Why does exercise make me anxious?

[shunderi]

This has been happening for the last few years, or at least this is when I have been noticing it. Whenever I start exercising, there seems to be an imbalance of my brain chemistry, I get severe anxiety, I feel angry and become resentful very easily, physical symptoms include upset stomach, to lack of sleep and restlessness, severe mood swings, panic attacks (but this is also a separate issue), regardless of all the various different techniques I have used to solve them; I have tried everything from eating well with 5-8 pieces of fruit and veg a day, drinking plenty of water and herbal tea -avoiding caffeine after 4pm, I have tried plenty of relaxation exercises and have even reduced how much exercise I do, even a 30 minute exercise seems to make me vulnerable to these anxiety attacks, because whenever I have stopped exercise altogether for any length of time, lets say, a whole week, I feel so much more rested, happier and able to cope with everyday life, I sleep better and dont worry as much. I have been tested for diabetes and thyroid problems, docs think I'm crazy so I have resigned myself to the idea that I cannot get fit because these symptoms reduce the quality of my life, it's like having a disability but only if I exercise. Does anyone else experience this or know of any websites, links or articles I could read which may shed some light on this?

[Venus Calling]

I'm sure I read somewhere that you should take very gentle exercise and not the vigorous type. You could do Yoga which is calming but keeps you fit.

[kendo59]

Possibly something to do with the release of adrenaline & raised blood pressure when you exercise, that mimics a stress/anxiety attack (research SSRI - how the Selective Seratonin Re-uptake Inhibitors work).

What exact type of exercise do you find affects you the worst? high-impact cardio-vascular workouts? aerobics, running, weight training?

Have you tried different 'gentler' forms of exercise? ie, pilates, tai-chi, swimming?

[Nechtan]

Hi shunderi,

I don't know what kind of shape you are in but I always get this because I am so out of shape. I've been agrophobic so long that physically it has left it's mark. Now I find going out is as much a battle to get over the physical problems as the mental ones. Strenuous exercise does bring about symptoms similar to panic so it's possibly that mental link that makes it happen.

All the best

Nechtan

[sunnydays]

I too am agrophobic and just walking outside brings on panic symptoms. If I have to rush to do things then I panic even more and hyperventilate. Exercise is out of the question. Just walking is enough to set the panic off.

love
Sunny

[leonardomonkey]

Same thing happened to me today, i was playing swing ball and felt great but once i stopped playing went straight back to chest pains etc etc.

[shunderi]

Thanks for your comments guys, to some of your queries/questions here are my responses;
- I have tried lots of gentle kind of exercises, the stepper for instance is very gentle fat burning exercise, I have also tried to really cut down on how much of it I do, 30 minutes a go three times a week is hardly strenuous, but then the symptoms aren't so severe, basically, this is consistent with the fact that the less I do and the less strenuous it is, the lesser the symptoms, the issue is trying to identify the rout cause of this.
- I am also not too overweight, possible around 9 stones, which is slightly over-weight but not overly, my height is about 5ft2.5inches. I am relatively fit in the sense that I have always tried to incorporate exercise in my life, even though there may be lapses or short periods when I get out of practise.

I have been keeping a diary each week on my physical and mental responses, gradually as I am getting fitter, especially now that I have swapped a local authority gym for a private gym which offes lots of different classes and makes it much more fun. So, you can say, this is week 1 and here are some of the symptoms after 3 sessions, which have lasted no more than 30mins-1hr, with a mixture of strenuous and gengle exercise;
- By 9pm in the evenings, I feel very angry, my thoughts keep running away with worries about people, work, personal family stuff..... I often catch myself telling myself to stop thinking otherwise I'll get no sleep! But then I keep doing it. I get angry and more frustrated and very short....work is a nightmare the next morning, I feel like a lorry has hit me, but then this feeling is only counteracted with a minimum of 2 two cups of coffee the next morning, by mid morning I start feeling sane again, but I also get very paranoid about people...this causes me to feel very stressed about work when actually the day has really quite a stress free day....I had to speak to my boss about a difficult issue, just before I saw him, I had a small panic attack, even though my boss is extremely nice, I thought to myself, this is rediculous get me out of here!
So, as you can see, my emotions, my thought patterns, anxities etc, exercise makes me experience something which I am already susceptible to, to an even extreme level.
Kendo 59 mentioned "release of adrenaline & raised blood pressure when you exercise, that mimics a stress/anxiety attack" which I am aware of, what I think is that exercise is just a precurser to something else making me this way. I have never been the same since coming off anti-depressants (which I was on for 8 years and honestly did no good!) and beleive achemistry inbalance in my brain may be causing this, I can't think of any other links, exercise never used to have this sort of affect on me.

S.

[Nechtan]

I got some great advice from Ronski which is much appreciated and has definitely helped. My physycal condition is not good and I found even going for walks lately I'd physically tire before I got agrophobia and this would cause me anxiety when I sat down to rest after. It would appear I have been pushing myself a bit too much for the condition I am in.

So as advised I've been taking a short walk each day and will start next week, after 2 weeks of this, to start extending my walks slowly. Just to give my body time to get used to exercise again without pushing it too much.

I can only suggest trying the same with your exercise. Even if you feel you can do more then don't. Just do some light exercise well within your capabilities that does not get you anxious, keep to that routine for a couple of weeks and then slowly build it up. Hopefully this will help.

All the best

Nechtan

[milly jones]

could i just mention at 5'2'', 9 stone is not overweight hun

[shunderi]

Thank you for your comments.
It's a little frustrating that I can't seem to identify what is causing my symptoms, however, on a good note, I have found that using valerium in a liquid form, mixed with a little water, half an hour before bedtime has a calming effect on my nerves. It's not the answer to my panic attacks for when I have those - but it works better than anything I have tried to help me sleep better so I feel calmer and slightly better rested the next morning. The day I have to give up exercising will be a sad day, because without it I know I will become very overweight indeed, it also helps me to manage some of my depression so is a lot to give up, that's why I will contintue to try and find why exercise makes me so anxious. Someone must have an answer out there.

S

[lope]

i am 39. exercise started making me nervous around 26 yrs old. doctors have told me that exercise should relax me. when i do any sort of exercise life becomes miserable. i can work around the house just fine, but cardio and strength training make me a nervous wreck. its a mystery to me.

[Dazza123]

When I used to go to the Gym it was the blood pumping and increased heart rate that got me, I could feel my heart beating really quickly and it gave me a panic attack, which is silly because all I was doing strengthening my heart through exercise and it pumps faster to take oxygenated blood to the parts of your body that need it quickly when exercising. We are funny little things aren't we :)

[HKSharon]

Same thing used to happen to me too. However I love Thai boxing and stuck to it and over time I don't get anxious from it and feel so relaxed:)