Panic attacks and exercise

Hello,

Usually I just do yoga and I have dance classes (tango and moulain rouge kind of dance)...yesterday I decided to do some cardio exercise so I did a thay boxing class, (I prefer class with more movement i just do yoga to try to relax), and I want to lose some weight. In the begining of class we jump with the rope, and after we run around the room, then we start with the boxing and kicking. I sweated a lot and during the rope and runing I hyperventilate, but then I was fine I stay until the end. The problem was 10 minutes after class, I felt very very dizzy, and my blood pressure was low, usually is 9 -12,8, 13...and after class was 7-10, I stay like this for a few hours, I eat sugar and eat salty things, I took a xanax because I start feeling panic and I was thinking I was going to faint or my heart was going to stop beating, I also used aromatherapy...I panic and hyperventilate...and this week I have been fine almost everyday, I even stop hyperventilating.
This also happend to you when you exercise?
Maybe I did to much exercise and I'm not use to it?
Many times I get breathless only by walking, I get tired very quick, I even get breathless when I clean the house...
When I try to do the cardio machines in the gym, I can only do it for 5 minutes...

Do you think cardio exercises helps with panic or it gets worse...my doctor always told me to go to the gym...and she also recomended swiming.

What is your opinion regarding panic attacks and exercise?

regards
:flowers:

Hi. Sounds like you have tried to do too much too soon. It's great to exercise and it really does help to overcome the panic - endorphins are released that are the body's natural "happy drug".
Perhaps your blood sugar was too low. Try to eat an hour before exercise and take a sweet bar with you. Also drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and light-headedness.
You can skip rope and run at home. Perhaps do this for a while before rejoining the class?

After not having ANY panic attacks for literally years and years, they finally returned when I was 48 years old (I'm 52 now) -- right after I completed an olympic-style deadlift. To this day, I have no idea what the connection was/is, and after having a few more heavy weight-lifting incidents with panic, I stopped lifting heavy weights.

I THINK that my brain may mis-interpret the after effects of a heavy lift: rapid rise in blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.

So now I focus more on cardio type of exercises exclusively.

I hope you like the boxing workouts. I have boxing gym equipment in my own gym here and enjoy it. If you ever get a chance, try working on the speed bag. Doesn't look like much when you watch someone else hitting that bag . . . but you'll soon find out why they're sweating so profusely!