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Signs & Symptoms of Chronic Hyperventilation

Chronic hyperventilation is a problem, but the complicating part is that the disorder is usually the product of other problems within your system. The number of causes and symptoms of chronic hyperventilation is enormous, and it can be problematic for individuals undergoing strenuous activities such as athletics or pregnancy.

  1. Symptoms

    • The many symptoms of chronic hyperventilation include: shortness of breath without explanation, repeated sighing or yawning, chest pains, heart palpitations, sweating, fainting, dizziness, trembling, slurred speech and fatigue. They are all consequences of a lack of oxygen in your system, which hyperventilating usually causes.

    Related Symptoms

    • Initial symptoms may lead to secondary symptoms, which can be diagnosed as problems or disorders separate from hyperventilation, as opposed to simply the consequences of chronic hyperventilation. Secondary symptoms include: tachycardia, nausea or irritable bowel syndrome, inflamed joints, sexual problems, depression and other phobias related to anxiety. These symptoms are almost always grouped with the more common signs mentioned in Section 1.

    Effects

    • Chronic hyperventilation robs parts of your body of the oxygen they need. This is why problems ranging from your brain to the balls of your feet can be signs of hyperventilation. Hyperventilation can also provoke anxiety, which in turn, propels chronic hyperventilation in what can seem like an endless cycle. Chronic hyperventilation also can cause extreme dizziness in women going through childbirth.

    Origin

    • Anxiety is often mentioned as a possible root cause of chronic hyperventilation. The unconscious fear of suffocation is another potential cause. Chronic hyperventilation is always a developed illness. Determining the origin of your hyperventilation is important to determining a treatment method.

    Treatment

    • Again, it depends on what is causing your hyperventilation, but among the possible treatments available are anti-anxiety medications, biofeedback, breathing and relaxation exercises and psychotherapy. Breathing exercises are a simple home remedy you can try if you think you might have CHVS or are hesitant to go to the doctor.

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