How Healthy are you?
The symptoms of hyperventilation (breathing more than your body needs) often appear totally unrelated to breathing.
For example, sweaty palms or feeling ‘spaced out’ do not appear to have any direct link with moving air in and out of the body, yet they are commonly associated with dysfunctional breathing.
To check how likely it is that you hyperventilate, take this test and rate yourself on a scale of 0 — 4 for the following symptoms:
Take the Test!
0 is never
1 is rare
2 is sometimes
3 is often
4 is very often.
Poor concentration, mental fatigue, confusion,
forgetful, ‘spaced out’
0 1 2 3 4
Feeling tense, apprehensive, anxious, panicky,
or fearful without reason e.g. fear of stuffy rooms
0 1 2 3 4
Short temper, irritable
0 1 2 3 4
Mild depression
0 1 2 3 4
Mild obsession in regard to habits, objects or people
0 1 2 3 4
Frequent urination
0 1 2 3 4
Nausea, ‘butterflies’ in stomach
0 1 2 3 4
Bloated abdomen, flatulence or belching
0 1 2 3 4
Constipation with intermittent diarrhoea
0 1 2 3 4
Loss of libido
0 1 2 3 4
Impotence
0 1 2 3 4
Stiffness in fingers, arms or around the mouth
0 1 2 3 4
Trembling, tic or twitching
0 1 2 3 4
Muscle tightness or cramps
0 1 2 3 4
Tingling or numbness in fingers, feet or lips
0 1 2 3 4
Cold hands and feet
0 1 2 3 4
Itching, dry skin, eczema or rashes
0 1 2 3 4
Sweaty palms/feet/armpits or feeling hot all over
0 1 2 3 4
Hot or cold flushes
0 1 2 3 4
Licking dry lips
0 1 2 3 4
Pains in bones or joints
0 1 2 3 4
Headaches
0 1 2 3 4
Chest pains that are not heart-related
0 1 2 3 4
Lacking stamina, feeling chronically tired or physically exhausted
0 1 2 3 4
Muscle weakness, ‘jelly’ legs
0 1 2 3 4
Erratic blood sugar levels
0 1 2 3 4
Sleeping badly e.g. insomnia, vivid dreams, nightmares,
shuddering in sleep, snoring, waking frequently,
grinding teeth or still feeling tired after a long sleep
0 1 2 3 4
Shallow breathing, using the upper chest to breathe
0 1 2 3 4
Erratic breathing e.g. a deep breath every few minutes; rapid breathing spaced with long pauses; breathing without pause
0 1 2 3 4
Fast or deep breathing
0 1 2 3 4
Yawning or sighing
0 1 2 3 4
Breathing through mouth
0 1 2 3 4
Difficulty in taking a deep breath
0 1 2 3 4
Short of breath, breathless
0 1 2 3 4
Chest tightness or constriction
0 1 2 3 4
Airways are extra-sensitive
0 1 2 3 4
Excessive mucus production
0 1 2 3 4
Coughing
0 1 2 3 4
Allergies, rhinitis, hay fever
0 1 2 3 4
Sneezing
0 1 2 3 4
Blocked or running nose
0 1 2 3 4
Reduced sense of smell
0 1 2 3 4
Bad breath
0 1 2 3 4
Dry mouth
0 1 2 3 4
Dental or gum problems
0 1 2 3 4
Throat clearing repeatedly
0 1 2 3 4
Ringing in ears
0 1 2 3 4
Light-headed or feeling dizzy
0 1 2 3 4
Pounding, rapid or erratic heartbeat
0 1 2 3 4
High blood pressure
0 1 2 3 4
Varicose veins
0 1 2 3 4
Colds, flu or chest infections
0 1 2 3 4
Prone to sickness
0 1 2 3 4
Visual disturbances e.g. flashes or shadows before the eye,
blurred or tunnel vision or impaired night vision,
sudden deterioration of vision
0 1 2 3 4
Scoring at least 3 for 6 or more symptoms indicates a tendency towards hyperventilation (breathing more than your body needs) and the carbon dioxide syndrome, which responds favourably to learning the Buteyko Method.