Anxiety and morning excercise

[filotas]

Hello All,

I want to share with you a problem that I encountered in my struggle with anxiety
When I excercise in the morning (swwimming or running for example) I feel drowsy all day, my anxiety rise, and also sometimes I end up with dizziness and panic attack...
How can be explained? the exercise is supposed to help reduce anxiety...

Thanks

[Robbed]

Hard to say why the exercise is doing this. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it is making you too tired. Perhaps you are trying to take on more exercise than you are able to at this time. Or maybe it would be better to exercise at a different time of the day. Nobody says you have to do it early.

[1970]

I think the anxiety is physically making you a bit tired before you even start exercising and then the exercise just tires you out more, then cause you associate tiredness as a symptom of anxiety you are feeling that way most of the day as well as anxious.

Maybe your anxiety is not letting you sleep properly even if you dont realise it and being more tired in the morning .

Exercise is definatley great for you, maybe try a brisk walk for a few mornings instead of running or swimming and see how you go then, or as others have said try exercising a different time of the day if you can.

[Belle]

I agree, I would work out in the evenings. Especially swimming, if I ever swim during the day, I'll sleep the rest of the day and I always swim at night because I find it so relaxing, you might actually find it helps you sleep better and then re-energise you in the day. It could also be a fitness thing?
Keep exercising though, it does help and keeps you fit and strong, as for the anxiety and panic attacks, it's most likely a sequence of what your feeling ie. tired, anxiety, worried about anxiety, dizzy, start to worry and panic = panic attack.
Try not wory about how your feeling and keep as calm as you can during anxiety sensations.

[Robbed]

Also remember that, while mild to moderate exercise can help anxiety, vigorous exercise is sometimes counterproductive. This is especially true if you are trying to quickly go from being sedentary to something like running. As I and others have said before, maybe try to tone it down a little, at least at first. It's best to slowly work your way up to something like running rather than trying to quickly get there.

[filotas]

Thank you all,

Belle, I agree with you, swimming in the evening has a calming effect on me...but, strangely, only swimming, because when I run or play soccer for exemple in the evening I get so excited after that I cant sleep...so I sleep at 1 or 2 h am which is very disturbing for the next day....

the feelings I get after excercise: something like being worn out, depleted, strange pressure on the forehead, chicks, lips, i little trembling, lighthead, foggy; also, when i can't sleep because i exercised earlier, i feel the same and in the morning i wake up like tired, drowsy and with a little depersonalisation/derealisation
I know it helps on the long run, and I think this is an equation with many other variables like good sleep, minerals and vitamins (which I take), relaxation, meditation, no coffee, no smoke (well, ocasionnally:)), less alcohol etc...
I don't take meds though...when my thing first happend (2005) i took meds for 6 months but after that i promised myself not to ever try that again...what do you think?

[northstar]

hi filotas, are you eating breakfast before you do all that exercise or do you wake up and start into it without eating anything?