HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Hyperventilation
Kakapa hākina
Hyperventilation is breathing more than your body needs. It's fast, deep, over-breathing and is commonly caused by extreme anxiety. Hyperventilation is common during a panic attack. While it's frightening, it is not usually dangerous.
How to tell if someone is hyperventilating
Hyperventilation can cause someone to:
- breathe more deeply and much more quickly than normal
- have difficulty getting breath
- feel dizzy or faint
- have a tightness in their chest
- be trembling and sweating
- have a fast heart rate.
Helping someone who is hyperventilating
- Be calm and reassuring – let them know it is not dangerous.
- If possible, take them away from the situation that is distressing them to somewhere quiet. If it is not possible, ask anyone nearby to leave or turn away.
- Try to sit them down.
- Ask them to breathe in and out slowly.
- If they're feeling dizzy or faint, breathing into a paper bag or into hands cupped over their mouth and nose can help them to recover more quickly.
- If their breathing doesn't improve, call 111 for an ambulance.
Once they have stopped hyperventilating, encourage them to see their doctor to discuss the panic attack and what they can do to prevent or control any future attacks.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed December 2022.
Sources
Review key: HIFAD-141030
