Hyperventilated

Now I know what to be blamed for my irrationality (and its slightly more logical follow-up) half a month ago.

Yeah, it was never in the throat, but rather in the breathing system. I came across this on WikiPedia:

In medicine, hyperventilation (or overbreathing) is the state of breathing faster and/or deeper than necessary, bringing about lightheadedness and other undesirable symptoms often associated with panic attacks. Hyperventilation can also be a response to metabolic acidosis, a condition that causes acidic blood pH levels.

Counterintuitively, such side effects are not precipitated by the sufferer’s lack of oxygen or air. Rather, the hyperventilation itself reduces the carbon dioxide concentration of the blood to below its normal level, thereby raising the blood’s pH value (making it more alkaline), initiating constriction of the blood vessels which supply the brain, and preventing the transport of certain electrolytes necessary for the function of the nervous system.

I remember being so hyperactive and light-spirited a few hours before the breakdown. I can still recall how wonderful it was like to be filled with so many oxygens. Then all of a sudden, I dropped down to Earth – or what I would call as the state of normalcy. But the ecstasy highness (of what I believed to be excessive diaphragmatic breathing in order to project my voice loudly) is ten thousand feet above the state of normalcy, so dropping down to Earth is pretty much equivalent to near-death experience – or what the WikiPedia described if you click on “panic attack“:

Panic attacks are very sudden, discrete periods of intense anxiety, mounting physiological arousal, fear, stomach problems and discomfort that are associated with a variety of somatic and cognitive symptoms. The onset of these episodes is typically abrupt, and may have no obvious triggers.

Although these episodes may appear to be random, they are a subset of an evolutionary response commonly referred to as fight or flight that occur out of context. This response floods the body with hormones, particularly epinephrine (adrenaline), that aid it in defending against harm. Experiencing a panic attack is said to be one of the most intensely frightening, upsetting and uncomfortable experiences of a person’s life.

According to the American Psychological Association, the symptoms of a panic attack commonly last approximately thirty minutes. However, panic attacks can be as short as 15 seconds, while sometimes panic attacks may form a cyclic series of episodes, lasting for an extended period, sometimes hours. Often those afflicted will experience significant anticipatory anxiety and limited symptom attacks in between attacks, in situations where attacks have previously occurred.

Panic attacks are commonly linked to agoraphobia and the fear of not being able to escape a bad situation. Many who experience panic attacks feel trapped and unable to free themselves.

The effects of a panic attack vary from person to person. Some, notably first-time sufferers, may call for emergency services. Many who experience a panic attack, mostly for the first time, fear they are having a heart attack or a nervous breakdown.

Or fearing that they would die from singing. I could not agree any less with one of the above-quoted statement, that “experiencing a panic attack is said to be one of the most intensely frightening, upsetting and uncomfortable experiences of a person’s life”.

And let us see what else WikiPedia has to offer. I scrolled down the “panic attack” page into a sub-part about its symptoms:

DSM-IV Diagnostic Criteria for Panic Attack

A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes:

1) palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate [AD: Check!]

2) sweating [AD: A bit, but not intensely. I guess half a score would be appropriate.]

3) trembling or shaking [AD: Thankfully, I did not.]

4) sensations of shortness of breath or smothering [AD: That was the whole point!]

5) feeling of choking [AD: Does feeling of a detached trachea count? Maybe not.]

6) chest pain or discomfort [AD: And I thought my lungs collapsed from its initial position.]

7) nausea or abdominal distress [AD: Kind of, I kept on swallowing did I not?]

8) feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint [AD: Half point for unsteady and lightheaded.]

9) derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself) [AD: To think of how irrational I became.]

10) fear of losing control or going crazy [AD: Not quite. I would have given myself half a point for fearing the inability to control my larynx and whatever, but I guess it does not count.]

11) fear of dying [AD: I am surprised how accurate this diagnostic criteria is.]

12) paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) [AD: Nope.]

13) chills or hot flashes [AD: Nay.]

I scored 7 points out of 13. *shrugs* Yayness!