Breathlessness by hyperventilation

Too much breathing

You feel that you are getting enough oxygen, the sweat you. The faster you breathe, the worse it gets. "I can not breathe, I'm choking, do you panic. Do you recognize this situation?Then you probably suffer from hyperventilation. Tension and stress are often the underlying cause. 

It is a very anxious feeling, the idea that you are going to suffocate because you have insufficient oxygen intake. Some people think a heart attack and thereby become even more panic. 

Non-hazardous

Yet a hyperventilation attack is not dangerous. Usually I'll be there in ten minutes from. But that is of course easy to say. Ten minutes seems like an eternity when you have such an attack.Here you can read in any case more hyperventilation about what is and what you can do.

If you literally translates hyperventilation, breathing is that too many "hyper" is too much and 'ventilation' is breathing. That is exactly what happens during a hyperventilation attack. Your breathing starts to race.

Breathing normally do without you thinking about it. You inhale oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Whatever you do, your breathing adapts. So you breathe calmly and slowly while you sleep, because you need less oxygen. If you exercise or other strenuous activity performed, you breathe faster. Then ask your body because more oxygen.

Annoying symptoms

With hyperventilation, something strange happens: you get faster and faster breath while you do not need extra oxygen. And then you'll soon suffer from all kinds of unpleasant symptoms:

• shortness of breath and tightness
• dizziness
• weak legs
• blurred vision
• sweat
• the idea that you are going to faint
• rapid heartbeat
• pain in the chest
• a dry mouth
• tingling in your arms and legs
• cramping

The culprit is usually a shortage of CO2. After all, you breathe out carbon dioxide at a furious pace. Too little CO2 causes the blood vessels to constrict and less blood goes to your brains.

It comes at a moment less oxygen to your organs and tissues.Recently been shown that people who have enough CO2, may also hyperventilate. In that respect, more research is needed into the exact cause of the complaints.

Chronic hyperventilation

In addition to the above-described attacks, there is also chronic.It can actually hyperventilate continuously, day and night. Usually you that do not even notice, because the symptoms are less severe than an acute attack .

But you do still suffer from vague symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, stabbing your chest, concentration problems and head and abdominal pain. It may take a while before the correct diagnosis is then made.

Cause: tensions

But what is the cause of this hurried breathing? The answer: stress, anxiety, stress, psychological stress and fatigue. If you are extremely tense, your body produces stress hormones such as adrenaline, to. As if you're preparing for a major effort so.Therefore you will breathe faster and increases your heart rate.With hyperventilation as a result.

Consider the following situations:

• Long wait in a stuffy room with many people as you can not stand.
• To a funeral or a hospital even though you find that scary.
• A period of tremendous stress, so you too long on your toes.
• An outburst of anger or panic attack.

Once you've had a hyperventilation attack, you're probably afraid this one more time to do. Precisely because of that fear increases the risk of hyperventilating will only increase.

And if the attacks are still under the same circumstances, this may also to a phobia for that particular place or situation worries.

First aid

It's hard when you're panicked, but eventually you literally catch your breath to find out. To slow to breathe, it is necessary to relax. You can do that by thinking with your breathing to count: three seconds to inhale, six seconds to exhale, and so forth.

Breathing into a bag can also help. If you hold your nose and mouth, you breathe the exhaled air again. Because the air is full of CO2, the worst symptoms usually disappear quickly. You can also form a shell with your hands and breathe it.

What further help is just hold your breath. Your breathing adapts itself over again. Or provide distraction by talking to someone.One can also sing. While talking and singing does not let you on your breathing.

Further treatment

If you frequently suffer from hyperventilation , it is wise to address the root causes to address. Maybe you're taking psychological help. It is certainly good to try to keep the situations you experience a panic attack.