Hyperventilation Syndrome / Over-breathing - Anyone with any advice?

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Hi I've been suffering with Over-breathing for a good few years, and have found the 7 - 11 diaphragmatic breathing very useful but it has not eradicated the problem. Seems to stop it momentarily then it comes back with the anxiety again.

Im about to get an appointment with a CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapist) to see if this helps. I was just hoping to see how anybody else has coped with this problem and also would be nice to discuss or give advice to people who need it.

Symptoms I've had from Over-breathing.


Vertigo
Heart Palpitations
Missed heart beats
Pins and needles in face, arms, chest
Numbness
Dry mouth
Lump In Throat
Difficulty Swallowing
Sweating
Pains in arms and head
Back pains
Weird pains in ribcage
Feel like I cant catch my breath, or breathe in deep enough.
Nausea
Depression

If you have the majority of these and you were worried that you were dying then your not, I thought i was dying for 3 years and still have moment where I think something horrible is going to happen but it never comes.

Hope this thread helps me and everyone else who adds to it.

Look forward to your findings

[Meltdown]

I've had (have?) nearly all those symptoms. Probably most people here will say the same. Not that that makes it any easier....

The key is

"....still have moment where I think something horrible is going to happen but it never comes."

...it never comes.... it never will come! CBT will help you to believe this.


I have reduced my panic attacks by about 90% the key for me is to sort of ignore the first feeling that I am about to panic, and tell myself to just accept what happens (which is then usually nothing!)

[Mikke]

I've had hyperventilation syndrome for years too, and have had absolutely all the symptoms from the list.
When my anxiety levels rise it's hard to breathe right though, haven't really found a good cure other than trying to calm dowm and not focus on the breathing..

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Yeah I find trying to not focus no the breathing hard, because i know im not trying to focus on it which makes me focus on it!! Bit crazy.

What's really really helping at the moment is the 7/11 breathing.

I breathe in for 7 as slowly as i can the out for 11 seconds, and make sure that i reach 11 seconds, then do a break for 2 seconds then slowly breathe in again for 7 etc etc etc....

This method when i first tried it a while ago didn't work because i didn't believe it would. But ive focused on doing this for 2 hours non stop the other day and eventually my body was forced to calm down and relax and i eventually got bored of breathing like that and my mind stopped thinking about the breathing.

You have to try your best to use your diaphragm while you breathe though!!

[Piglet]

Super book recommendation for you here 'Hyperventilation Syndrome' by Dinah Bradley.

It's a really easy read book and full of top advice!:yesyes:

Love Piglet :flowers:

[Mikke]

Thanks for the advice on that 7/11 breathing, looking forward to try it...
And thank you piglet for the book recommendation...

[belle]

I have this almost every single day of my life, in fact, i have it right now. Ugh. I've tried most things to stop it....but yet, i still get it.

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Have any of you heard of the site, http://www.buteyko.co.uk/ apparently they are the people who can cure asthma without drugs and also over-breathing... i dont know how they do it but its definitely worth trying. I've not tried it though but i really want to.

[Karen]

I too use the 7/11 breathing but some people find it is quite hard breathing in for 7 and out for 11. If that's the case it can help to shorten it to a pace which is comfortable for you. It might be 4/7 or any count as long as the out breath is longer than the in breath.

There is a free Panic Attacks Course (http://www.panic-attacks.co.uk/?2861) that you can do online or sign up for weekly email of each section.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Karen x

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Does 4/7 breathing have the same effect??
Im suffering with depression at the moment which is not helping things and 7/11 even though i find it really difficult to do seems to work eventually, i just find it a real struggle to get to 11 on the out breath but find it easy to get to 7.

How long have you been suffering for? And do you have any other advice?

Im desperate to get rid of this problem!!

[jacqui5507]

Wow how amazing,

I only found myself here last night and posted an introduction today but never expected to find this post. I didnt realise you could over breathe but it really sounds like how I am feeling, the unable to get a deep enough breath and constant feeling of breathlessness. I find mysef worrying about not having enough air and have been doing so for several days now, this usually ends up in me winding myself up about it so tight that I start to panic , shake and think I am goind to die. When I write it down it sounds so silly but the feelings are very real. Sorry i dont feel i have anything useful to say just wanted to post a reply.

