Hyperventilation syndrome

 

Hyperventilation

Rapid deep breathing; Breathing - rapid and deep; Overbreathing; Fast deep breathing; Respiratory rate - rapid and deep; Hyperventilation syndrome; Panic attack - hyperventilation; Anxiety - hyperventilation

Hyperventilation is rapid and deep breathing. It is also called overbreathing, and it may leave you feeling breathless.

Considerations

You breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Excessive breathing creates a low level of carbon dioxide in your blood. This causes many of the symptoms of hyperventilation.

You may hyperventilate from an emotional cause such as during a panic attack. Or, it can be due to a medical problem, such as bleeding or infection.

Your health care provider will determine the cause of your hyperventilation. Rapid breathing may be a medical emergency and you need to get treated, unless you have had this before and your provider has told you that you can treat it on your own.

If you frequently overbreathe, you may have a medical problem called hyperventilation syndrome.

When you're overbreathing, you might not be aware you're breathing fast and deep. But you'll likely be aware of the other symptoms, including:

• Feeling lightheaded, dizzy, weak, or not able to think straight
• Feeling as if you can't catch your breath
• Chest pain or fast and pounding heartbeat
• Belching or bloating
• Dry mouth
• Muscle spasms in the hands and feet
• Numbness and tingling in the arms or around the mouth
• Problems sleeping

Causes

Emotional causes include:

• Anxiety and nervousness
• Panic attack
• Situations where there is a psychological advantage in having a sudden, dramatic illness (for example, somatization disorder)
• Stress

Medical causes include:

• Bleeding
• Heart problem such as heart failure or heart attack
• Drugs (such as an aspirin overdose)
• Infection such as pneumonia or sepsis
• Ketoacidosis and other medical conditions causing excess acid production in the body
• Lung disease such as asthma, COPD, or pulmonary embolism
• Pregnancy
• Severe pain
• Stimulant medicines