question regarding exercise...

[englishlad]

i began having panic/anxiety/ocd earlier this year and have had several physicals including 2 echocardiograms/stress test ect ect.(i thought i was having a heart attack)
everything checked out fine and am currently seeking thereapy for my ocd/anxiety..he has helped me and has gotten my anxiety down a bit..it use to be every single day..but now it comes n goes..i am only seeing a phycologist though and have considered changing to a phyciatrist. ..my main problem/obsession is health anxiety and i find myself obsessing over my health with alot of "what if" thinking...what if my heart has deteriorated since my last cardiologist appt. due to all the panic and anxietywhat if this, what if that..ect..i do take xanax  1 mg.once in a while if the anxiety/ocd gets unbarrable and it seems to help but it only feels like a band-aid over a broken bone..i find myself checking my pulse/blood pressure ,checking for pains ,freaking out of my heart skips a beat ect ect....
recently i was exercising(ive found it helps with anxiety when i run on my tredmill) and i got off and sat down to check my pulse..it seemed normal however i noticed that when i took deep breaths my heart rate would speed up and when i exhailed, it would slow down a bit but once i was done exhailing, it went back to its fast pace...i began freaking out thinking they were heart palpitations and irragular heart beats...i didnt feel any pain or anything like that, it just seemed odd and ive never really paid attention to it before but now i cant seem to stop worrying about it and a little voice in my head tells me maybe u should go back to the heart dr to make sure everything is ok...ok well...enough beating around the bush...my question is basically..."when you take deep breaths, is is normal for your heart to speed up and when you exhale, is it suppose to slow down.and then speed up again once u enhale...even after you exercise when your heart is beating fast?

i know this is probably more of a "heart" topic but i cant ever seem to be able to post  a question cuz it has a very limited question time...

i greatly appreciate this site very much...thank you for your time! =)your response is greatly appreciated..

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

yes, that is a totally normal  response, and is related to the fact that when you take a deep breath you change the blood flow into the heart temporarily, it happens ever cycle , every day, nothing to worry about.

[englishlad]

..."when you take deep breaths, is is normal for your heart to speed up and when you exhale, is it suppose to slow down.and then speed up again once u enhale...even after you exercise when your heart is beating fast?".....

sorry theres a typo....it should be IS IT normal...not "is is" normal....just thought id correct myself..sorry =)

[sunflower21]

I'm not sure if this is related to your situation, but I had a similar problem a while ago while jogging on the treadmill. I would have what felt like a heart palpitation or other times it felt like my heart was beating faster than normal. Once it was probably associated with having strong coffee just before exercising, the other times it must have been panic/anxiety from stress in my life because my doctor ruled out other factors.

[scaredycat1]

How do you get yourself motivated to get on the treadmill, I have difficulty just getting out of bed not to mention the fear that I will pass out from not being able to eat.  I have only been on my meds a little over a week so I keep going up and down and will do anything to move my recovery along quicker.

hope all of you are feeling better soon.

[englishlad]

well..its not easy...but i know that exercise always makes me feel better afterwards..so its just something i bite my lip at and just force myself to do it..i have considered medication..but then i go online and read about all the people that have complications with it and then i just say "no way"...
only time will tell rather or not i should go on it..some days i feel ok..and other days i obsess and cant shake off my scary thoughts =/

[LynnSB]

..."when you take deep breaths, is it normal for your heart to speed up and when you exhale, is it suppose to slow down.and then speed up again once u enhale...even after you exercise when your heart is beating fast?".....

It is BETTER than normal -- this is usually found in very healthy hearts in young people. I PROMISE!

see:
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/heartandblood/202816.html

[sunflower21]

I try to jog or at least take a walk at least 6 days a week no matter how I feel that day. Some days it's hard to get motivated but afterwards you always feel better. Its especially important if you're stressed, depressed or have anxiety issues.

[scaredycat1]

I have trouble just getting out of bed let alone exercising, although I know they say it will help, hopefully I will get to that point.  I actually was exercising last week, before I went back on my medicine hoping to "snap out of it"  but when it wasn't helping I began to panic as I have had that horrible feeling of extreme anxiety in the past and dread going back to it.  now I have gotten in such a hole it is taking longer to get out. I know that the meds take time and excersizing will only help so maybe tonight.

thanks for listening