Jacqui x

[polly123]

Hiya
Me to, i have awful problems with my breathing i find its the most frightening symptom of all, ive been suffering on and off with this for nearly a year, so really i should be able to tell myself its just panic and anxiety shouldnt i ??? but no my minds telling me different, oh well il just have to battle on with it, sorry for the rambling but im just another person who wants to get it off her chest
Take Care All
POLLY XX

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Yeah i know exactly what you are going through, the good news for you jacqui is that if its only just started happening then you won't turn it into a chronic problem like a lot of people have done, including me as i didnt know what it was for years.

Just practice abdominal breathing and stop thinking you have an illness of some kind because i put money on it that the doc will never find anything wrong with you.. Its all in the head.. Hopefully you should be able to smile knowing that your not going to die from this.

Like one of the previous posts, just try and breathe out more than you breathe in. Slow down your breathing so a full breath in takes 7 seconds and full breath out takes 11 seconds, try not to force the out breath make it last as long as the 11 seconds. This will force your body to calm down and stop going into the panic mode where you feel like your dying!

Hope this helps. Trying to put your mind off it works, i tend to play games on my phone or write into a journal to try and ignore the sympoms and i feel better

[june]

I was looking at posts elswhere about 'bad breathing' and Mikke suggested i read this post - Thank you Mikke.
I have posted before about this - i also have Dinah Bradley's book which is brilliant - BUT i still say learning to breathe differently = on your own is very hard.
i always feel as if i am going to faint so i stop and then i panic.
I tried to find a Tai Chi class in my area nearest is 5 miles away and i don/t drive. SO i bought a DVD and it started off wonderful lovely gentle arm movements that allow you to breathe, expanding the chest in flowing movements Oh how i enjoyed it. BUT:ohmy: the next day i had such chest pain i flew to the doctors OF COURSE it was all muscular pain " too much enjoyment in one go>>>>" :blush:
How on earth am i going to get better????? take it more slowly!!!!!
I saw in Dinah Bradley' book that in America they have therapists for this problem - maybe one day ?????
I have read and copied some of the posts and will carry on trying. It is VERY helpful to hear how others cope (or not) with this problem.
The list that was posted i ticked off every symtom.
relieved to know i am not alone.:bighug1:
THANK YOU ALL
June

[Dafyddjohndavies]

I've changed my tact for this problem. Decided to go and see a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and also got a prescription for beta-blockers.

This was yesterday... So I got the prescription and decided not to take any pills until I consulted with the therapist... Now i've tried loads of different types of therapists including "Thought Field Therapy" (very weird hippy lady that made me worse), and other basic therapies but lo and behold nothing has worked.

So went to see this therapist and he explained to me that overbreathing is a persons way of preventing panic which in turn makes you panic more. Your basically worrying about the unknown and fighting against your panic. Now what he told me was that the only way to cure this problem was to make yourself over-breathe and induce a panic state but keep on going and eventually the panic will stop and your body will equalize the co2/oxygen content of the blood on its own... he said you will not die, and panic attacks come from the fear of the unknown.

The worst thing you can do with a panic attack is try and stop it from happening. He also said the next time i feel one coming on, instead of fighting it I should try harder to panic, and you will find it impossible to do it.

I haven't done this forced overbreathing yet because I want his guidance to put me through it, he also said he was going to do this first so as to make me more relaxed.

But I will try to keep you updated with my progress...

THIS REALLY DOES MAKE SENSE IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT. HOW WOULD GO ABOUT CURING SOMEONE WHO'S AFRAID OF SPIDERS, HEIGHTS, OR ANYTHING???

ANSWER

MAKE THEM DO WHAT THEYRE AFRAID OF

Im s**t scared of dying when i get into a panic situation and fight against it.... Its time to take the plunge and embrace it. WISH ME LUCK



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[Mikke]

Interesting.
For me the overbreathing are almost compulsive sometimes, so I think it must be true we breathe like this to protect ourself in some way.
And teh same technique works out fine for me when I struggle with skipped heart beats, which are my biggest concern - when I say to my self (like my doctor says I should) - "come on" let's have another one, they go away...

