Hold That Breath

Breathing should be the most natural thing in the world but some of us have a tendency to overdo it!

Our lives are stressful and breathing is one of the vital functions that stress disrupts. In high pressure situations the body’s fight or flight response makes us breathe faster.  This mechanism was designed for emergency or short-term use. It gives us the energy and extra strength we need when we have to run faster, fight harder or stay awake longer. However, today our stressors tend to be sedentary and ongoing: money worries, relationship issues, traffic hassles. When we’re sitting at the office, stressed out about our workload, we do not need additional breathing, we’re not fighting or running from anyone but our fight or flight response is making us breathe more.  More than we need, in fact. For many of us this fight or flight response is stuck on “on” and we are wired for action and breathing fast much of the time.

Over-breathing on an ongoing basis is called chronic hyperventilation. It has been recognized in the medical literature and given a name – Hyperventilation Syndrome.  An estimated 10 percent of the population suffers from it to some degree. You may not know you have chronic hyperventilation because the signs can be subtle and mimic other disorders, but symptoms include:
Frequent deep sighs and/or yawns
Feeling like you cannot get your breath or take a deep breath
Dizziness, feeling spaced out, brain fog
Chest pain or chest tightness
Palpitations, racing heart
Tingling or numb lips and/or arm(s)
Tiredness, weakness, poor exercise tolerance
High anxiety and phobias, panic attacks, broken sleep
Achy muscles or joints

These symptoms occur as a result of inadequate carbon dioxide in the blood and poor oxygen delivery to the brain tissues. When you hyperventilate you blow off too much carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is an important chemical compound and we need a certain level of it in our blood and air sacs for our bodies to function properly. Low levels cause the blood vessels and airways to constrict. This can result in asthma symptoms for those who are susceptible, and less blood getting to vital organs and tissues. Carbon dioxide also regulates how much oxygen is released to the tissues. If we have low levels of carbon dioxide then hemoglobin hangs onto its oxygen molecules and does not release them as readily to the brain and other oxygen-hungry organs and tissues. So we get less blood delivering less oxygen.  These effects, along with biochemical changes that occur within cells, cause the disturbing symptoms experienced by people with Hyperventilation Syndrome.

If you think you might have a problem with your breathing, or you experience any of these chronic hyperventilation symptoms, you should discuss it with your doctor or other health professional with a specialist knowledge of breathing problems. Treatment involves learning to reduce your breathing volume and regain a healthy breathing pattern. It might take 6 or more weeks of daily practice if you have had symptoms for a long time, but the reward will be no more frightening symptoms, better tissue oxygenation and better health overall.

Normal breathing should be undetectable at rest and during quiet activities. If you can see or hear your breathing you are breathing too much. The Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu said, “Perfect man breathes as if he is not breathing.”  This is a hint to all of us to slow down and breathe less for better health.

About the Author: Brenda Stimpson is the President of Breathingwise Inc., a clinic in Pasadena that assists people with hyperventilation syndrome and other breathing problems. She has a physiotherapy degree and has worked as a specialist respiratory physiotherapist in hospitals in New Zealand and England before moving to the United States.   For more see www.breathingwise.com