Do you suffer from tingling in your hands, feet and/or face and are your muscles not doing what they normally do, sometimes in the form of muscle twitching or perhaps you feel more of a throbbing sensation? Chronic hyperventilation could well be the cause of this. But where do these symptoms come from and will they go away on their own?
Hyperventilation
There are two types of hyperventilation, an acute and a chronic form. Both have many side effects including tingling and muscle twitching. The problem lies in the wrong, too fast and/or too deep way of breathing. If you don’t know you have hyperventilation, the symptoms can be very frightening. Hyperventilation is not dangerous, but treatment is necessary because it is very annoying. An attack is also usually a response to stress, anxiety or panic. The chronic form is often very difficult to recognize because the victim has more or less trained himself to breathe too quickly and therefore does so constantly. If you have complaints such as tingling and muscle twitching, it is advisable to have your carbon dioxide level (CO2) measured by your doctor.
Tingling and twitching
The tingling sensation that can be felt during chronic hyperventilation is a direct result of incorrect breathing. If you breathe normally and calmly, you breathe in the right amount of oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. If you breathe too quickly, and therefore hyperventilate, you inhale more oxygen and exhale more carbon dioxide. Breathing in extra oxygen does no harm, but exhaling too much carbon dioxide does have unpleasant consequences. This causes, among other things, tingling that can be felt especially around the mouth, in the fingers and in the feet. But tingling may also be noticeable in other places.
Because you exhale too much carbon dioxide, the carbon dioxide levels in your blood drop, causing a carbon dioxide deficiency. Your body counteracts and increases the PH value of the blood. Muscles respond immediately to a high PH blood value and start producing lactic acid. This causes the muscles in your body to contract. It can sometimes be very painful or cause long-lasting muscle pain. Sometimes it feels like a cramp, sometimes you feel throbbing or shaking muscles. Veins and blood vessels also narrow, causing less oxygen to reach the brain and other organs.
In many cases, anxiety arises during (chronic) hyperventilation, and anxiety is a major culprit for hyperventilation. So you feed yourself again and again and often victims end up in a vicious circle of fear and hyperventilation. It is important to discover this early and do something about it. If it is discovered too late, victims of hyperventilation often take their fears a step too far and they also become victims of hypochondria.
What can you do yourself to prevent it?
Provided you catch it in time, acute hyperventilation is relatively easy to treat. An attack is clearly recognizable and you can restore the CO2 shortage by, for example, breathing calmly into a paper bag. If you don’t have a bag, use your hands by cupping them around your nose and mouth. If the symptoms subside, no further medical attention is required. If in doubt, always consult a doctor.
Chronic hyperventilation can also be treated with proper breathing exercises. But remember, the later it is discovered, the longer the recovery will take. Your breathing center will have to readjust completely again. Relaxation exercises will help you stay calmer in times of stress. Anti-anxiety medications can also be very helpful in controlling anxiety, both available with a doctor’s prescription and from the alternative sector.
Ensure that the CO2 deficiency and thus the PH value of your blood is restored and, in the long term, annoying symptoms such as tingling and muscle twitching will disappear.
NB! Do not make any diagnoses yourself, but have yourself examined by a doctor. This can tell you whether your complaints are actually caused by hyperventilation. Once the diagnosis is correct, you can start with exercises.
