{"id":172771,"date":"2019-03-12T10:50:28","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T10:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=172771"},"modified":"2019-03-12T10:50:57","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T10:50:57","slug":"how-cycling-helps-to-overcome-ptsd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/03\/12\/how-cycling-helps-to-overcome-ptsd\/","title":{"rendered":"How Cycling Helps to Overcome PTSD"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you ask people what post-traumatic stress disorder is, the answer usually revolves around: \u201cYeah, that\u2019s what veterans suffer from, right?\u201d Yes, many of them do, but that\u2019s not the whole story. The range of PTSD triggers is much wider. The disorder can be caused by a violent attack, a serious accident or a natural disaster.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The patients suffer from repeating flashbacks of the traumatic event(s), ongoing anxiety, feelings of isolation and loneliness or uncontrollable angry outbursts. The condition usually manifests itself within three months of the trauma, but it can happen all of a sudden much later.<\/p>\n

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In the past, there was almost zero awareness of PTSD and the symptoms were perceived as something people had to \u201csuck up\u201d. Luckily, these days more and more people know that the way to battle the condition is seeking professional help.<\/p>\n

As for the cure, it involves medication, psychotherapy and exposure treatment. While the first two are pretty clear, the last-mentioned might not be known to wider public. Simply put, it means the patient is gradually exposed to the source of their anxiety. The treatment begins with less stressful triggers and continues to more stressful ones, helping the person deal with the distressing situations in a safe and controlled environment.<\/p>\n

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The standard PTSD treatments are definitely playing their part. But it turns out there\u2019s also another way which may seem a little bit out of the ordinary. The fact is it really helps. We\u2019re talking about exercise. And here comes the cycling part. Patients who have been advised to regularly ride their bikes have reported the same experience: cycling brings relief from negative thoughts, a mental break from fear.<\/p>\n

Getting out for a ride has the healing effect of a ritual. It (literally) involves a change of air, which helps to take one\u2019s mind off obsessive thoughts and concentrate on new impulses. Patients often talk about hearing and seeing things they didn\u2019t notice before. The speed and movement help remind them how good it can feel to be alive.<\/p>\n

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However, cycling doesn\u2019t help just with the \u201ccurrent\u201d state of mind. According to researchers, it reduces long-term anxiety levels as well. The trick is to engage in a routine-based activity. Riding a bike on a regular basis means getting more exposed, and therefore more used to the physiological symptoms of PTSD. Having to catch your breath or experiencing an increased heart rate isn\u2019t so scary anymore.<\/p>\n

The positive effects of cycling have been acknowledged by veterans who have decided to spread the word and promote awareness of both the severity of PTSD and the benefits of cycling. Organizations like Pedal Against PTSD have engaged in research and fundraising to help people get back on track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you ask people what post-traumatic stress disorder is, the answer usually revolves around: \u201cYeah, that\u2019s what veterans suffer from, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":170817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,334],"tags":[2801,2802],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-172771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-road-cycling","category-socialising-and-culture","tag-ptsd","tag-ptsd-and-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Cycling Helps to Overcome PTSD - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you ask people what post-traumatic stress disorder is, the answer usually revolves around: \u201cYeah, that\u2019s what veterans suffer from, right?\u201d Yes, many\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/03\/12\/how-cycling-helps-to-overcome-ptsd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Cycling Helps to Overcome PTSD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you ask people what post-traumatic stress disorder is, the answer usually revolves around: \u201cYeah, that\u2019s what veterans suffer from, right?\u201d Yes, many\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/03\/12\/how-cycling-helps-to-overcome-ptsd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-12T10:50:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-03-12T10:50:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/09\/swissCVR.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tereza Antonova\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/03\/12\/how-cycling-helps-to-overcome-ptsd\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/03\/12\/how-cycling-helps-to-overcome-ptsd\/\",\"name\":\"How Cycling Helps to Overcome PTSD - 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