What does hyperventilation mean?
This is a condition in which you breathe out more than you breathe in. During this process, a person breathes quickly and deeply.
The following symptoms appear:
- Weakness, dizziness;
- Impaired ability to concentrate;
- Shortness of breath;
- Chest pain;
- Rapid heartbeat;
- Dry mouth;
- Headache;
- Numbness and tingling around the face or in the arms;
- Muscle spasms in the limbs.
Hyperventilation is triggered by the following psychological factors:
- Fear, phobia;
- Anxiety;
- Panic attack;
- Stress.
Hyperventilation is triggered by the following physical factors:
- Bleeding;
- Lung disease;
- Asthma;
- Heart failure;
- Heart attack;
- Traumatic brain injury;
- Pneumonia;
- Sepsis;
- Metabolic acidosis;
- Diabetic ketoacidosis;
- Pregnancy;
- Acute pain;
- High altitude.
In a large percentage of clinical cases, hyperventilation caused by stress or anxiety is usually not dangerous.
Although rare, severe hyperventilation can cause a person to lose consciousness, which in itself increases the risk of falls and injury.
If hyperventilation is caused by a physical factor, that is, it develops due to trauma or illness, it can be dangerous and requires urgent medical intervention (in such cases, the cause must be identified and managed).
Source:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/hyperventilation
