rachelm791 t1_j2chchu wrote on December 31, 2022 at 5:36 AM

I guess (without reading the article) it relates to hyperventilation and blood gases (oxygen saturation and co2 levels). So is the premise to rebreathe the expelled co2?

-eightofdiamonds- t1_j2cjz7j wrote on December 31, 2022 at 6:03 AM

Yes! That’s exactly it. Hyperventilation (particularly due to anxiety) messes up the delicate balance between O2 and CO2 levels in the blood, so rebreathing it helps restore that balance.

rachelm791 t1_j2d9eww wrote on December 31, 2022 at 11:32 AM

Need to have a chat with the limbic system

rachelm791 t1_j2cwykd wrote on December 31, 2022 at 8:40 AM

And to stop hyperventilating would probably be a good idea too!

-eightofdiamonds- t1_j2d22th wrote on December 31, 2022 at 9:50 AM

Yeah of course, but it isn’t always as simple as that! The fight-or-flight response that gets activated during panic/anxiety attacks can be pretty potent, so it might take a while for someone to regulate their breathing again.