Kids Awareness Series

One of the main symptoms that occurs when a teen or adult has a panic attack is hyperventilation. There are basically two kinds of hyperventilation-acute and chronic. Acute hyperventilation is when you start gasping for breaths of air when you are having a panic attack and chronic hyperventilation is much more subtle and occurs when someone is overbreathing. Up to 80 percent of those who hyperventilate tend to sigh and yawn frequently. In addition, they are usually mouth breathers. Breathing through the nose seems to take more effort especially for those who are panicky.
So what are the signs to look for to know whether you are hyperventilating:

frequent sighing, gasps, yawning, coughing, or clearing of the throat
breathing through the mouth
you are taking eighteen or more breaths a minute when you are relaxed
shortness of breath
giddiness
lightheadness
heart palpitations

Some other symptoms are:
tremors, chest pain, dry mouth, clammy hands, swallowing difficulty, sweating, weakness and fatigue, and numbness or tingling sensations.

Hyperventilation as seen in panic disorder is usually brought on as an emotional reaction to stress. However, hyperventilation can also occur as the result of poor breathing habits. Breathing retraining is highly recommended in order to bring the symptom of hyperventilation under control. Consult a mental health professional if breathing retraining or breathing exercises to promote relaxation are needed.