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Many people become trapped in vicious circle overbreathing behavior.  They may misinterpret their symptoms as verification of their misconceptions about breathing in general, and especially of their suspicions, expectations, and beliefs about their own breathing and its consequences.  The misconceived solution of faster and/or deeper breathing leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy and a worsening of symptoms, emotions, and deficits.  People are often resolute about their “underbreathing,” for example, based on convincing personal evidence: breathlessness, chest tightness, dizziness, and overall struggle to breathe. 


This kind of deregulated pattern may result in episodic crises which may require immediate short-term management:

● Exhale completely, but not forcibly. 
● Extend the transition times from exhale to inhale.
● Breathe with your diaphragm, if possible.
● Breathe slowly, but NOT deeply.
● Breathe through your nose.
● Breathe gently and as quietly as possible.
● Stop negative thoughts about your breathing.
● Think embracing thoughts about people, circumstances, and events.

● Translate anxiety into excitement.
● Use earplugs, and listen to your breathing.  Make it absolutely as quiet as possible.
● Walk hard, or do other exercise, to create additional amounts of CO2.
● Do the above with a paper bag, if desired.

    NOTE: Do NOT use a paper bag if O2 content is below normal, e.g., anemia.

 

The following revealing anecdote serves to illustrate the origin of vicious circle overbreathing behavior.

 

An interested listener during an informal discussion, aggressively argued that he was “underbreathing,” and that the brain scans from his physician to prove it!  An immediate and dramatic outcome of hypocapnia, of course, is reduced blood flow to the brain, and is in fact, an emergency procedure for reducing bleeding and swelling for head trauma.  Based on these scans, he was so convinced about their interpretation, that he had been practicing deep breathing while performing heavy equipment operations and preparing for renewal of his state licensure

 

Copyrighted by Behavioral Physiology Institute, Boulder, Colorado USA