Panick Attacks and running

I'm not a fan of running. It will ruin you as you age. However, exercise for panic is great. Weight training, resistance training, is wonderful. It is better than drugs. QiGong is also good.

Absolutely the worst idea to do physical exercise during panic/anxiety attacks. There is already a huge quantity of adrenaline in your body and you don't want more (even those types of adrenaline are different). You don't want more excitation. Generally speaking at that point you need lack of oxygen until passes and not a surplus. That's a fact.
What you do after that is a completely different story.

Edit: ^^ this is definitely right with needing lack of oxygen (not excess)

Exercise during a panic attack actually would be a good idea. Hyperventilation during a panic attack has NOTHING to do with lack of oxygen, but actually a lack of carbon dioxide in your system. When you start hyperventilating, you're expelling more carbon dioxide than your body can produce and it's the lack of carbon dioxide that makes you feel dizzy, numb, tingly, etc.

The huge amounts of endorphins (adrenaline) being released during a panic attack is also what will increase your panic attack symptoms, so by exercising you can calm your body and your hormones down, as well as actually increasing the carbon dioxide in your body from the exercise, making your breathing go back to normal.

As for doing it in the middle of the night, exercise does release a lot of endorphins and will raise your energy levels (although for how long varies from person to person) so you may have even more trouble falling asleep after exercising. I know that after I exercise I'm wide-awake for hours to come. You can try doing it in the middle of the night and see how it fares for you, it might work wonders! Your doctor is definitely on the right track with the exercising, so definitely give it a try.

*side note: I also suffer from asthma and I've had panic attacks in the past and unless I get up and do something physical, I focus too much on how I "can't breathe" and the panic attack gets worse. And since I've started running, I haven't used a puffer in almost 8 months! Before, I couldn't go half a day without it, so I also speak from personal experience

And, my diet. I cut out coffee and other caffeine sources and noticed an immediate difference.
Eating well seemed to help also.

In my case, the more vigorous the exercise, the less anxiety attacks I had.
The single best exercise I found for anxiety? Boxing fitness.

These are my experiences only. Maybe you can find the workouts that work best for you,and modify your diet if their are things in it that promote excitability (like caffeine).

Good luck! Many of us have been there!

OMG, I actually had an anxiety attack when my counselor recommended I try that as well as the exercises she was teaching me.

Well, I flat out REFUSED to give up my caffeine completely (I am a self-made barista who loves her mochas), but I cut back from multiple quad mocha's a day to one (maybe two) doubles a day. I also completely cut out the energy drinks I would guzzle when I couldn't have a mocha (sometimes even when I did). *** WOW - Now that I'm typing this, I did partake in way too much dang caffeine. ***

Well, to get back to the subject, this helped immensely. I still had some daily attacks, but they were not as strong or often. Eventually I did get on some meds temporarily, but just to help me get centered again so that I can make lifestyle choices that will prevent the anxiety, including exercise.

I am not a runner, have too may foot problems, but I do find a fast walk if or a heavy cardio workout when I'm feeling anxious or stressed really does help.

I am not a doctor or a nurse, only know what my doctor and different health professionals have advised works. We all must consult our own experts -- our bodies -- and then decide what works.

Periods of anxiety attacks in my own life.
Things that helped immensely:
Yoga
Meditation
Running
Exercise in general

And, my diet. I cut out coffee and other caffeine sources and noticed an immediate difference.
Eating well seemed to help also.

In my case, the more vigorous the exercise, the less anxiety attacks I had.
The single best exercise I found for anxiety? Boxing fitness.

These are my experiences only. Maybe you can find the workouts that work best for you,and modify your diet if their are things in it that promote excitability (like caffeine).

Good luck! Many of us have been there!

This!! I have cut out caffeine too, was the best decision I made next to exercise for panic attacks!

oh yes and i agree on cutting out caffeine. sorry, but that has been a big key for me, too. cutting out caffeine has helped me sleep so much better (i suffered from insomnia almost my entire life) and now that i exercise and don't drink any caffeine (NONE!) i sleep soundly 8 hours per night. HUGE difference from the 3 or 4 i used to get, and that was on a good night.

oh and I agree about with all the caffeine posts. I am a full on decaf girl. I go half-calf when I feel a bit wild..lol I drink hot tea in the evening and it's even decaf!

I use exercise to relieve my stress to prevent panic attacks, although I had one the other night when I had a particularly rough day and not enough time to get to the gym. But I couldn't imagine trying to run during one, I typically like to curl up in a ball on my bed lol.

IMO, your Dr wants you to try to use exercise when the panic attacks/anxiety are coming on... as a way to try to help avoid a full blown attack... that's what the medications are supposed to do after all... and I can tell you that not only does it help when exercise is used this way... it helps over all knowing I have tools to use to help control my anxiety, if I can get moving when I first feel it coming on I know I can avoid it.