While many believe anxiety and stress are the main contributors to the development of panic attacks, it is actually the way a person’s breathing pattern changes (during times of anxiety and stress) that brings about panic attacks. Most people with panic attacks suffer from hyperventilation. Hyperventilation is a type of fast breathing (although it may be deeper breaths, not necessarily faster breaths) where too much carbon dioxide is expelled. It also causes the sufferer to feel as though he or she is not getting enough air, which causes many to try to breathe in more oxygen and ultimately, hyperventilate further.
Hyperventilation causes a host of symptoms that tend to complicate panic attacks. These include:
- Chest pains
- Rapid heartbeat
- Lightheadedness
- Difficulty breathing
- Tingling in the extremities.
While adrenaline released during an anxiety attack contributes to some of those as well, it is primarily hyperventilation that appears to have the strongest effect.
To begin to combat the intensity of panic attacks, learning to control one’s breathing patterns is a good place to start. Fight the urge to take faster deep breaths than your body allows or expand your chest (many people try to force a yawn, and panic more when they cannot - since breathing in more oxygen is not helpful).
Instead, take very slow, controlled breaths. Try to breathe in for 5 to 6 seconds, hold for 2 to 3 seconds, then breathe out for 7 to 9 seconds. This can help the body regain the necessary carbon dioxide. And while it may not stop the panic attack completely, it will likely decrease its severity.
https://www.calmclinic.com/panic/att...-panic-attacks