Intensive Exercise the ‘Best Way to Alleviate Symptoms of Chronic Anxiety Without Drugs or Therapy’

Exercising as hard as possible is the best way to relieve symptoms of chronic anxiety without medication or therapy, according to a new study.

Circuit training, which combines strength training and cardio, eases feelings of anxiety by decreasing muscle tension and increasing endorphins, scientists say.

All participants in the Swedish study showed improvement regardless of intensity.

But the likelihood of improvement in terms of anxiety symptoms increased more in people who exercised more.

Most of the participants in the treatment groups went from an initial level of moderate to high anxiety to a low level of anxiety after the 12-week circuit training.

The researchers studied 286 people, average age 39, with chronic anxiety and compared their results with a group given advice on physical activity in accordance with public health recommendations.

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For those who exercised at a relatively low intensity, the likelihood of improvement in anxiety symptoms increased by a factor of 3.62.

The corresponding factor for those who exercised at a higher intensity was 4.88.

Both treatment groups had 60-minute training sessions three times a week, under the guidance of a physical therapist.

Sessions included cardiovascular and strength training. A warm-up was followed by a 12-station circular workout for 45 minutes, and the sessions ended with a cool-down and stretching.

Members of the group exercising at a moderate level were intended to reach about 60 percent of their maximum heart rate, a degree of exertion rated as light or moderate.

In the group that trained most intensely, the goal was to reach 75 percent of maximum heart rate, and this degree of exertion was perceived as high.

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Malin Henriksson, a doctoral student at the University of Gothenberg in Sweden, said: “There was a trend of significant improvement in intensity, that is, the more intensely they exercised, the more their anxiety symptoms improved.”

Professor Maria Åberg added: “Primary care doctors need treatments that are individualised, have few side effects and are easy to prescribe.

“The 12-week model of physical training, regardless of intensity, represents an effective treatment that should be available in primary health care more frequently for people with anxiety problems.”

The findings were published in the Journal of affective disorders.

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