Causes

Hyperventilation is usually caused by anxiety, but injury or illness can also be the cause. Hyperventilation may also be linked to emotional problems, such as a panic attack. A panic attack is a brief period of intense fear or discomfort in which symptoms such as dizziness, sweating, or palpitations occur.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of hyperventilation are:

• Rapid breathing
• Difficulty getting a deep, satisfying breath
• Lightheadedness
• Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet and around the mouth
• Muscle twitching
• Convulsions or fainting

First Aid

Slowing down the breathing will restore the normal balance in the blood, and the symptoms should disappear. If you are unable to calm the person and slow his or her breathing, or if the person faints, bring the person to the nearest hospital or call 911.

Breathing rate can be slowed by following these steps:

• Tell the person to close his or her mouth.
• While the person holds his or her breath, silently count “one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand.”
• Allow the person to take a shallow breath (mouth still closed).
• Repeat counting and shallow breathing until symptoms disappear. Within several moments, the symptoms should begin to disappear.