Human bodies are complicated pieces of machinery and many things happen when you hyperventilate. In a nutshell, you start to breath extremely fast when hyperventilating and you begin to suck in more oxygen than the body really needs.

This hyperventilation or rapid breathing can be caused by any number of things but is often associated with stress and anxiety. If you are in a situation that you deem to be very stressful, your body might respond by breathing heavily. A good example that comes to mind is someone who decides to parachute from a plane for the first time or someone faced with a dangerous situation like an attacking animal or robber.

In the case of panic attacks, it is quite common for the victim to hyperventilate as their stress level increases. Their breathing will become more and more rapid which can then lead to lightheadedness and other symptoms often seen with panic attacks.

Once the body detects an imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the system, the result is hyperventilation in an attempt to bring everything back into balance. Sometimes a brown paper bag was used to speed up this process.

The paper bag was supposed to put more carbon dioxide back into your body. Some experts disagree with using this technique and urge sufferers to seek out medical help in case it is not a panic attack but something more serious.

Getting the person to slow down their breathing is one of the best ways to stop hyperventilating. Talking and getting them to relax helps, as well as removing them from the stressful environment.