While relaxation techniques are often recommended for panic disorder, leaning into those intense physical sensations through exercise may be the superior treatment.<\/p>\n
A study published Feb. 8 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry<\/a> found that brief, intermittent bouts of high-intensity exercise were significantly more effective at reducing the severity and frequency of panic attacks than standard relaxation techniques.\u00a0<\/p>\n The researchers, from the University of Sao Paulo Medical School in Brazil, say this approach appears to work by helping patients build a tolerance to the very symptoms that trigger their fear.<\/p>\n For people living with panic disorder, the sensation of a racing heart or shortness of breath can feel like a life-threatening emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n These frequent and unexpected panic attacks<\/a> affect roughly 2.7% of the U.S. population, often making daily life feel like a minefield of potential triggers.<\/p>\n The current gold standard for treatment of the disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which uses a technique called interoceptive exposure<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n This involves intentionally triggering physical symptoms \u2014 like a racing heart \u2014 in a controlled environment to show the brain they are harmless.<\/p>\n Traditionally, therapists have used artificial methods like having patients spin in a chair or breathe rapidly to trigger symptoms.<\/p>\n However, this study suggests that a 12-week program of intense exercise is a more natural and effective way to achieve the same goal of triggering panic-like symptoms and re-setting the brain to view them as not harmful.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHere we show that a 12-week program of brief intense intermittent exercise can be used as an interoceptive exposure strategy to treat panic disorder patients,\u201d lead author Ricardo William Muotri<\/a> said in a news release. He\u2019s with the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of S o Paulo.<\/p>\n For the trial, 102 adults were split into two groups. One group practiced progressive muscle relaxation (deep breathing followed by tensing and relaxing muscle groups), while the other engaged in exercise sessions consisting of 15 minutes of walking followed by several 30-second high-intensity sprints, recovery periods and then walking at the end of each session.\u00a0<\/p>\n None were taking medications for panic disorder.<\/p>\n