PS
TFT is just bullsit, it's a shame some "therapists" are making money on this scam.

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Yes TFT is absolute bulls**t!! I totally agree... I wasted £95 being sucked in by this crap.

The only way out of this mess is always the hardest possible thing to do, and that is to confront my fear.

Not looking forward to it but am looking forward to feeling better.

Also tried yoga last night as the doctor and various other people told me it would help, had trouble sleeping for the past 3 nights, and after one dvd session for 15mins last night, i ended up having a great night sleep, feeling relaxed, and i awoke refreshed.

So there's another thing worth trying. I did feel a bit silly doing it though but anything that can make me feel this good is staying with me!!!



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[ronski]

Hi Dafyddjohndavies

I have suffered with Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome for around 18 months now and its association with high anxiety and panic. I find it a continual battle sometimes to regulate my breathing due to my inability to do the breathing exercises taught me by a respiratory physiotherapist. After doing them for a few minutes and getting to the point of air hunger I would get an enormous air hunger on the back of the first one with then massive palpitations and shortness of breath. So I was advised to stop them as my body shouldnt like the exercises but it shouldnt respond so vigourously.

I have found this great website, you may find useful and dont be put off by the title. It is http://www.power-surge.com/educate/panicattacks.htm
Have a read it gives great insight into the condition and gives advice on how to control it.
I hope that this helps you
Ron

[june]

i have always said that having been an 'hyperventilater' for many years - to do breathing exercises on your own is very difficult.:mad:
You must be shown how, and guided through a few sessions bedfore you will cope on your own.

ronski said "After doing them for a few minutes and getting to the point of air hunger I would get an enormous air hunger on the back of the first one with then massive palpitations and shortness of breath."
All i get told is " just keep trying" do they not understand the fear???:weep:

Dafyddjohndavies says "doing yoga on your own feels a bit silly" thats OK sometimes you can smile at your self.
And other times you can be overwhelmed by the embarrassement, even though you are alone:blush: :blush:
At the moment i am suffering terrible back ache the cream i have been given states "if you suffer from urticaria - do not use"!!!!!!!!!!
so fed up. my urticaria flares up every few days.
I just read a description of a panic attack
""in the supermarket everyone else looks so calm, and you could not feel more afraid if your trolley had suddenly caught fire!!!!!!!"

Thanks for listening
june

[hydgeek75]

OMG...I'm glad to land myself in here with very good advises from other people suffering from the same.

I have been having all of the symptoms mentioned for the last 3 years.
I experience uneasiness in the chest with palpitations and cramps in left thigh and the ankle. I cannot drive my car unless I have a minimum of 180 ml of whiskey (driving a bike seems to be easier) and I have had to resign my job as a Project Manager in at IT company (my job involves regular travel to US and I cannot stay that long in the air with this Hyperventilation Syndrome).

I'm scared...scared...panicky....scared....panicky...

I am glad to have all of your advises and will practice the 7/11 and also go to a Yoga guru (we have lot of them here in India and is not a problem).

I will keep you guys posted on the progress...

Thanks to everyone that have contributed their piece of advice here and wish all of you a healthy life.

[frigglefrog]

Hi, I have suffered chronic hyperventilation syndrome for 3 and a half years now. Started when I took ecstasy at a club then smoked cannabis afterwards, started falling asleep, suddenly thought i had stop breathing. Had a terrible panic attack, thought i was going to die.
Afterwards for a year or two I was constantly monitoring the way i was breathing, checking how much air i was breathing out, convinced that i was going to stop breathing. Went psychologists and doctors about it, was told that it was because i had anxiety disorder causing me to breath faster and deeper. I discovered CHS myself on the web, and had all the typical symptoms. Chest pain, light head etc.. these things can mimic serious health concerns!
Anyway, i still have it but now that i know that it is a completely harmless condition, so it has got easier and has improved, its just uncomfortable thing to have! Personally mine came about psychologically, but i have read that it can develop throughout your life from just getting into a pattern of breathing 'wrong'. Some things I have done that have helped are: Stopped smoking cigs, no commercial drugs, just knowing and believing that this condition is harmless to your health, try breathing with your stomach rather than your chest, talking about it. I'm thinking of trying hypnotherapy soon to eliminate it altogether, not sure if it will work but ill give it ago.
This is an awful thing to have if you dont know what is going on so please talk to people you find who have it. Just the reassurance will help.
And I hope this has helpedc

[springblossom]

I am suffering with this on an ongoing basis. It's terrible.

