Breathing for panic attacks: hyperventilation to balance

Common Side-effect of Panic Attacks

Most of people who ever suffered from panic attacks experienced the condition of breathing too much during the process. Namely, when the panic attack strikes, people tend to hyperventilate, breathing in and out faster than usually, inhaling more air than they need. The question is whether this action is good for them or not. The following article will discuss the connection between the two actions and will try to establish is beneficial for one, or does it merely cause more harm.

Hyperventilation and Panic Attacks

First of all, hyperventilation tends to make one's arteries thicker, thus reducing the distribution of both oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the organism. This is bad, since one's system cannot function without a regular exchange between the two gases we breathe with. Moreover, once our brain senses the lack of oxygen, it sends out sensations of panic and fear of dying, making all the symptoms of the panic attack even worse. The worst case scenario involves passing out due to prolonged hyperventilation, thus causing the panic attack to be a secondary problem. Therefore, rather than breathing rapidly and more than you should, once under a panic attack, try to breathe calmly and regularly since irregular breathing may be the cause of panic attacks all by itself.

However, sometimes, we need to hyperventilate. While doing some hard physical activity like sports and exercises, you are advised to breath more than you usually do since your body produces more carbon dioxide in the first place. Also, while bleeding heavily, all medical staff will probably advise you to breathe as much as you can. Finally, some medical conditions or diseases may need you to hyperventilate as well. However, panic attacks are sure not one of these conditions.

What Should Be Done, Then?

Even though, the main purpose of breathing is expelling carbon dioxide and exchanging it for oxygen, the first element is not completely useless for our organism. Rather, carbon dioxide has its own purposes in our blood, enhancing numerous bodily functions. Therefore, we need both of these elements in our system. Thus, there is no need for hyperventilation without any necessity. On the other hand, no breathing at all will not help you feel better during your panic attacks. Even though you might feel like you have no air at all, you need to stay calm and ensure yourself that it is best to breathe calmly and evenly. By doing this, you will surely make your brain's job much easier and thus stop the panic attack more quickly.