Research: Can Exercise Improve Stress, Recovery and Academic Performance for University Students?

University students often face high stress and long periods of sedentary study, yet little is known about how daily physical activity influences their stress and academic functioning. This research explored how leisure-time exercise and short activity breaks relate to stress, recovery and perceived study performance among 57 university students over a ten-day home-study period.

The outcomes report that students who engaged in more leisure-time physical activity experience lower dysfunctional stress, better psychological recovery and fewer attention difficulties. Short activity breaks during study were also linked to reduced stress and improved self-rated study ability. Together, the results suggest that incorporating movement throughout the day (both structured exercise and brief active breaks) supports healthier stress responses and more effective study.

Citation: Teuber, M., Leyhr, D. & Sudeck, G. Physical activity improves stress load, recovery, and academic performance-related parameters among university students: a longitudinal study on daily level. BMC Public Health, Volume 24, 2024. (link)