POMC and Anxiety: Regular PA has been referred to as a factor that increases vagal tone [24] and may play a role in stress and anxiety regulation, as it promotes physiological changes and adaptations in the body, influencing the sympathetic nervous system and the reactivity of the HPA axis by altering the release of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) from the hypothalamus and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the anterior pituitary, modulating stress and anxiety reactivity in humans [49].