IMPORTANT

BREATHING INTO A PAPER BAG IS ONLY USEFUL FOR CERTAIN CAUSES OF HYPERVENTILATION—FOR OTHERS, IT CAN MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE!

basically, carbon dioxide as a waste product that, when dissolved in the blood, makes it more acidic. when someone is blowing off too much carbon dioxide but is otherwise physically healthy, for example during to an anxiety attack, breathing into a paper bag helps to recoup some of that carbon dioxide, thereby keeping their blood from getting too basic. this important because everything in our body works best within a really very narrow pH range, as all of our body’s functions are optimised for that range and may work poorly or even not at all out of it.

IF, however, a person is hyperventilating as compensation for their blood being too acidic, such as with kidney problems or certain toxic substances, breathing into a paper bag is a HUGE mistake, as it interferes with the lungs trying to fix the acidity as best as they can!

another reason for hyperventilation is low oxygen levels in blood, even when CO2 may be normal or high. this can be do to a very wide range of things—there’s no one sign that’s guaranteed to always be there—but you may notice they are blue or grayish around the edges, especially around the lips and nails. it goes without saying that these people also should not be made to rebreathe from a paper bag, since they’re gasping for more oxygen, not trying to blow off more carbon dioxide.

that’s why it’s really very important to have a good idea of why someone is hyperventilating before trying to treat it. even in case of anxiety attacks, unless they’re common and the person having them is aware of what’s going on, rather than giving them a paper bag, it’s better to have them: sit or lay down, ideally with the head level with the heart and help them through breathing/mindfulness exercises. sometimes one kind of hyperventilation masks itself as another, so without the ability to check blood tests, better safe than sorry 💕