It is well known that regular exercising can decrease symptoms of anxiety through the release of endorphins. So, you may think that any all exercises will improve your anxiety symptoms. In theory, yes, that would be correct. In reality, though, there are types of exercises that can increase and even worsen your anxiety symptoms. One form of exercise that can increase or worsen anxiety is HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of exercise that combines short bursts of high intensity workouts with periods of rest and/or lower intensity exercises. According to Brenda Rea, MD, PT, RD, HIIT workouts can activate your fight-or-flight response which causes your heart rate to increase, you start sweating, and have rapid though processes. If a person is prone to anxiety, the psychological effects of HIIT can create lasting anxiety symptoms in people. Various forms of aerobic exercise such as running, or Zumba can also increase a person’s risk of panic or anxiety attacks. According to associate psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School Ashwini Nadkarni, M.D., when a person finds themselves breathing rapidly, like you do during a high intensity workout, the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood changes. When this happens, the blood vessels in the brain narrow, which causes lactic acid to build up in the brain. Lactic acid is a compound that the body creates during workouts and is often the reason why our muscles are sore after exercising. Lactic acid can also affect the brain, and for some people, they may struggle to clear that acid from their brain faster than others. The brain is sensitive to this acid and can make people more vulnerable to a panic or anxiety attack. Another factor is that because the heart rate is elevated along with elevated breathing, it can cause the release of
cortisol, which is the body’s stress hormone. The release of this hormone can cause feelings of, again, anxiety and panic. So, with that being said, not all workout types will increase anxiety. Yoga is a great form of physical activity that is known to help anxiety through relaxation stretches and poses, along with breathing exercises. The same can also be said for Pilates, which is similar to Yoga in the sense that it targets breathing exercises and relaxation poses. If you aren’t really interested in Yoga and Pilates, swimming is a great anxiety relieving form of exercise. You may not even realize it, but when you swim you are stretching and using your muscles while also practicing deep breathing exercises as you go up and down in the water.