[lrforge]

stupid question? By over breathing, do you mean the shallow breaths that we have in our chest, rather than breathing thru our stomachs?? I know I don't breath right...

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Go to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy!!!

I used to suffer with this problem, but I am totally free of it now. Its not all about your breathing, it about what your brain perceives as a threat. You may not realise that have probably been avoiding a range of different situations which you wouldn't have avoided prior to the hyperventilation.

CBT can heal you in a matter of weeks. Its taken me about 4 months to get to what I call normal. I would even say that Im better now than I was before having the condition which I too got by taking Ecstasy.

You don't have to live with this problem, and it is possible to overcome it.

[ronski]

I have been to CBT and it made no difference to my chronic hyperventilation syndrome. Yes Springblossom it is terrible and I am sure it is responsible for the chronic fatigue I am having. I have tried breathing exercises but they make it worse so like most people on this thread I am at a loss at to what to try next.

Ron

[bonnie1980]

please help me !!! im soo like that and im scared i want to be me as much as i can my chest feels tight i feel like i dont have enough breth im always gasping for air im so scared if you could talk y=to me about a way i could controle it i would be most happy thank you xx

[Dafyddjohndavies]

What I had to do to get over my Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome was to do the thing that scared me the most. I hyperventilated more. The technique is called flooding... Its what my CBT therapist got me to do. I went private in London and had a really good therapist who forced me to do the things that I feared.

You have to understand that you hyperventilation stems from a fear of something. So your trying to control your breathing which is making you breathe incorrectly and you feel you chest tighten up, and on the edge of panic with all those other symptoms coming into play.

When I was suffering with it I feared what would happen if it got out of hand and I couldn't stop it. The common fear is the fear of passing out, or even dying which keep's people with hyperventilation syndrome in this constant state of alertness. Your fight or flight response is constantly activated and your body gets fatigued very quickly.

I used to feel loads of horrible symptoms including: Tightness in neck muscles, and tight shoulders, very tight chest, blurred vision, vivid vision, can't take a deep enough breath, pins and needles in face, feel like your on a different planet, shivers, cold sweats, hot flushes, need to use the toilet often, feel sick, fatigued, difficulty sleeping, depression, feel like crying a lot, started avoiding situations, hearing going a bit funny, keep on yawning, and probably more.

The way I combated it was to bring on all those symptoms intentionally and find out what would happen if I kept on hyperventilating constantly as if i was blowing up a massive balloon as fast as I could. And I didn't stop when I began to feel horrible, I just kept on doing it to see what would happen....

....Now when I was told to try this I thought the therapist was talking s**t, and I would in-fact die, or pass out, but honestly I thought I would die!! It took me 3 months to eventually try it and I was absolutely filling my pants at the prospect. But then one day I decided what the hell, I will try this and if I die then I die.....

.....So I sat down on my own on the floor in my bedroom and did this forced hyperventilation.. I could feel the pins and needles in my face and it spread to my back but i kept going... then my face felt like it was heating up and by body started to heat up but i continued... then everything went a little bit weird with my sight but still i kept going...but it didnt get any worse than that, I got to a point of hyperventilating that I couldn't do it anymore, I was as if I got out of breath from hyperventilating and eventually my breathing automatically slowed down on its own.. It felt like id just been for a run and I was out of breath and I was just catching my breath again...

... All those fears about dying were totally unfounded. I ended up on a massive high, and i mean massive!! Felt like I was on cloud nine and I was so happy... 2 hours prior to doing this I was really depressed and horrible.

However this was not the end of my hyperventilation, but it made it more bearable and every time I felt this hyperventilation kicking in again I just repeated this exercise until it disappeared and I felt good again.

