If you're prone to panic attacks, suddenly running as fast as you possibly can might not be the worst idea. Outside reports that a new study suggests short bursts of intense exercise—like 30-second sprints mixed into brisk walking—can reduce both the frequency and severity of attacks. Published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, the 12-week trial followed 72 sedentary adults with panic disorder. While both the exercise group and a group doing relaxation techniques improved, those doing high-intensity intervals saw greater gains and fewer attacks, even months later. Researchers say the approach, known as interoceptive exposure, works by triggering the same sensations people fear—like a racing heart or shortness of breath—so they become less alarming over time, per Psychology Today.
"When you exercise hard, these are the same feelings as a panic attack," study researcher Richard William Muotri tells Outside. That overlap helps explain why the approach may work. Panic attacks often feel like a medical emergency, with symptoms like a racing heart, dizziness, and difficulty breathing fueling fears of something more serious. That, in turn, can trigger a cycle of anxiety, where the body's normal stress response is interpreted as something dangerous. Interoceptive exposure aims to break that loop by helping people experience those sensations in a safe, controlled way, gradually retraining how the brain responds to them.
Still, experts caution against taking the idea too literally. Sprinting in the middle of a panic attack isn't the goal, says psychiatrist Daniel Knoepflmacher. Instead, the approach works best when built into a regular routine and paired with guidance from a therapist, often alongside cognitive behavioral therapy.
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