June 2, 2026, 6:38 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Panic attacks can be triggered by many different factors. However, the exact cause often cannot be clearly determined. For those affected, it is often difficult to extricate themselves from the stressful situation in such moments. Researchers have now discovered what can help manage a panic attack. The method is likely to surprise many.
How the Study Was Conducted
The Brazilian study involved 102 untrained adults diagnosed with a panic disorder. Seventy-two completed the study with the full intervention program.1 A prerequisite for participation was that they had not taken any medication for their condition for at least twelve weeks. Before the start of the study, all participants underwent a cardiological examination to rule out potential health risks.
The participants were randomly divided into two groups: 37 people took part in an interval training program, while the remaining 35 participated in relaxation training. The latter performed progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson, completing three 45-minute sessions per week. All participants also received an identical placebo pill to simulate the clinical reality where patients often receive a combination of medication and therapy.
The goal of the sports group with interval training was to deliberately provoke physical symptoms similar to a panic attack—such as a racing heart or shortness of breath—through short, intense bursts of exertion. This approach, known as interoceptive exposure, aimed to help participants become accustomed to the symptoms.
After a five-minute warm-up and stretching program and a 15-minute walking phase, the actual training began. Participants then ran for another 30 minutes, incorporating short, 30-second sprints. The number of these sprints was increased every two weeks, from one sprint at the start to six sprints by the end of the training period. Between sprints, there were 4.5 minutes of walking. The session concluded with another 15-minute walking phase at a moderate pace without sprints. It is important to note that the training was supervised, and researchers monitored the intensity using heart rate monitors.
These Are the Results of the Two Groups
Researchers found that deliberately triggering panic-like symptoms through sprints—such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, or sweating—was more effective than relaxation training.
The severity of the disorder was measured using the “Panic and Agoraphobia Scale” (PAS), which ranges from 0 to 52 points. A score of 0 indicates the complete absence of symptoms, while higher scores indicate more severe symptoms.
The results were clear: After twelve weeks, the sports group was significantly less burdened than the relaxation group. The average PAS score in the sports group dropped to 14.9 points, while participants in the relaxation training averaged 23.1 points.
Particularly noteworthy was the sustainability of the training effects. In the sports group, the improvement persisted even months after the program ended. The average PAS score even slightly decreased further to 14.2 points. In contrast, the relaxation group showed a regression: After the training ended, the average score rose again to 24.7 points. This suggests that interval training had longer-lasting effects on managing anxiety symptoms than mere relaxation training.
The sports group also fared better in terms of the number of panic attacks. After 24 weeks, participants experienced an average of only 0.7 panic attacks during the respective measurement period. In the relaxation group, the value was more than twice as high at 1.5 panic attacks.
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What This Specifically Means
The results suggest that people with panic disorders can benefit from deliberately exposing themselves to the physical symptoms of their anxiety rather than avoiding them. Many affected individuals interpret a racing heart, shortness of breath, or dizziness as warning signs of an impending panic attack and therefore avoid situations where such sensations might occur.
This is precisely where interval training comes in: Participants repeatedly experienced these bodily signals under controlled conditions during exercise. This allowed them to learn that a fast heartbeat or shortness of breath is not automatically dangerous and does not necessarily trigger a panic attack.
In response to a FITBOOK inquiry, Ricardo William Muori, one of the study’s lead authors, explains that sprint intervals are not necessarily required. Other high-intensity training forms could theoretically achieve similar effects, provided they trigger strong physical reactions like a racing heart and shortness of breath. “Alternative formats such as classic high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or any dynamic sport that requires quick, explosive bursts of energy should theoretically trigger the same interoceptive learning process and achieve comparable clinical success,” Muori says.
More Than Just a Supplement to Therapy?
The study also suggests that targeted training could be more than just a supplement to treatment. The sports group not only showed greater improvements than the relaxation group but also maintained these improvements months after the program ended. Additionally, there are the known health benefits of regular exercise.
When asked whether movement-based exposure could primarily serve as a supplement to established treatments or, in some cases, as a standalone intervention, Muori points to the study’s results. According to him, the sprint-based protocol proved effective in physically inactive adults with moderate to severe panic disorder even without accompanying medication or psychotherapy. In the long term, the researcher sees the greatest potential in integrating it into existing treatment concepts. He also adds, “We believe its greatest potential lies in being integrated as a structural exposure component into broader CBT approaches (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ed. note) or stepped care models,” Muori says.
However, the study’s results are promising but also have limitations. The researchers did not compare interval training with cognitive behavioral therapy, which is considered the standard treatment for panic disorders, but only with a relaxation method. Additionally, the study was relatively small, with 72 participants, and included only untrained adults. Whether the results can be transferred to other patient groups requires further investigation.