From this point I began using the breathing techniques as they made more sense to me! I still get symptoms from hyperventilation syndrome but I have accepted them now and they don't bother me. I haven't had that tight chest since or any of the other symptoms. The only symptom I get is pins and needles in my face a little when I feel stressed and my vision goes a little funny sometimes.

What I was told and now totally understand is that fear of the unknown is what gives power to anxiety. The CBT shows you how to change your approach to situations and experiment with everything that fear in life. When you find a fear you have to challenge it and keep challenging it until your not afraid of it any more.

This condition is psychological, and it is possible to overcome it. I know how you all feel because I have been there, and suffered for about 5 years. For CBT to work I was told that I had to listen to everything the therapist said and do everything they told me to do. By doing this I finally got over it. It took me 8 sessions at 80 quid a session to get over this problem, and it was worth every penny.

Hope this message gives you some sort of inspiration.


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[ronski]

Hi Daffyddjohndavies

Thank you so much for your reply, it was really helpful. May I ask if the fatigue you felt was a body draining ill feeling that gave massive exercise intolerance. I can only walk at the moment for around 5 mins and then the ill feelings kick in. I have been given a diagnosis of ME/CFS because my initial diagnosis of Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome was suspect because the breathing exercises made me much worse with major palpitations and shortness of breath. I attended a specialist CHS physiotherapist and she was not happy with my bodies response to the breathing exercises so she referred me back to the specialist who then referred me to a cardiologist who made the diagnosis of ME/CFS as all of my cardiac tests were normal.

Does this sound similar to your experience.
Thanks again for your help
Ron

[Dafyddjohndavies]

I don't know what ME/CFS is so don't really know what your talking about. But in terms of anxiety, I wouldn't say I had major problems with fatigue. I did have problems when it came to exercise where I would feel like I would throw up if I walked/ran too far. And it was a constant struggle to keep from panicking when I had to walk more than a certain distance. My fatigue came towards the end of a day... I would be so worn out from being in a constant state of panic that eventually all my energy had gone.

While you hyperventilate your oxygen levels in your blood increase, and carbon dioxide decreases, and adrenaline starts flowing putting you in a constant state of alertness. Its your body's reaction to a threat and is preparing you to fight, or to run away.

This fight or flight does zap you energy quite quickly.
Ronsky... do you feel like you have energy in the morning but slowly ebbs away during the afternoon?? What exact symptoms have you been experiencing?

[springblossom]

This is a helpful thread.

I'm hyperventilating to the extent that I feel the blood pressure mounting in my head and have a constant globus sensation.

7-11 breathing and the square breathing techniques felt very uncomfortable for me to use.

Is there a section on the site that lists all the techniques associated with improving breathing?

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Try the top tips section of the forum. there should be plenty of good information there about improving your breathing.

And the hyperventilating doesn't increase blood pressure. When people have increased blood pressure you don't usually know about it. That pressure your feeling in your head is just another symptom of too much oxygen in your blood. I used to think I had high blood pressure but never did.

Like i wrote above... To break the cycle of hyperventilation you have to give into it. Fear of the unknown is feeding the cycle. Ask yourself why you are trying to control your breathing??? Why do you feel the need to look after your breathing instead of allowing it to look after itself??

The way i saw it:
The more I breathed... the worse I felt... then panic would kick in and id breathe more and feel even worse... so I was constantly concious of my breathing and hoping i didn't breathe too much... which made me breathe more etc etc.... I's a big circle that feeds itself.

To beat it you have to let yourself go past the threshold of where you would normally take control of your breathing and keep going. Its a scary thought if you never done it before but its worth it.

The crazy thing is that all those who are suffering with hyperventilation are keeping themselves at the worst part of the anxiety and if they allowed themselves to let it wash over them they would realise what they'd been doing wrong. It's like a eureka moment.

It doesn't matter how much I write about it though because people can not be told, they have to find it for themselves. Its just the way we as people are. It was the same for me... I had all this information about 2 years before trying any of it due to the fear of something terrible happening. 5 Whole years of being in my own prison of pain, panic, sadness, depression, and whatever else.

I wish I could give people a magic tablet that fixes everything... But the reality is that you have to face your fear to get over it.. You just have to know what it is that's freaking you out and keeping you in this mentality.

