Hyperventilation/Overbreathing/Hypocapnea/HyperInhalation
Hyperventilation that causes lessened oxygen supply to the blood is in some ways a maladaptive response to stress. But it is more often caused by poorly coordinated unbalanced breathing UDB. It is also a partial misnomer as it is often appears to occurs when breathing is improving. Where does YOUR situation fit in here?
Hospital admissions for possible cardiac or neurological disorders are extremely common and many patients with UDB carry an assortment of incorrect diagnosis with bottles of corresponding ineffective or even harmful medications.
Faster (than you are accustomed to) breathing is mostly looked upon by the western medical community as hyperventilation. It carries a bias of being the wrong way to breathe; there is an illness connotation to it. That is largely because medical science does not clearly differentiate between healthy fast and unhealthy fast breathing.
There are different types or qualities of fast or forced deeper breathing. I call the good kind hyper-inhalation, or balanced deeper-easier-smoother-grounded-faster breathing. This is the relaxing and energizing breathing such as from our Better Breathing Exercise #2
Bad breathing is over-stimulation (high chest dominant). When the faster breathing is predominately chest it can still be somewhat appropriate but only in the sense that it resolves an immediate emergency or is appropriate to a joyful activity and then reverts back to healthy slower deeper easier balanced breathing as soon as the emergency is over. Wild animals seem to do that (adapt and recover) much better then most humans but humans can be trained to adapt by developing their breathing in an optimal fashion.
One form of UDB is when one takes quick deep or shallow dominant high-chest in-breaths. These over-stimulate the nervous system and engage the reptilian (survival) portion of the human brain. Most gas exchange perspectives say hyperventilation sharply reduces the level of carbon dioxide in the blood. I see this as important in many ways and misleading in others.
I borrowed the following (italics) more scientific explanation of
hyperventilation from a colleague. I will announce him and his company
sometime in the not too distant future. He is doing some very,
very special work.
"Overbreathing* means bringing
about carbon dioxide (CO2) deficit in the blood (i.e., hypocapnia) through
excessive ventilation (increased “minute volume”) during rapid, deep,
and dysrhythmic breathing, a condition that may result in debilitating
short-term and long-term physical and psychological complaints and
symptoms. The slight shifts
in CO2 chemistry associated with overbreathing may cause physiological
changes such as hypoxia (oxygen deficit), cerebral vasoconstriction
(brain), coronary constriction (heart), blood and extracellular alkalosis
(increased pH), cerebral glucose deficit, ischemia (localized anemia),
buffer depletion (bicarbonates), bronchial constriction, gut constriction,
calcium imbalance, magnesium deficiency, and muscle fatigue, spasm (tetany),
and pain"
*Note:
“Overbreathing” is a behavior leading to the physiological condition
known as hypocapnia, i.e., carbon dioxide deficit.
“Hyperventilation,” although nomenclature synonymous with
hypocapnia in physiological terms, is often used as a clinical term to
describe a controversial psychophysiologic “syndrome” implicated in
panic disorder and other clinical complaints."
For more about
overbreathing. In other words. no matter
how much oxygen we may breathe into our lungs, if the O2 is taken in in
a certain way then our sympathetic nervous system will dominate,
constrict the blood vessels including the brain and our body will
experience a shortage of oxygen. It's like the old saying "the hurrier I go the behinder I get".
A severe asthma attack is one example of this. Panic attacks and aspects of many seizures are as well. The lack of oxygen and or increased carbon dioxide switches on the sympathetic nervous system which makes us tense, anxious and potentially irritable. So in some sense many may need to become more tolerable to increased levels of CO2.
I DISAGREE
I partially disagree with the gas exchange
overbreathing carbon-dioxide-is-the-major-marker
perspective. Yes it is pure and standard science that a certain level of
millimeters of mercury must be present for optimal transfer of oxygen to
the cells. But my
research leads me to believe that a significant issue or way this is
influenced is more about the way
and depth the nervous system is
stimulated, ie., whether parasympathic/abdominal, breathing, or
sympathetic, high chest dominant (over approximately 45%) breathing is engaged.
I have observed people breathing intensely
for hours without any signs of distress, but rather with signs of bliss and
joy. The key to "over-breathing" is more about balance
between the high chest and abdominal breathing pattern.
The way one takes an in-breath stimulates the ANS
in a good way or a bad way or something in between. CO2 levels are
influenced this way, but they are not always the dominant theme like
the CO2 gas exchange proponents seem to believe. CO2 is the effect, not
the cause. UDB is
often the cause
Our evolution and survival often necessitated having fast responses. The shortest distance between two points is the straight line connecting them. High chest dominated "sympathetic" breathing causes constriction and what I call "hyper vigilance"; a stronger and physically closer connection to the reptilian survival brain. Abdominal breathing invites expansion and increased energy toleration. It has much more of the vagus (parasympathetic-rest-digest-heal) nerve action engaged with it and allows for the neo-cortex as well as parasympathetic relaxation response to "buffer" the survival instinct.
