My brain and arms are in cahoots.
October 7, 2008 8:52 AM Subscribe
Any time my upper body gets exercised at all, some time later I get hit by severe depression.
There's something chemical going on here. I'm not talking about feeling kind of worn out after a heavy work out, I mean if I help someone move or if I do a dozen push-ups, by that night or the next morning I'll be smacked upside the head with a full-fledged "why even get out of bed everything is hopeless I should just kill myself" depression, lasting at least a good 24 hours.
I don't imagine it's just my upper body in specific, but I hike for a few hours a day without ill effect. Of course, that may be related - years ago I ate very poorly and was very sedentary, leaving me with absolutely no muscle mass, but a few years of a more reasonable diet and a ton of walking have left my legs in good shape while the rest remains fat+bones. I thought, however, that if I persevered through that 100 push-up plan I might be able to push through to the other side of whatever this is. This authoritatively did not work.
"Go see a therapist" is probably good advice for everyone everywhere, but I can tell the difference between 'I am sad and need to work stuff out' and 'the chemicals in my brain are hurting me.' Something is going awry here.
There's something chemical going on here. I'm not talking about feeling kind of worn out after a heavy work out, I mean if I help someone move or if I do a dozen push-ups, by that night or the next morning I'll be smacked upside the head with a full-fledged "why even get out of bed everything is hopeless I should just kill myself" depression, lasting at least a good 24 hours.
I don't imagine it's just my upper body in specific, but I hike for a few hours a day without ill effect. Of course, that may be related - years ago I ate very poorly and was very sedentary, leaving me with absolutely no muscle mass, but a few years of a more reasonable diet and a ton of walking have left my legs in good shape while the rest remains fat+bones. I thought, however, that if I persevered through that 100 push-up plan I might be able to push through to the other side of whatever this is. This authoritatively did not work.
"Go see a therapist" is probably good advice for everyone everywhere, but I can tell the difference between 'I am sad and need to work stuff out' and 'the chemicals in my brain are hurting me.' Something is going awry here.
There's an exercise term called bonking or hitting the wall which can sort of describe this feeling. In many people it's just fatigue and a general bad feeling but it can also, if you're prone to sadness, come out in similar ways. It happens to me when I'm not eating enough protein and I do some sort of hard exercise. I'm not a nutritionist but my layman's explanation is that my body goes through all its food and my brain gets deprived of what it needs to be brainy and not mopey. You can eat what seems like a "good" diet that still isn't good for specific things like hard exercise. ewkpates suggestion is a good one. I always make sure I have something with a ton of protein and decent carbs [for me it's high protein cereal and nonfat milk with a banana or some sort of fruit] before I work out and make sure I have some pretty soon afterwards as well.
posted by jessamyn at 9:13 AM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 9:13 AM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Another vote for protein here. It boosts my mood and keeps heavy workouts from zapping me.
posted by PatoPata at 9:19 AM on October 7, 2008
posted by PatoPata at 9:19 AM on October 7, 2008
Could be it's just a coincidence. I constantly found "causes" for my depression (low blood sugar, etc.) for years before getting into therapy and learning how to recognize the actual triggers, like a fight I'd had (duh), something someone said at work, etc.
posted by callmejay at 9:20 AM on October 7, 2008
posted by callmejay at 9:20 AM on October 7, 2008
If I do too much "muscle endurance" exercise (low weight and high reps over a large number of muscles), I'm strung out and faintly weepy-feeling for the next day or three. Maybe cut way back on the reps and practice perfect form, for a bit?
posted by zeek321 at 9:29 AM on October 7, 2008
posted by zeek321 at 9:29 AM on October 7, 2008
This used to happen to me after I started a new exercise regimen. I think it's largely over-training with a little dose of mentally trying too hard. I even would get a sort of flu for the first week, and it usually derailed my efforts for good. Try to work out a little less for a while and see if it helps.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 9:31 AM on October 7, 2008
posted by The Light Fantastic at 9:31 AM on October 7, 2008
Protein? Your brain also needs carbohydrates/sugars; it uses a lot of them. I've found that sometimes just eating some fruit will help me get less pessimistic. Might as well give it a try.
