HYPERVENTILATION

Breathing too rapidly or too deeply can cause hyperventilation, a physiological disorder that develops when too much carbon dioxide (CO2) is eliminated from the body. Without a sufficient quantity of CO2, normal respiration is disturbed, producing symptoms that resemble hypoxia.

If you are hyperventilating, you might experience drowsiness, tingling sensation in the fingers and toes, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, blurred vision and feelings of suffocation. In addition hyperventilation can produce a pale, clammy appearance and muscle spasms, in contrast to the cyanosis and limp muscles associated with hypoxia. If you lose too much CO2 from your body, you might lose consciousness as the respiratory system’s overriding mechanism takes control of your breathing. After you become unconscious, your breathing rate will be exceedingly low until the CO2 level in your blood increases enough to stimulate normal respiration.

Hyperventilation can be triggered by tension, fear or anxiety. Slowing your breathing rate, talking loud or breathing into a paper bag normally restores the body’s proper carbon dioxide level.