As my CBT therapist told me, you can do all the therapy in the world but if your not ready to change your way of thinking then it won't work.

[marie.s]

i have already put a post on here regarding this and other things..go to www.innerhealth.com


there is all sorts for you to listen to on there regarding breathing and relaxation techniques..all available in audio..

[springblossom]

Thank you both....I am grateful for your advice.

[ronski]

Hi Daffyjohndavies

ME/CFS is basically Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is an illness that is invisible to medical science in that all tests appear normal. My only abnormal test was a tilt test when orthostatic intolerance was found. Basically my blood pressure falls on standing from a sitting position.

My symptoms are major fatigue if I push myself, feeling ill when the fatigue strikes. breathing issues that can be hyperventilatory. Icy cold hands and feet. digestive problems and a feeling of being tired but wired.

Ron

[Orange]

Hyperventilation is always and has always been my biggest symptom from panic attacks. For the first few years when my anxiety was really bad I was absolutely convinced every day that I was dying and that the symptoms that you outlined above were proof of this. I still feel like that sometimes in the midst of a panic attack when I'm not thinking straight but I think I'm on the way to getting there.
The thing that helped me most was going to yoga and relaxation classes. The breathing exercises in the relaxation have taken me about 3 years to get anywhere properly with as I was convinced that if I was breathing slower I wouldn't be getting enough oxygen and would pass out of die (I know it's overdramatic but it's really what I thought) and then because of these worries I would overbreathe and panic even more. I would say the best thing is persistence though and not giving up on any techniques that you are trying.
I'm sure we will all beat this one day and be better people for it, that's my hope anyway :)

[reallyfedup]

Hi just want to share how I cured my own panic attacks problem:
::spam: :spam: spam:

[springblossom]

I just can't seem to regulate ny breathing at the moment.

I'm sighing, breath-holding, suffering air-hunger, the whole works. It's awful.

[june]

It doesn't matter how much I write about it though because people can not be told, they have to find it for themselves. Its just the way we as people are. It was the same for me... I had all this information about 2 years before trying any of it due to the fear of something terrible happening. 5 Whole years of being in my own prison of pain, panic, sadness, depression, and whatever else. I totally agree with this - i followed your progress and that you found a CBT therapist that was so good - I was really pleased for you :yesyes: I also think that we HAVE TO have HELP to do this at first - I find it impossible on my own:weep:

I wish I could give people a magic tablet that fixes everything... But the reality is that you have to face your fear to get over it.. You just have to know what it is that's freaking you out and keeping you in this mentality.

As my CBT therapist told me, you can do all the therapy in the world but if your not ready to change your way of thinking then it won't work.12-05-09 22:07

I wish I could give people a magic tablet that fixes everything... But the reality is that you have to face your fear to get over it.. You just have to know what it is that's freaking you out and keeping you in this mentality.

As my CBT therapist told me, you can do all the therapy in the world but if your not ready to change your way of thinking then it won't work.12-05-09 22:07
I wish I could give people a magic tablet that fixes everything... But the reality is that you have to face your fear to get over it.. You just have to know what it is that's freaking you out and keeping you in this mentality.
Again by writing this you actually KNOW what you are talking about - and also know the fears etc that we are going thro.
As my CBT therapist told me, you can do all the therapy in the world but if your not ready to change your way of thinking then it won't work.
I also know that if you are not ready to change etc -
It is finding 'that' CBT therapist that you saw - it has to be someone you can trust with your life. Unfortunately few and far between:weep:
To the others who posted of tiredness Claire Weeks has info on this - it is mostly 'adrenalin' AND hyperventilation:blush:
Dafyddjohndavies i wish you continued success:yesyes: :yesyes:
Best wishes
June
:hugs:

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Hi June,

Thank you soooo much for your reply, I dont know when you did reply as I've not been on the site in a while, its nice to hear that what I'm saying is not a load of crap. I've tried to help so many people but I don't have the skills to help them.

