Jac 2009
02-11-09, 18:08
This really works for hyperventilation - it's based on Buteyko.
If you get breathless for no good reason then you are probably hyperventilating - breathing too much and so taking in too much oxygen. It's really important for your body function that you have a balanced amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide.Your body compensates for this by making it more difficult for you to breathe and so you are forced to take in less oxygen and it feels as though you are suffocating. By the way, taking deep breaths, as we're all told to do, is the worst thing you can do because you don't breathe out sufficiently.
You MUST breathe using your diaphram - your stomach should go out when you breathe in and in when you breathe out. You can practice this by putting a hand on your stomach just below your ribs and making sure it moves properly as you breathe. Try noticing how you breathe when you are breathless - I bet you are breathing from your ribs and not your diaphram.
It's much better if you do this at first when you are only slightly breathless and not too panicked - it's harder when you are in the middle of a full blown panic attack. Breathe in normally - not too deeply. Breathe out normally and then hold your breath. Some people can only hold their breath for a couple of seconds to start but it rapidly becomes longer the more you practice. Do this for a few minutes - it may take longer because you're not doing it that efficiently. The longer you can hold your breath for, the better but it still works if only a few seconds.
It sounds really simple and it is but I promise it works much better than breathing in for 7 and out for 11 - although that is the same principle. It's really important that you hold your breath AFTER you've breathed out not before. When it start it feels like the complete opposite of what you want to do but give it a try - it can't hurt you and hopefully it will do you good.
Let me know if it helps.
Jac x
If you get breathless for no good reason then you are probably hyperventilating - breathing too much and so taking in too much oxygen. It's really important for your body function that you have a balanced amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide.Your body compensates for this by making it more difficult for you to breathe and so you are forced to take in less oxygen and it feels as though you are suffocating. By the way, taking deep breaths, as we're all told to do, is the worst thing you can do because you don't breathe out sufficiently.
You MUST breathe using your diaphram - your stomach should go out when you breathe in and in when you breathe out. You can practice this by putting a hand on your stomach just below your ribs and making sure it moves properly as you breathe. Try noticing how you breathe when you are breathless - I bet you are breathing from your ribs and not your diaphram.
It's much better if you do this at first when you are only slightly breathless and not too panicked - it's harder when you are in the middle of a full blown panic attack. Breathe in normally - not too deeply. Breathe out normally and then hold your breath. Some people can only hold their breath for a couple of seconds to start but it rapidly becomes longer the more you practice. Do this for a few minutes - it may take longer because you're not doing it that efficiently. The longer you can hold your breath for, the better but it still works if only a few seconds.
It sounds really simple and it is but I promise it works much better than breathing in for 7 and out for 11 - although that is the same principle. It's really important that you hold your breath AFTER you've breathed out not before. When it start it feels like the complete opposite of what you want to do but give it a try - it can't hurt you and hopefully it will do you good.
Let me know if it helps.
Jac x