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Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. Please turn on JavaScript and try again. Main Content. Important Phone Numbers. When someone suffers from a panic attack due to excessive stress or overwork, their brain reacts by decreasing their supply of carbon dioxide.
This causes symptoms like tightness in the chest and difficulty breathing—symptoms also attributed to asthma. In the case of a panic attack, breathing into a paper bag proves effective because it increases the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. But for reasons outlined below, the paper bag technique does not have the same efficacy for asthmatics as their trusty inhalers and prescribed medications. They are two totally different occurrences despite sharing symptoms, and their treatments are not interchangeable.
Though someone undergoing a panic attack will have difficulty breathing just like an asthmatic, the problem lies in their lack of carbon dioxide , and not in the obstruction of their airways. In contrast, an asthmatic will cough, wheeze, and breathe in a laboured manner because their airways are inflamed and filled with mucus.
The second key lies in knowing what a paper bag cannot offer asthmatics. A plain paper bag does not serve the same function as an inhaler, which allows the asthmatic to breathe in corticosteroids or cortisone-like medicines. When inhaled, these medicines bring inflammation down in the airways, halt excessive mucus production, and relieve discomfort in the chest.
Perhaps the giveaway symptom that differentiates hyperventilation from asthma is over-breathing. Awareness of proper first aid methods will go a long way in relieving a victim of an asthma attack. Asthma is very common in Australia, and anyone you know could suddenly get an asthma attack without being prepared for it.
But as a trained first-aider, you can be the one prepared to take charge of the situation. Come sharpen your first aid skills, and learn to tackle more complex challenges such as treating asthma in child care or education settings , with certified training organisation Australia Wide First Aid. Actually, having very low carbon dioxide levels in your blood causes an imbalance in your body. Low carbon dioxide also leads to low oxygen levels. This can lower blood and oxygen flow to your brain.
Breathing into a paper bag is a technique that can help you regulate hyperventilation. It works by putting some of the lost carbon dioxide back into your lungs and body. This helps to balance oxygen flow in your body. However, breathing into a paper bag must be done properly and may not work for everyone. Medical research on using it to help hyperventilation is divided on whether it really works. Other medical review studies find that breathing into a paper bag can help some patients with hyperventilation.
Always use a small paper bag, not a plastic one. This can be especially dangerous for smaller children and older adults.
Other causes of hyperventilating include an asthma attack, fever, or other illnesses. You might have other anxiety symptoms like:.
Tell your healthcare provider or mental health professional if you have symptoms of an anxiety attack often or hyperventilate frequently. Breathing into a paper bag may help you breathe better during an anxiety or panic attack. This breathing technique can help some people regulate hyperventilation.
However, it may not work for everyone. You can hyperventilate for many reasons, including some health conditions.
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