Boost your mood

The first term of university can be a tough time for a lot of students, particularly freshers, for whom it will be the first time living away from home. Homesickness, combined with the effects of alcohol, can lead to some pretty agonising lows. Luckily, there are some great ways to boost your mood, and one of the best ways of doing this is through exercise. You would have to have been living in a cave (or perhaps in Westwood) to have missed out on the many sports and activities on offer at Warwick, with events such as the Sports Fair taking centre stage. All sorts of physical activities are available but for those of you who are undecided, the gym is open to all students, for an annual fee of £135 (just £11.25 a month!) on top of your Warwick Sport membership.

So why does exercise boost your mood? Extensive research has shown that a getting a good level of exercise elevates the levels of serotonin and dopamine within the brain. These are neurotransmitters that are important for regulating mood. Neurotransmitters help electrical signals within the brain ‘jump’ between nerve cells, and the more neurotransmitters you have, the easier this becomes.

When a signal reaches the end of the nerve cell, it causes neurotransmitters to be released,which bridge the gap between cells. At the edge of the receiving cell, the neurotransmitters bind with proteins known as receptors. Once enough of these receptors have bound with a transmitter, a new signal will be released, and will propagate through the receiving cell, starting the process off again. Millions of these ‘Synaptic Transmissions’ take place every second within your brain – just think how many will have occurred just while you have been reading this paragraph.

In short: the more neurotransmitters present within your brain, the easier it is for signals to be transferred; the more signals that you have bouncing around the areas responsible for positive emotions and moods, the better you’ll feel.

So how much should you do? Government guidelines state that young adults should do at least two and a half hours of moderate activity (or 75 minutes of intense activity), plus two muscle strengthening activities per week. This may seem unreasonable as the workload piles up, but even getting a decent amount of exercise a few times a week can have a great effect on your health, but don’t go mad! Exhaustion will make your body and mind feel worse.

What other things could you do to raise your serotonin levels then? Well, the term ‘Cabin Fever’ came around for a reason. Long periods spent in a confined space (your room, for example) can have a detrimental effect on your mood – try getting outside, explore the campus. This also helps to relieve stress, which is another factor that can inhibit serotonin production. However, the most important piece of advice anyone can give you is to do something you enjoy. With the opportunities presented to you at Warwick, there’s something for everyone.