Human bodies are complicated pieces of machinery and many things happen when you hyperventilate. In a nutshell, you start to breath extremely fast when hyperventilating and you begin to suck in more oxygen than the body really needs.
Stress and anxiety are normally two of the primary factors that contribute to hyperventilation. Whenever you are in a very stressful situation, your body might respond by increasing its air intake. If you are getting ready to do something that makes you extremely nervous, like giving a big speech in front of thousands of people, your body could respond this way.
When it comes to a panic attack, rapid breathing and butterflies in the stomach are just a few things that might appear. Victims' breathing becomes more and more rapid and that often leads to dizziness or possibly a fainting spell.
Ultimately, hyperventilating causes an imbalance between the body's oxygen level and carbon dioxide level. In the past, a technique called "rebreathing" was used by giving someone in this situation a brown paper bag.
By breathing into the paper bag, you are supposedly reintroducing more carbon dioxide back into your system and this will hopefully help to eventually bring things back to normal. However, many experts warn against this method because people may try to self-diagnose and could be having a heart attack or some other medical emergency beyond just hyperventilation.
You can often help someone who is hyperventilating by getting them to count between breaths while trying to slow down their breathing. It's a good idea to calmly talk with them and try to get them to relax.
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