Hyperventilation is surprisingly common. What causes it, and how can you regain control during an episode? Guest expert Marisa Garau shares her success using mindfulness techniques.
Marisa Garau: "Hyperventilation is on the rise, fueled by increasing panic and anxiety attacks affecting 19.6% of the Dutch population. Traditional advice like breathing exercises or paper bags has been debunked by science as ineffective. So, what's the best way to manage it?"
What is hyperventilation?
During an attack, you breathe rapidly and shallowly. Normally, your lungs exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide. But stress or anxiety disrupts this, causing you to inhale too much oxygen and exhale too little CO2. This leads to hypocapnia, where excess acidity in your blood triggers faster breathing.
Common symptoms
The acidity itself isn't harmful, but the rapid breathing creates panic. I've experienced it myself—once during severe airplane turbulence and again atop a high climbing frame. My limbs shook uncontrollably, dizziness hit hard, and I feared passing out. My throat felt raw, and my chest seemed ready to explode.
Stress as the root cause
Hyperventilation strikes when you feel unsafe, whether from turbulence or heights (my personal trigger). I handle spiders just fine but turn to jelly on a beginner ski slope!
The emotional toll
These episodes feel like losing bodily control and suffocating, breeding fear of future attacks. You start avoiding triggers, trapping yourself in a cycle of anxiety that can flare without warning.
Why old remedies fall short
Breathing into a bag offers false reassurance without fixing the issue. And telling yourself to "just breathe slowly" amid pounding heart and sweat? Impractical, like saying "don't be scared" while dangling from a cliff.
Mindfulness: My reliable solution
As a mindfulness expert, I've found one effective approach that ended my attacks for good. It addresses fear and stress directly at the source.
1. Accept the fear
Fear escalates from resistance. Instead, acknowledge it mindfully: "I'm feeling scared right now, and that's okay."
2. Create space for it
Follow up with: "I fully allow this fear; it has all the room it needs." This releases tension and self-judgment. Fear isn't wrong—no one needs to condemn it, especially not you.
These steps interrupt the buildup to hyperventilation. Acceptance dissolves fear naturally, restoring calm breathing and normal function quickly.
Best wishes!
Marisa
Guest post by Marisa Garau
Marisa Garau is an author on mindfulness and creator of efficient online courses that skip lengthy meditations. Discover her step-by-step plan to conquer hyperventilation through mindfulness.