High chest breathing generally hyper-stimulates, causes increased breathing rate, lowers blood CO2 amounts causing vasoconstriction and exacerbates nervous system distress. It causes blood vessel contraction and makes O2 less transferable to the cellular system and your brain. Once the high-chest dominant breath ceases, adaptations need to occur to raise CO2 levels that dilate vessels to allow for replenishment of CO2 balance. Optimal oxygen uptake is not possible without proper CO2 presence. Alkaline forming nutrition is also relevant.
Techniques of rebreathing into a paper bag are no longer recommended because significant hypoxia and death have been reported.
In patients who are hyperventilating for organic reasons (eg, pulmonary edema, metabolic acidosis), increasing pCO2 and decreasing O2 may be disastrous.
In addition, paper bag rebreathing is often unsuccessful in reversing the symptoms of HVS because patients have difficulty complying with the technique and because CO2 itself may be a chemical trigger for anxiety in these patients.
BEING AND STAYING GROUNDED
We need to remember that sometimes
it is good to be ungrounded and unbalanced as with being able to laugh or
cry wholeheartedly, change
one's rigidity, one's attitude and or achieve quantum shifts in
awareness and ability by altering one's
emotional
anatomy. When done in a healthy way, it will help to
change sympathetic/parasympathetic balance toward more harmonious levels.
Parasympathetic response also relates to one's balanced grounded power base.
Sympathetic enervation can be fun or excitement which is often good. Zealotry and hyperbole are examples of
excitement or fun without seemingly realistic parasympathetic, neocortical/rational
accessed
reality checks and physical groundedness.
Generally, parasympathetic enervation accompanies relaxation and lessened activity such as rest digest and heal. Sympathetic relates to action, anxiety, fight/flight/freeze/fake it, fumble and FUN. FUN is a strong sympathetic enervation that is balanced with enough parasympathetic enervation.
There are other relevant influences towards hyperventilation such as nutrition and toxicity that veers one toward anxiety or confusion. But, barring congenital challenges, toxicity, or nutritional considerations, I believe that it is primarily when sympathetic enervation becomes dominant without the proper amount of parasympathetic balance, that anxiety states occur to invite hyper constriction of blood vessels and signs of overbreathing/hyperventilation. As I said before I am partly discouraged with the use of the "overbreathing" word as it implies that breathing more is bad. It is not QUANTITY, it is BALANCE that is more important. Sympathetic Dominant Unbalanced Deep Breathing or SDUDB is the label I believe should be used to describe hyperventilation.
This is proven time and again by a persons ability to withstand the agony of the dentist office or birthing babies aided ONLY by well developed breathing techniques and zero use of customary pain killers. Nutrition and toxicity aside, low CO2 caused vasoconstriction does not happen so much or at all when the parasympathetic nervous system is strong enough to maintain nervous system parasympathetic dominated balance. Another way this manifests in real living conditions is with maintaining reasonably relaxed self control and centering during extreme states of stress or "courage under fire". Ahhhhh! -- Insights and contradictions from martial arts taught at the Optimal Breathing School.
Healthy HyperINHALATION (HI) or Balanced Deep Breathing BDB partially or fully charged breathing as energetic aspect of healthy "quiet" breathing is a more objective way to look at the good kind of increased breathing, ie, depth and rate, which focuses on the nervous system balance as opposed to just CO2/O2 relationship which is often the effect and not the cause.
To re-emphasize, having watched over a million breaths of transformational breathwork clients, I have observed -with the help of a pulse oxymeter, that quick-deep or quick-shallow breathing, if dominated by belly, back and side breathing, most often increases the level of oxygen in our blood. By gas exchange standards, this would seem to reduce the CO2 ratios, invite constriction and inhibit O2 transfer into the cells but this MAY or MAY NOT not occur depending upon how well the breather is able to relax and stay dominant parasympathetic. Key factors are how well they adapt, tolerate or become accustomed to the increase in physical energy (chi, prana, Qi, pneuma etc).
Dominant front, side and back abdominal breaths allow the nervous system to remain calm and to stay out of the potentially vaso-constrictive "anxiety/survival responses", CO2 depletion, and high chest, sympathetic breathing pattern. We get more energized and in touch with our power without being overwhelmed with oxygen deprivation. The key is HOW this occurs and that is a lot of what our breathing development programs improve.
To repeat.
It is too much sympathetic, high chest breathing. There is a HUGE
difference between over-breathing parasympathetic (abdominal) and
over-breathing sympathetically. It is not the over-breathing. It is the
way we breathe more than we need to, and how we
distort or maintain internal and nervous system balance.
