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CHOC Childrens

Children's Hospital of Orange County
CHOC.org
455 South Main Street
Orange, CA 92868-3874
(714) 997-3000


What Does Hyperventilate Mean?

Hyperventilate

Say: hi-pur-VEN-tuh-layte

Have you ever breathed too deeply? How about too quickly? Put those two things together and you will be hyperventilating.

When you hyperventilate, there is less carbon dioxide in your blood. This can make you feel lightheaded, short of breath, and numb or tingly in your hands and feet. Different things can make you hyperventilate, like a fever, intense exercise, or stress.