Simple breathing exercises can be effective in reducing some of the frightening symptoms of hyperventilation during a panic attack.
Learning to control breathing patterns can be a powerful tool in the process of overcoming anxiety attacks. When a person feels frightened or anxious, he naturally tends to take rapid and shallow breaths. This manner of breathing can lead to hyperventilation, which often brings on a myriad of uncomfortable sensations: rapid heartbeat, lightheadedness, numbness or tingling in the mouth, hands or feet, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, muscle tremors or shaking, and a number of other complaints. These symptoms can appear rapidly, and contribute to the vicious circle of the panic attack. As the person begins to hyperventilate, the physical manifestations resulting from ineffective breathing patterns quickly surface, which can heighten the sense of fear, and consequently the symptoms become more intense.
During hyperventilation, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the body are thrown off-kilter. By practicing breathing retraining exercises even when not feeling particularly anxious, the agoraphobic can learn to call upon his healthy breathing techniques when panic does strike, thereby reducing or eliminating many of the more troublesome physical components of an anxiety attack. The lessening of anxiety symptoms that results when the agoraphobic is able to stop hyperventilation leaves him feeling more in control of his body and better able to overcome panic.
To learn a simple breathing exercise, follow these steps:
-Breathe in deeply and slowly through the nose, allowing your lungs to fill with air from the lower part of the chest on up.
-Exhale slowly through the mouth, while concentrating on relaxing your facial and shoulder muscles.
-Continue to focus on moving air in and out of the lungs in a calm, slow, rhythmic pattern.
Once a healthy breathing pattern has resumed, the physical effects of panic should lessen. After repeating his calming breaths for a few minutes, the agoraphobic usually experiences a decrease in heart rate and a lowering of blood pressure. Muscle tension is reduced, and the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood is restored to more normal levels. Many recovered agoraphobics have mentioned that keeping hyperventilation in check was an important step in the battle against anxiety attacks.
