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Symptoms of
hyperventilation syndrome
“Hyper” - means “too
much” in Latin and “ventilation” - means breathing.
Hyperventilation is chronic overbreathing in excess of metabolic
requirements, which leads to symptomatic loss of carbon dioxide and
activates the body’s defence mechanisms.
Symptoms are: irritability, tiredness, lack of concentration,
loss of sleep, anxiety, panic attacks (acute on chronic hyper-
ventilation), eating disorders, being under or overweight,
breathlessness, an irritable cough, palpitations, indigestion,
muscle aches, pins and needles in lips or fingers, cold or clammy
hands and feet, frigidity, impotence, premature ejaculation and many
others, too many to list them all.
There are
many factors that can make you habitually breathe too much. One of them
is the popular idea that breathing more than you need is good for you,
although there is no scientific basis for this notion. Eating too much,
not
exercising enough and keeping too warm can also make you breathe too
much. But the one we all know to be the cause of many diseases is
chronic stress. And this is how it works:
The body
sometimes deliberately produces a shortage of carbon dioxide. It does so
as part of a process designed to deal with a physical threat to life
known as the fight or flight response. A chain of biological changes
comes about as we are faced with a life threatening situation. These are
intended to enhance our chances of survival. All stresses we face,
including pleasant ones, elicit this response to some extent. We are
familiar with the sweaty palms, pounding heart, rapid breathing and
heightened nervous activity whether before an exam, a romantic encounter
or from seeing moving shadows in a dark alley. These effects are very
real and are well understood by doctors.
They
cause no harm provided the stress is properly discharged and it is short
lived. But today we face new kinds of stresses for which we were not
designed. If the stress lasts for a long time, then biochemical changes
take place inside the body that makes breathing too much become a habit.
Stresses faced by modern man often remain undischarged and linger on for
a very long time. Examples include work related stresses, social
stresses and financial worries.
The
resulting low carbon dioxide causes many of the normal fight or flight
responses intended for preservation of the individual to turn into
debilitating disorders.
Biochemical
Electrolyte changes
Elevated Lactic Acid
Elevated lipids
Elevated calcium ionisation inside cells
Elevated sugar levels
Hypophosphatemia
Accommodation to low CO2
Elevated uric acid
Loss of CO2 and base reserve
Low Calcium ions
Poor oxygenation due to Bohr effect
Cardio-vascular
Palpitations
Cardiac neurosis
Angina pain
Myocardial infarction
Wolfe-Parkinson-White syndrome
Arrhythmias
Stenosis of coronary artery
Tachycardia
Failure of coronary bypass grafts
Right ventricular ectopy
Silent ischaemia
Elevated blood pressure
ECG: Flat or inverted T-wave
Vasoconstriction
Reduced cerebral blood flow
Mitral prolapse
Low cardiac output / stroke volume
Digestive
Spastic
colon
Dysphagia
Dry mouth
Flatulence and belching
Irritable bowel syndrome
Dry throat
Hiatus hernia
Duodenal spasm
Globus
Vomiting
Bloating
Constipation
Epigastric Pain
Aerophagia
Diarrhoea
General
Migraines
Failure of Transurethral resections
Edema
Restlessness
Da Costa's Syndrome
Excessive sweating
Burnout
Raynaud's disease
Chest Pains
Post traumatic stress disorders
Weakness, listlessness
Genito-urinary disturbances
Nausea
Renal colic
Influenza-like symptoms
Sleep disturbances
Exhaustion
Fatigueability, exercise intolerance
Neuro-muscular
Muscular
stiffness and aching
Myalgia (muscle pain)
Cramps
Muscle spasm
Tetani
Fibromyositis
Head and Back pain
Tremors or shaking
Neurological
Paresthesia, numbness
Twitching Eyelids
Headaches
Increased sympathetic tone
Nerve irritability threshold altered
Decreased parasympathetic tone
Unilateral paresthesia or numbness (left)
EEG abnormalities
Diplopia
Syncope, fainting
Feeling of chilliness
Hot/cold sensations
Visual Disturbances
Dizziness, light headedness
giddiness
Intolerance of bright light & noise
Hyperactivity
Auditory Disturbances
Seizures, epileptic fits
Psychologic
Tension
Fear of insanity
Depersonalization
Hallucination
Lack of concentration and memory
loss
Nightmares
Unreal feelings
Panic attacks
Anorexia
Depression
Feelings of inadequacy
Anxiety
Maladjustments in life
Phobias
Obsessional behaviour
Respiratory
Asthma
Choking
Chest Tightness
Irritable cough
Sighing and yawning
Dyspnea
Bronchoconstriction
Shortness of breath, air hunger
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