There’s some evidence that aerobic exercise may help to prevent or treat PPD. A 2019 review of exercise-based interventions for PPD prevention and treatment found that there was low-quality evidence for a small-to-moderate reduction of PPD symptoms. Most of the included studies focused on aerobic exercise/coaching.[1] A 2022 meta-analysis also found a small but significant antidepressant effect for exercise in PPD, which was stronger for exercise programs delivering 150 or more minutes of aerobic exercise per week.[2] Simply walking may also be effective: another 2022 meta-analysis looked at 5 studies and concluded that moderate-intensity walking, particularly for 90–120 minutes/week, may help reduce symptoms of PPD.[3]
References
- ^Carter T, Bastounis A, Guo B, Jane Morrell CThe effectiveness of exercise-based interventions for preventing or treating postpartum depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Arch Womens Ment Health.(2019-Feb)
- ^Morres ID, Tzouma NA, Hatzigeorgiadis A, Krommidas C, Kotronis KV, Dafopoulos K, Theodorakis Y, Comoutos NExercise for perinatal depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in perinatal health services.J Affect Disord.(2022-Feb-01)
- ^Pentland V, Spilsbury S, Biswas A, Mottola MF, Paplinskie S, Mitchell MSDoes Walking Reduce Postpartum Depressive Symptoms? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.J Womens Health (Larchmt).(2022-Apr)