I guess the trick is to find the right therapist and just go for it. My mentality after 5 years was I'm going to put all my faith in this guy and do everything he tells me to do no matter how scared it made me feel. I was on the verge of loosing the woman I adored because of the way hyperventilaion makes you seem ignorant and selfish and I wasn't prepared to do that after waiting 25yrs to find her.

If you want the website of the therapist I went to in London im more than happy to give it to anyone who wants it.

Hope your feeling better,

Kind Regards,

Dafydd x




It doesn't matter how much I write about it though because people can not be told, they have to find it for themselves. Its just the way we as people are. It was the same for me... I had all this information about 2 years before trying any of it due to the fear of something terrible happening. 5 Whole years of being in my own prison of pain, panic, sadness, depression, and whatever else. I totally agree with this - i followed your progress and that you found a CBT therapist that was so good - I was really pleased for you :yesyes: I also think that we HAVE TO have HELP to do this at first - I find it impossible on my own:weep:

I wish I could give people a magic tablet that fixes everything... But the reality is that you have to face your fear to get over it.. You just have to know what it is that's freaking you out and keeping you in this mentality.

As my CBT therapist told me, you can do all the therapy in the world but if your not ready to change your way of thinking then it won't work.12-05-09 22:07

I wish I could give people a magic tablet that fixes everything... But the reality is that you have to face your fear to get over it.. You just have to know what it is that's freaking you out and keeping you in this mentality.


As my CBT therapist told me, you can do all the therapy in the world but if your not ready to change your way of thinking then it won't work.12-05-09 22:07
I wish I could give people a magic tablet that fixes everything... But the reality is that you have to face your fear to get over it.. You just have to know what it is that's freaking you out and keeping you in this mentality.
Again by writing this you actually KNOW what you are talking about - and also know the fears etc that we are going thro.
As my CBT therapist told me, you can do all the therapy in the world but if your not ready to change your way of thinking then it won't work.
I also know that if you are not ready to change etc -
It is finding 'that' CBT therapist that you saw - it has to be someone you can trust with your life. Unfortunately few and far between:weep:
To the others who posted of tiredness Claire Weeks has info on this - it is mostly 'adrenalin' AND hyperventilation:blush:
Dafyddjohndavies i wish you continued success:yesyes: :yesyes:
Best wishes
June

:hugs:

[springblossom]

I'm having this in a really bad way this past few weeks.

Would 'forgetting' breathing help? If so, how...?

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Hi spring blossom,

If your suffering with this then forgetting breathing is very diffcult because you are constantly consious of it. My advice to you would be to try to ignore your breathing, but first you have to try and stop taking huge breaths in.

Try not to breathe in through your mouth, you should only breathe in using your nose, this should make you breathe properly. What you need to try to do is slow your breathing down, at the moment your probably trying to breathe in hard to feel like you've taken in a deep enough breath, doign this however gives the oppsite result and will make you feel like your not breathing properlly when in fact your breathing too much.

- Find a quiet place where you can relax

- Lie down somewhere and maybe put some relaxing music on

- Aim to breathe in through your nose, this should be gentle, not forced and try not to fill all of your lungs

- Breathe out as gentle as you can, this may not be gentle to begin with as it takes a little time to calm down

- just keep concentrating on breathing in gently to a count of 2 hold ofr a count of 2 breathe out for a count of 2 and hold for a count of 2.
(you don't have to keep timing throughout just intitially until you get used to the process).

- Keep this going and try to ignore the feeling of air hunger
(it feels like your holding your breath and will want to breathe in deep, its just anxiety that makes you feel like this try your very best to ignore it, its ok if you breathe in now and again deeply but try to slow it down, don't get down on yourself if you can't get it right.)

The more you practice this then the more you will get control back. Try this for about 30 mins to see if you feel a litte more relaxed and a little less mental.

Hyperventilation results from anxiety, so you need to try and figure out when it started and what the circumstances were so you know why your feeling like this.

Please write back here once you have tried it and hopefully relaxed. People who suffer with hyperventilation are actually doing a mixture of holding their breath and breathing too much... you just need to get it back into a rhythm of slow in slow out without holding it or panic breathing.

Hope this helps x

[springblossom]

Hi Dafydd,

Thank you for your comments and guidance.