See UDB.
Certain schools of allopathic medicine presently lump everything into one word -hyperventilation- which is grossly inadequate. So this prejudice distorts and increases the importance and relevance of carbon dioxide. The effect of carbon dioxide levels are very important and permit tremendous insight and without them we can fail to help many in need. We must recognize that this is an imbalance that has a cause, and the cause is unbalanced breathing. I steadfastly believe that higher O2 levels and the way we balance them with adequate CO2 levels are primary factors in developing and maintaining internal balance and optimal health.
There are instruments that can easily record the CO2 levels and help gauge therapeutic progress. I believe that science will support my thesis that a stronger emphasis/stimulation of the parasympathetic "rest, digest and heal" aspect of the nervous system, produces "safe" increased levels of oxygen, peptides, endorphins and subtle energies of the various forms of what the ancient - and modern -breathing practitioners call chi, ki, prana, pneuma, spiritus etc. The arteries, including the carotid arteries going to the brain, remain more open, thus allowing increased flow of energized blood throughout the brain and body. It feels great, sometimes even ecstatic. Gospel singing is an example of this experience, as well as some forms of chanting, and transformational breathwork.
How often is chest pain caused by hyperventilation? One study
suggests that up to 90% of non-cardiac chest pain is thought to be induced
by hyperventilation (De Guire et al 1992)
Syndrome X refers to patients (mainly women) who get a history of angina
with positive exercise test, but normal angiography. This is thought to be
due to a functional abnormality of coronary circulation.
Can hyperventilation cause a heart attack?
In very rare cases, people who hyperventilate can have lower carbon
dioxide blood levels that can cause a spasm of the blood vessels that
supply the heart. If you already have heart disease, this spasm may be
enough to cause a heart attack.
The majority of patients with hyperventilation, the chest pain is due to
UDB and attempted over-inflation of the lungs. Without thinking about
it, you might use your chest muscles to try to expand your rib cage. This extra
muscle work will feel like shortness of breath, and you'll have difficulty
in taking a deep breath. Your chest muscles will become tired, just like
your legs tire after a long run.
The diagnosis of causes of chest pain should ALWAYS be made by a doctor.
Clues that will be helpful include:
• Hyperventilation symptoms usually last longer (hours as opposed to
minutes)
• Hyperventilation symptoms usually happen in younger people
or stressed out adults
• Hyperventilation symptoms can get better with
exercise but often worsen such as in sports induced
asthma
• Hyperventilation pain will not be improved by heart medication
How does hyperventilation affect the functioning of the brain?
Chemical changes happen in the blood due to UDB.
Hyperventilation causes the carbon dioxide level in the blood to decrease.
This lower level of carbon dioxide reduces blood flow to the brain, which
may result in weakness, fainting, dizziness, and confusion. To protect the
brain from damage one will faint and resume normal breathing to restore
blood flow to the brain. Studies have show that oxygen to the brain can be
reduced up to 60% via chronic hyperventilation.
Increased Energy Developed Safely
Breathing practices are most often safe when the body’s sensing mechanisms are engaged
on a moment to moment basis to
monitor against excessive or inappropriate breathing related energy.
But many people are so far out of balance that the
"breather" may have forgotten about or never have felt
(due to
traumatic birthing or infancy) state of wholeness and
balance. This puts practices such as singing or voice training and
the teachers that comprise this population in
a completely new light and shows how singing can be not only a
performance-personal growth tool, but a health modality as well.
Though they are often monumentally powerful healing and energy paradigms, many Qigong and Pranayama teachers are often at a disadvantage in teaching their art forms because their students may be lacking fundamental, internal breathing balance and coordination, plus subtle aspects of feeling and kinesthetic feedback, and do not internally sense themselves in ways familiar to these paradigms. Making sound can give tremendous insight to this missing link, and the vocal/speech trainer becomes an integral part of the Optimal Breathing system.
To address this problem I developed advanced breathing development techniques in the Fundamentals video 176 and the Optimal Breathing School that bring the person back into balanced mechanical breathing coordination; safely, rapidly and without hyperventilation or discomfort.
The long term answer to optimal breathing is not in surgery, steroids or inhalers, but in establishing one's internal homeostasis and maintaining it on a moment to moment, day to day basis. I work on and train people in techniques, exercises, nutrition and insights that will permanently keep you out of future breathing trouble. My self help programs are guaranteed to help a great deal. My private sessions take the progress further and faster. Our school trains others to do what I do Self Help Course to Rapidly Improve or Eliminate your Breathing related hyperventilation
Many thanks to J. Michael Wood, core faculty member of the Optimal Breathing School, for his editing support.
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