physical exercise triggering panic attack?

[proxi]

anybody got this? I've read it's possible and it happened to me.
So far I though quite opposite. Or maybe it's coincidence?

[Zoe25]

This also happens to me whenever I do anything even slightly energetic. Its happened after having a shower and drying myself vigorously, after doing a bit of house cleaning or gardening, etc. I start hyperventilating and my heart starts racing.

I've had respiratory and cardiac tests which have come back ok, so I have to assume its anxiety causing this. I've had to slow down everything I do, which is very annoying.

This is a real problem for me because I know regular exercise is supposed to help with anxiety, but I can't manage to do any at the moment - and I really would like to join a gym to get fit. Anyone had this problem and managed to overcome it?

[proxi]

the problem is that want to GYM for like 8 months and it was fine,
I feel better after exercise although sometimes a little weak afterwards
when taking shower or go to sauna. But this time I felt weak in the end of
session, and during back home slowly panic attack developed.
Maybe it was just coincidence, and I'd get hit that day anyway.

[northstar]

hi proxi, i'm just theorising here, do you think it had anything to do with the amount of energy you had burned up in the gym? how long had it been since you had eaten before the workout? is it possible that you burned up all your fuel supplies in the workout and needed to eat?

i'm just remembering when i was little going to the swimming pool with my friends we were always STARVING afterwards lol. at times i felt weak with hunger if i didn't have anything on me to eat. i'm pretty sure this was down to the amount of exercise we were getting at the pool. do you think it could be a similar situation for you?

[proxi]

hi northstar,
you know what? you may be right - I usually don't eat before GYM, I eat after... I'm trying to loose a little bit weight, and after my daily 40 minutes bicycling I go to sauna fo 10-15 minutes, then shower hot/cold interchangeably and drive home. In the car I drink some water though.
All these activities may get me weak.

[northstar]

hmmm it's definitely worth thinking about then. i can imagine when you're using up all that energy with very little fuel left that it's putting your body under considerable pressure and your blood sugars are falling. i'm not surprised your body is panicking a little, it just wants more food/energy :D

i'm not exactly sure how you go about eating for a rigorous exercise regime like yours, maybe someone at the gym can advise you on it? it's excellent that you're really working on yourself though, all that exercise must be pumping happy hormones around your body! just be careful not to overdo things and to take care of yourself properly, if you're not topping up with enough fuel then it's gonna exhaust your body with all that exercise and that can lead to anxiety. you need to make sure you're eating right for your lifestyle :)

[proxi]

but even so, I could understand to be tired and weak but why anxious??? :cry:

[northstar]

i don't think the anxiety is an unusual reaction at all. our bodies react to stress in different ways, it just so happens that some of us get anxious. if you're using up so much energy and not fuelling up sufficiently it's going to take it's toll. stress affects your nervous system, and an unhappy nervous system can manifest anxiety. if you've been doing this for 8 months then it might be just that you're a bit worn out from it all. there are also other factors to consider that may have added to it, have you been sick lately? or have you been under a lot of pressure at work/home? what has your diet been like? have you had many stressful events lately?

anxiety is also a symptom of low blood sugar or low fuel in your body. if you haven't eaten enough and you're putting your body under pressure to do all that exercise without enough energy/fuel then your blood sugar is going to drop. if you don't replace this fuel by eating then it can result in a whole host of symptoms including anxiety and panic. the anxiety itself will make you feel on edge and stressed out taking it's own toll on your body and adding to the cycle of anxious feelings. recovery is about taking care of yourself and making sure you're not putting your body under too much pressure without giving it what it needs.

i reckon the best thing for you to do it to look into athlete's diets, talk to someone at the gym or ask your doctor about it. there are also lots of other things you can do to help your body relax, if you haven't seen this post already then i suggest that you take a look here for some other methods you can look at to help you out: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087

[Bree]

This happens to me now and again. It's not a panic attack, but extremely rapid heart rate.
Usually it happens 1. if I had coffee in the late afternoon (I work out around 7PM), and/or 2. if I think I am going to slip and fall - this is when I panic for a split second and my heart starts to race.

[culljosh]

anybody got this? I've read it's possible and it happened to me.
So far I though quite opposite. Or maybe it's coincidence?

I try being fit and sometimes run but I do skateboard a bit
and sometimes I feel attacks coming on in chest area.

Sometimes they just go away, I do find it odd.

Cheers!

[serenadin]

Proxi,

The core chemistry... hormone for life and death... fight or flight ... is ADRENALINE.

When you work out... guess what chemical gets forced into your body???

Adrenaline! ... There is no mystery here. its just chemicals making you feel something dangerous that doesn't exist.

One of the keys to solving this problem is O2 or OXYGEN. When your life is in danger... your breathing becomes shallow. VERY SHALLOW...

When your breathing is shallow... its because all your muscles are tense... When your muscles are tense... well.. its harder for that other CAVEMAN to BITE YOU...

PLUS since you have adrenaline pumping through your veins... your flesh is going to taste ACRID. Have you ever tasted a body part that is bitter and puckers your mouth? Same thing happens when you shoot adrenaline into the muscles AND you breathe shallow. Protects you from that imaginary land shark.

So... to break this chain... keep the adrenaline pumping... just breath like you are on vacation in the Caribbean! The Oxygen will burn off the RUN-LOLA-RUN chemicals.

[proxi]

thanks Serenadin,
I just never had this experience before during exercising, and was doing something most of my life. Usually exercising helped me with depression and other problems.