Doctors warn about the dangers of “running addiction”!

Runners who go out to escape their problems may be at risk of developing addiction.

One in four occasional runners show signs of addiction—giving up time with loved ones to go jogging instead, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms when they can’t run.

And the study is now showing which people may be most at risk.

A study of 227 recreational runners found the strongest link between exercise addiction in former runners and negative thought blocking.

And people who used running to improve their lives were less likely to become addicted.

Dr. Frode Stensing, who led the study at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said: “People who can only use running to escape their problems will find it harmful to them. They will have less control over their running if they use it as a coping strategy so they can become addicted and even feel ashamed and depressed afterwards.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, asked runners about their health, exercise addiction symptoms, and desire to get away from running.

Participants who ran between two and 15 hours a week were found to feel less satisfied with their lives if they ran to escape their problems.

The questionnaire provided to participants assessed their attitudes towards running based on how much they agreed with 11 statements about how they felt while running. And those who previously sought a positive escape were more in agreement with statements such as: “I am full of positive energy that carries over to other areas of my life.”

The attitude was associated with some exercise addiction, but people who used running as a negative escape showed stronger signs of unhealthy running obsession.

This was rated in agreement with statements such as “I can’t cut back on the amount of time I run” and “I’d rather play sports than spend time with family or friends.”

“These findings may help people understand their motivations while running,” Dr. Stenseng said.

Source: Daily Mail