Hyperventilation

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title: "Hyperventilation" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["breathing-abnormalities"] description: "Excessive breathing" topic_path: "general/breathing-abnormalities" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperventilation" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Excessive breathing ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox medical condition (new)"]

Field	Value
name	Hyperventilation
synonyms	Overbreathing
field	Pulmonology
symptoms	Rapid breathing to the point where the body eliminates more carbon dioxide than it can produce
complications	Fainting
::

| name = Hyperventilation | synonyms = Overbreathing | field = Pulmonology | symptoms = Rapid breathing to the point where the body eliminates more carbon dioxide than it can produce | complications = Fainting | onset = | duration = | types = | causes = | risks = | diagnosis = | differential = | prevention = | treatment = | medication = | prognosis = | frequency = | deaths = | image = | alt = | caption = Hyperventilation is irregular breathing that occurs when the rate or tidal volume of breathing eliminates more carbon dioxide than the body can produce. This leads to hypocapnia, a reduced concentration of carbon dioxide dissolved in the blood. The body normally attempts to compensate for this homeostatically, but if this fails or is overridden, the blood pH will rise, leading to respiratory alkalosis. This increases the affinity of oxygen to hemoglobin and makes it harder for oxygen to be released into body tissues from the blood. The symptoms of respiratory alkalosis include dizziness, tingling in the lips, hands, or feet, headache, weakness, fainting, and seizures. In extreme cases, it may cause carpopedal spasms, a flapping and contraction of the hands and feet.

Factors that may induce or sustain cardiovascular problems such as pulmonary embolisms, anemia, an incorrectly calibrated medical respirator, and adverse reactions to certain drugs. Hyperventilation can also be induced intentionally to achieve an altered state of consciousness such as in the choking game, during breathwork, or in an attempt to extend a breath-hold dive.

References

References

1. (2005). "Textbook of medical physiology". W.B. Saunders.
2. (2012). "Harrison's principles of internal medicine.". McGraw-Hill.
3. (30 August 2015). "Acid-base Physiology".
4. (5 August 2016). "Respiratory Alkalosis: Background, Pathophysiology, Epidemiology". eMedicine.
5. "eMedicine - Hyperventilation Syndrome: Article by Edward Newton, MD".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::