Sports addiction

As Sports addiction or Fitness addiction is a behavioral addiction that describes the addictive compulsion to do sports or fitness. So far, sport addiction is not officially considered an independent disease, although it can be assumed to be a mental disorder.

What is sports addiction?

In times of passive locomotion, sport is becoming increasingly important in preventive healthcare. Popular sport and awareness of the positive effects of physical training are specifically promoted with slogans such as “Fit for Fun” and numerous mass events.

For the majority of recreational athletes, sport is actually beneficial to health, but for an estimated 1% of active people, training triggers an undesirable effect: the Sports addiction.

causes

Sports addiction is defined as a typical behavioral addiction based on non-externally supplied addictive substances. The original assumption that sport addiction is caused by endorphins seems only partially correct. Recent studies show that the body's own messenger substance dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is also involved in the development of addiction.

Apart from endorphins and dopamine, psychological factors play a major role in sports addiction. These include, among other things, body awareness and eating disorders. The "Anorexia athletica" has long been considered a phenomenon of top and competitive sport and is now increasingly found in popular sport. The social pressure that a body has to be very slim and sporty seems to not only influence eating behavior but also exercise.

An additional reinforcing factor could be the “escape from reality”. Through constant activity until complete exhaustion, the addict experiences himself only in the here and now, which enables him to suppress problems and difficulties.

Symptoms, ailments & signs

The core characteristic of sports addiction is excessive exercise. The sport does not matter. Those affected can enjoy exercise despite their addiction to sports. However, it is also possible that they feel that doing sports is a mere duty. In order to free up time for the gym or for jogging, swimming, cycling, and other activities, those affected limit other hobbies. Often they withdraw from friends and family.

As with classic addictions, an increase is also typical with sports addiction: Sports addicts often start with a normal amount of exercise, which is soon no longer enough for them. With a pronounced sports addiction, most of those affected do sports every day. When unable to do so, they feel guilty, tense, or have nervousness, mood swings, anxiety, or outbursts of anger.

The internal compulsion to exercise despite an injury can also be a sign of an addiction to sports. Many sports addicts endure pain or take medication to block the body's warning signals. Some exercise to the point of exhaustion and vomit or have a cardiovascular breakdown.

Therefore, in many cases, sports addiction leads to further physical complaints. In addition to injuries and signs of fatigue, weight changes can also occur. In contrast to an eating disorder or dysmorphophobia, weight, figure and appearance are not the focus of sports addiction.

Diagnosis & course

Sports addiction can hardly be diagnosed by the person concerned, since he feels subjectively well and like every addict does everything to maintain the status. He will not admit any coercion to himself or to others. Usually it is the people around him who notice the negative changes.

Sports addiction is extremely diverse. First, the training quota is continuously increased. Even with illness or injury, the addict is unable to pause. If he tries anyway, he will suffer from withdrawal symptoms. These include headache and stomach ache, tremors, anxiety and depression as well as aggression or irritability.

As the disease progresses, the person affected breaks off his social ties and contacts, as he needs all his energy for training and is then too exhausted for conversations or activities. The consequences of sports addiction for the organism are serious. Due to the constant physical overload, the immune system is weakened and the person affected is more susceptible to infections. However, since he will by no means skip his training, he sets in motion a spiral of deterioration in health.

Furthermore, the extreme strain on bones, muscles and ligaments carries a high risk of injury. In the case of additional malnutrition, as with anorexia, anemia and severe hormonal imbalances can occur. Concentration disorders can also occur, which have a negative effect on professional life.

Complications

Sports addiction can have serious consequences for the organism if the body's signals are not taken into account. It is particularly dangerous to ignore cardiovascular complaints such as dizziness, weakness, drowsiness and heart pounding or to train at full intensity despite a febrile illness: In the worst case, irreparable heart muscle damage or fatal cardiac arrest can result.

Using drugs to improve performance increases the risk of life-threatening complications. Overstrained tendons, muscles, ligaments and joints wear out prematurely, acute injuries very often become chronic without sufficient rest. Constantly exceeding the performance limit can also make itself felt as headaches, insomnia and muscle pain.

If sports addicts also suffer from an eating disorder, they are usually malnourished or undernourished: the result can be a weakened immune system with increased susceptibility to infections and reduced physical and mental performance. In women, excessive exercise in combination with being underweight often leads to hormonal disorders that can lead to a lack of menstruation (amenorrhea) and a decrease in bone density (osteoporosis).

