Are there any other treatments for anxiety symptoms?

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    Last Updated: January 6, 2025

    Some evidence shows that meditation can reduce anxiety symptoms,[1] performing better than no intervention or sham interventions in people without diagnosed anxiety disorders, and comparably to other active therapies among people with diagnosed anxiety disorders.[2]

    Exercise, particularly high-intensity aerobic exercise and resistance training, may be effective for improving anxiety symptoms.[3][4] In one 2008 meta-analysis that compared exercise’s effectiveness at reducing symptoms of anxiety to that of other interventions, exercise was as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy; better than mindfulness interventions, stretching, and other therapy; and slightly less effective than pharmacotherapy.[5]

    Music may help reduce medical anxiety; hypnosis has also been studied for medical and dental anxiety, but more research is needed.[6]

    Additionally, binaural beats have been studied for anxiety symptoms and seem to provide modest benefits.[7][8]