I recognise the 'breath holding' absolutely and will print out your post and practise it. I feel like I've forgotten how to allow my body to breathe automatically and feel trapped in a viscious circle of hyerventilation/incorrect breathing.

Feeling very troubled by this.

SB

[hello_mrzebra]

I'm having major breathing issues right now too. I caught a little cold over the weekend that started in my chest. The major symptoms (sinus congestion, sore throat) went away pretty quickly but I still have a feeling of congestion or irritation in my chest.

Unfortunately, I know way too much about lung health complications (thanks alot Dr. Google) and am really having anxiety that I'm going to be one of those rare people who gets H1N1 and winds up in the hospital with Pneumonia.

My anxiety, of course, triggers shallow breathing, which then triggers more anxiety as I think surely I'm going to get Pneumonia or something (even though I have no fever and feel more or less fine aside from the residual chest irritation.)

I know it's just anxiety b/c when I slow my breathing down I feel much better.

But the last 2 nights I've woken up in the middle of the night feeling like I was hyperventilating in my sleep. Does anyone else have this symptom from anxiety? It's like I wake up feeling really out-of-sorts, almost feverish (no night sweats tho.) It's wierding me out.

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Googling things is the worst thing to do. Stop doing it!!! No good can come from googling symptoms... If you want to put your mind at rest then go to the docs. You will just drive yourself crazy.

Maybe you should try changing the way you think about things i.e. you worry that it's going to be pneumonia (can't spell) and it's causing you more anxiety etc etc.. Maybe you should try and think well I hope it is Pneumonia, bring it on, I can handle it, try your best!!! If you adopt this kind of thinking then you will cut the fear out and thus stop worrying about things you have no control over.

So every bad thought you get you should welcome them rather than fight against them. If you get used to doing this you will get better. I'm still struggling with this concept myself but im soooo much better now.

I imagine my horrible thoughts are trying to bully me and I am standing up to them, Like a do your worst attitude. Changes the whole anxiety process!!!!!!

[hello_mrzebra]

That's great advice, and something I hadn't considered. Thanks!

[mandyclare]

Sing loudly whenever you can.. believe me it really helps as you cannot overbreathe when you are singing.

mand

[Dafyddjohndavies]

Sing loudly whenever you can.. believe me it really helps as you cannot overbreathe when you are singing.

mand

Ha ha, I used to do this. It works too!

[hello_mrzebra]

I'm coming back to this thread b/c it seems to be the go-to hyperventilation/over-breathing thread.

I'm wondering if any CHS sufferers wake up in the middle of the night feeling lightheaded and short of breath? Like you are hyperventilating in your sleep?

I've had this happen to me on and off and last night it was really bad, I woke up at 4 am totally feeling lightheaded and unable to slow my breathing down, couldn't get past the air hunger threshold breathing out to 11 without feeling like I had to gasp for more air.

I know there's CBT methods to deal with this stuff, but I'm mostly wondering if this nighttime hyperventilation is common or if I should see the doctor about something like sleep apnea - I don't want to start googling!!

Thanks.

[Dafyddjohndavies]

I've had loads of experiences where I wake up in a panic and gasping for air but I don't think it's possible to hyperventilate in your sleep as your body automatically takes over.

Wiki:
Regardless of type, the individual with sleep apnea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Sleep apnea is recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body (sequelae (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/wiki/Sequela)). Symptoms may be present for years (or even decades) without identification, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to the daytime sleepiness and fatigue (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/wiki/Fatigue_(medical)) associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance.

Don't think its that mate. Light headedness is a definite symptom of anxiety. Go to your doctor regardless just so you can put your mind at ease.

Oh and the 7-11 breathing can be very difficult to do if your struggling. I've changed to a different method that is a lot lot easier to do.

It's called quadbreathing i think, anyway:

Breathe in slowly for 2 seconds
hold for 2 seconds
breathe out gently for 2 seconds
hold for 2 seconds.

Start off with 2 sec then increase to 3, then 4.

Eventually you will calm down and feel better... again try to ignore the air hunger, but if it's too much then allow yourself a deep breath in, just don't get down on yourself.

[suziavah]

i have all these symtoms .....its soooo hard ...i feel for you .... xx