posted by amtho at 9:33 AM on October 7, 2008
posted by amtho at 9:33 AM on October 7, 2008
N-thing protein. Your body uses protein not only to repair muscles after exercising, but also to make many hormones and neurotransmitters which help regulate your modd. If you're not eating enough protein, there aren't enough building blocks (amino acids) to go around for all these purposes.
posted by vytae at 9:48 AM on October 7, 2008
posted by vytae at 9:48 AM on October 7, 2008
I think this can be a symptom of a serious underlying problem.
An acquaintance of mine had a similar issue-- he walked and biked everywhere, but would be bedridden and suicidal the day after volunteering at a food bank and lifting a lot of boxes with cans in them, in one specific incident, for example-- and he turned out to have a Marfan-like connective tissue problem which had caused mitral valve prolapse.
posted by jamjam at 10:55 AM on October 7, 2008
An acquaintance of mine had a similar issue-- he walked and biked everywhere, but would be bedridden and suicidal the day after volunteering at a food bank and lifting a lot of boxes with cans in them, in one specific incident, for example-- and he turned out to have a Marfan-like connective tissue problem which had caused mitral valve prolapse.
posted by jamjam at 10:55 AM on October 7, 2008
Not just protein, plenty of salads and veggies
posted by Not Supplied at 12:09 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by Not Supplied at 12:09 PM on October 7, 2008
Hitting the wall is a specific condition related to running out of stored glycogen. This isn't something a normal person will experience unless they're doing a relatively huge amount of aerobic activity (i.e. running 10 miles) - ironically, most people aren't fit enough to get themselves in a state where they're this fatigued. If you do you think you're experiencing symptoms like this without burning at least 1000 Calories, you probably have a very serious medical problem and need to see a doctor about why you're not replenishing glycogen properly. Someone who "hit the wall" after doing a dozen push-ups is on death's doorstep.
posted by 0xFCAF at 12:25 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by 0xFCAF at 12:25 PM on October 7, 2008
Sorry, 'depression' is not something that resovles in 24h. It you're just exhausted.
posted by sunshinesky at 2:21 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by sunshinesky at 2:21 PM on October 7, 2008
that is, It *sounds like you're exhausted.
posted by sunshinesky at 2:22 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by sunshinesky at 2:22 PM on October 7, 2008
Test your blood sugar. You could be (pre-)diabetic and not know it.
posted by dhartung at 3:59 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by dhartung at 3:59 PM on October 7, 2008
Start with a physical including getting your heart checked out. Exercise should reduce depression. My experience is feeling bad as you describe after exercise should be checked by a doctor.
posted by cosmac at 4:03 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by cosmac at 4:03 PM on October 7, 2008
Go to an endocrinologist first and describe your symptoms. I had something somehwhat similar and found that I had a severe vitamin D deficiency (might not sound that bad, but can cause all sorts of nasty things). I never would have known in a million years of internet searching had the doctor not ordered a dozen or so blood tests.
posted by specialfriend at 10:07 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by specialfriend at 10:07 PM on October 7, 2008
My first thought was maybe you have some kind of interesting/unusual chain of events it triggers. Exercise releases endorphins right? Maybe you don't... Or maybe you do but then everything crashes as a result. Or some kind of misfire? Sounds interesting though! But yeah, I think that's Endocrinology??
Or it could be a mental thing? (ie. Moving house makes you sad.) You know, something of that nature? Sounds quite interesting anyway.
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 8:48 AM on October 8, 2008
Or it could be a mental thing? (ie. Moving house makes you sad.) You know, something of that nature? Sounds quite interesting anyway.
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 8:48 AM on October 8, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
Get a good protein drink with plenty of carbs, drink 1/3 before, 1/3 during, 1/3 after your upper body work out. Then, make sure you have another serving before bed. See what happens.
posted by ewkpates at 9:06 AM on October 7, 2008