Breathing Techniques For Panic Attacks

Learning some good breathing techniques helps you to reduce that light headed feeling. Getting your breathing under control is the key to gaining control during panic attacks. Over breathing, or hyperventilation makes the intensity of the panic attack worse. It is both a symptom and a cause of the panic attack so it's important to address it.

By changing your breathing pattern, you can start the body’s calming mechanism known as the parasympathetic response. This calming system will slow down your breathing, the tension in your body will be released, and your heart rate will return to normal.

Many people who suffer from panic attacks tend to over breathe even when they are not experiencing a panic attack. It is important to first realize that hyperventilating is just giving you too much oxygen. Because you are putting it into your body so fast, your body doesn't have enough carbon dioxide to counteract it. Because of this the body can't use all the oxygen which makes you feel short of air.

If during a panic attack you feel light headed, dizzy and giddy, short of breath and numb in your extremities with a tight chest and a thumping heart, then you are hyperventilating. You may also have clammy hands, a dry mouth and feel as if you are breaking into a sweat. You could be shivering and feel weak all over. You may want to sit down.

Breathing evenly and regularly will dissipate the problem. There are several easy methods to help you do this.

1. Find a paper bag and breathe in and out into it. This means you get a bigger dose of carbon dioxide to compensate for the excess oxygen.

2. Stop breathing. Or rather hold onto the last breath you took and let the oxygen in your body move to the place it should be. If you can do this once or twice for ten to fifteen seconds it should remove the problem.

3. Go for a run. Make your heart rate go up and you’ll be using up all that adrenaline too. Regular exercise also helps you to reduce stress levels over all.
Panic attacks are experienced by a huge range of people from all walks of life. However they don’t need to be a life sentence and are treatable. Learning to manage that first onset of panic will help free you and help you get your control back.

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