opiate-like hormones that help to numb pain and heighten mood. However, a 1989 study in the "Journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology" found that swimmers who overtrained had a lower mood than those who had not. Additionally, the swimmers who overtrained had higher amounts of cortisol, a mood-lowering hormone, in their system, which researchers attributed as one of the possible causes of the post-workout depression. If you find that you are working yourself to exhaustion, try cutting back on the intensity of your workout.

Competitiveness

A 1978 study in "Physician and Sportsmedicine," found that competitive exercise, such as tennis and softball, had less mood-lifting effects than non-competitive exercise. The stress that comes with competition -- in addition to the possibility of losing that competition -- may cause the brain to release more of the mood-lowering hormones, such as cortisol, than mood-lifting endorphins. Additionally, the psychological factors that accompany stress may counteract any of the positive effects of endorphin release.

Long-term Exercise

Some people who have been consistently exercising over a long period of time find that they don't experience the same feelings of euphoria after a workout and equate this to depression. A 2008 study in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" found that men who had been weight training for more than three years required longer training than their novice counterparts to stimulate the same hormonal response. An increase in the duration or intensity of your workout may help to cultivate endorphin production and alleviate post-workout depression.

Psychological Factors

Some people workout out to maintain fitness, while others workout to attain fitness goals. Those who workout to attain a goal, whether it be to shed pounds or to bulk up their calf muscles, can sometimes become depressed after exercising, when it seems that the results may never come. Remember that a lean, chiseled body does not happen overnight; consistent and dedicated exercise will bring results. It may help to keep an exercise journal (with pictures or daily weight measurements), so that you can see your progress over time, rather than focusing on the day-to-day minute differences.