Due to the porous bone substance, there is an increased risk of breaking a bone in a harmless fall. If social contacts, the job and the relationship with the partner are neglected in favor of excessive sport, there is a risk of complete isolation in the long term if countermeasures are not taken in good time.

When should you go to the doctor?

In most cases, the patient with a sports addiction depends on medical advice and examination so that there are no further complaints and complications. In extreme cases, sports addiction can even lead to death if the excessive activity overstrains the body so much that it leads to a heart attack or a stroke. For this reason, a doctor should be contacted at the first signs of sports addiction. Above all, outsiders must recognize the symptoms and induce the person concerned to seek treatment.

A doctor should be consulted in the case of sports addiction if the affected person engages in sports activities very often. Those affected get nervous if they cannot do sports. You suffer from anxiety or severe mood swings. General depressive behavior can also indicate sports addiction and must be examined by a doctor. A doctor should also be contacted if the person has an eating disorder.

Sports addiction is usually treated by a general practitioner or a sports doctor. The advice of a psychologist is usually necessary for further treatment.

Treatment & Therapy

The Sports addiction is usually treated as part of psychotherapy. The therapy can be done on an outpatient basis, but if eating disorders occur at the same time, it is carried out as an inpatient.

Self-therapy is rarely successful, as the person concerned usually lacks insight. For him, his training schedule, even if it already completely determines his everyday life and breaks relationships, is nothing more than a hobby. With the support of a therapist, however, the chances of success are very good.

Each therapy is based on the needs of the patient and neither the exact duration of the therapy nor the number and frequency of the necessary sessions can be determined in advance.

Cognitive therapy approaches have proven to be quite successful here. Talk therapy in particular should be used by the therapist to treat sport addiction. As a person affected, if you do not know which doctor you should turn to, the first step to a psychological counseling center or a practicing sports psychologist is always the right choice.

prevention

Education is the best means of getting around the Sports addiction to prevent. The knowledge that you can become addictive even while exercising, sharpens vigilance. Exercise that is performed three times a week and does not last longer than an hour and a half or two hours is considered healthy exercise.

Above all, experts call for information work in schools, since young people between the ages of 11 and 17 are a highly addictive group. Self-observation, but also an attentive environment, can make a big difference at the first signs of addictive behavior. Honesty towards yourself and others is important here.

Aftercare

The treatment of sports addiction requires consistent follow-up after the therapy so that the patient does not fall back into old behavior patterns. Follow-up care can be discussed with the psychologist, but also with people you trust or the family doctor. The reason for sports addiction is important not only for treatment, but also in the context of aftercare, as it also includes discovering and trying out alternatives to sports.

Especially people who want to generate a sense of achievement through sport can also achieve it differently. In this context, social engagement such as coaching can be just as important as a professional career or an artistic hobby. On the other hand, those who state health as the reason for sports addiction can also implement this with hiking or water sports, a sauna or a healthy diet.

Sports addiction is not a reason to stop doing sports. Therefore, the goal of follow-up care is not to consistently avoid exercise, but to exercise it in healthy doses. It can be helpful here to do sport with friends, as this avoids overdoing sporting activities and offers the experience of sport in moderation. At the same time, it can be experienced that the social component of sport and not just success can make you happy. The setting of deadlines for sports times can also accompany the aftercare in a targeted manner.

You can do that yourself

Sports addiction is difficult to remedy without therapeutic help. It is a disorder in which sufferers suffer from misperceptions. They usually don't even notice the negative consequences. A neglect of other areas of life is approved for the sake of the good goal. Experience has shown that only clear physical problems lead to a willingness to change the rhythm of life. In many patients, however, the musculoskeletal system is already permanently damaged.

A prospect of success apart from medical treatment only exists if people are willing to self-criticize. The environment should help with treatment. Parents, siblings and friends should definitely confide in sick people and ask for support. The reduction of training and the monitoring of agreed times by confidants have proven to be promising. A written daily schedule can help.

The diagnosis of sports addiction is not recognized as a disease by many health insurance companies. Nevertheless, one can expect help from a doctor. Because behind the sporting mania there are often other causes. For example, women want to get to their dream body through exaggerated exercise units. Basically, the longer you have suffered from sports addiction, the more likely you should refrain from self-therapy and consult a doctor.