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Is 94% Of Oxygen In Body A Cause For Concern?
Question: I read some stuff on line that sounds like my symtoms of feeling like I am not getting enough air. they say that peoples body gives them extra oxygen when they are upset, and when they calm down their breathing goes back to normal. but they say after a while it doesnt go back to normal and you feel like you are not getting enough oxygen. , but you are getting too much oxygen. can this really happen? I went to doctor on call and he said i have 94% oxygen.
I do have asthma but I never wheeze, I rarely take my inhalers because I forget and I don't feel the need for it but I am now. I am a smoker but I have cut way down. I was tested for copd 2 years ago and they said I didn't have it, and I rarely get sick. I do have Gerd but since I have gotten this I have had no problems with it because now I have changed my eating habits. I wanted you to have this extra information. First, I want to know if what is on the internet is true. Is it possible to be getting too much oxygen and it making you feel like you don't have enough oxygen? Does that make sense medically? because people on line are saying that your brain is confused and giving your body wrong message so your getting too much oxygen. And of course what are your ideas and treatmentS.
I do have asthma but I never wheeze, I rarely take my inhalers because I forget and I don't feel the need for it but I am now. I am a smoker but I have cut way down. I was tested for copd 2 years ago and they said I didn't have it, and I rarely get sick. I do have Gerd but since I have gotten this I have had no problems with it because now I have changed my eating habits. I wanted you to have this extra information. First, I want to know if what is on the internet is true. Is it possible to be getting too much oxygen and it making you feel like you don't have enough oxygen? Does that make sense medically? because people on line are saying that your brain is confused and giving your body wrong message so your getting too much oxygen. And of course what are your ideas and treatmentS.
Brief Answer:
Hyperventilation syndrome
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for your query.
I understand your concern.
You are referring to a condition called hyperventilation. When you have a feeling of suffocation or not getting enough breath, you breath faster. This does not increase the oxygen content of the blood as it s already 95%, but drives out the carbon dioxide. This produces several problems like alteration of the pH of the blood, the amount of ionized calcium etc. As a result you may have numbness, tingling and in severe cases spasm of muscles of the hands and legs, twitching etc.
The treatment is simple. You can take a paper bag, cover your nose and mouth with it and breath deeply in and out of the bag. Your symptoms would subside if it is due to hyperventilation.
This is often related to anxiety and if so you should learn to relax, eat healthy wholesome food, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
Take care
Hyperventilation syndrome
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for your query.
I understand your concern.
You are referring to a condition called hyperventilation. When you have a feeling of suffocation or not getting enough breath, you breath faster. This does not increase the oxygen content of the blood as it s already 95%, but drives out the carbon dioxide. This produces several problems like alteration of the pH of the blood, the amount of ionized calcium etc. As a result you may have numbness, tingling and in severe cases spasm of muscles of the hands and legs, twitching etc.
The treatment is simple. You can take a paper bag, cover your nose and mouth with it and breath deeply in and out of the bag. Your symptoms would subside if it is due to hyperventilation.
This is often related to anxiety and if so you should learn to relax, eat healthy wholesome food, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
Take care
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I do feel better today that started last night. I had taken betaine hydrochloride last night and went to the bathroom all night long. Acually, I am not sure if Im better or not bacause I am breathing heavier than usual other than taking a deep breath every 1 or two minutes, I am taking deeper breaths constantly. I don't know what is going on. I was feeling better and the paper bag thing made me feel worse. Are you telling me that I can hyperventilate for over a week?
Brief Answer:
Requires further investigation
Detailed Answer:
If it has been going on for a week, it is not the usual hyperventilation syndrome.If breathing out of a bag makes it worse, other causes have to be considered. It may be from a benign cause like sighing or can be from a more serious problem like a pulmonary congestion.
If you have not seen a cardiologist, it would be good to see one and have yourself examined and a chest X ray taken. If the x-ray is suggestive, the cardiologist may want to do an echocardiogram.
Requires further investigation
Detailed Answer:
If it has been going on for a week, it is not the usual hyperventilation syndrome.If breathing out of a bag makes it worse, other causes have to be considered. It may be from a benign cause like sighing or can be from a more serious problem like a pulmonary congestion.
If you have not seen a cardiologist, it would be good to see one and have yourself examined and a chest X ray taken. If the x-ray is suggestive, the cardiologist may want to do an echocardiogram.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Wow.Just when I was feeling better about it. So it can be caused by sighing?what can I do for that? I do XXXXXXX a lot. I get frustrated easily, but other than that I feel I live a reasonably happy life. I don't feel depressed, at least not until this came along. Can it be caused by anxiety? I have an app. with my psychiatrist Friday. I am pretty sure she will prescribe me some klonopin. I am on anti-depressants,and she prescribed klonopin before, but I only took 2 and I was doing fine so I told her I didn't need another prescription.Then I eventually threw them away because they were a year old. Before I didn't want to take them but now I believe I need them, either to make this feeling with breathing to go away, or make it easier to deal with it. The reason I didn't want to take the klonopin is because I took one a day for a year, and one day I woke up in the middle of the night and wanted one. So I figured something was wrong; I had to either take more or get off of them. I told my psychiatrist that I wanted to get off of them. But she just said to quit taking them. I tried but I couldn't even cut down so I had to devise my own solution. I asked her to prescribe me buspar because I know it is not as bad as klonopin. so that's how I cut it down. I took half and half. So now I am going to try to get both so I can just use the klonopin once in a while. It seems like I know more about it than she does. Plus the klonopin was hurting my memory and I am in college and I am always learning how to do different things on the internet. So what do you think I should be doing right now? Should I learn yoga and do breathing exercises?
Brief Answer:
Suggestions follow
Detailed Answer:
Anxiety which is often coupled with depression to some extent is the usual cause.
Yoga and breathing exercise like Pranayama would help. Follow a healthy lifestyle, eat wholesome food and exercise at least 30 minutes a day in addition.
See if you can tolerate a small dose of beta blocker. Inderal in a small dose like 10mg has helped many of my patients. You should not take it if you have confirmed asthma. A selective beta one blocker like concor in small dose like 1.25 mg is tolerated by many of my patients who have only mild asthma. Benzodiazepine like Klonopin leads to dependance as you have already experienced. So reserve it only for times when you feel very anxious. Buspar is a better choice and can be your main medicine.
Take care
Suggestions follow
Detailed Answer:
Anxiety which is often coupled with depression to some extent is the usual cause.
Yoga and breathing exercise like Pranayama would help. Follow a healthy lifestyle, eat wholesome food and exercise at least 30 minutes a day in addition.
See if you can tolerate a small dose of beta blocker. Inderal in a small dose like 10mg has helped many of my patients. You should not take it if you have confirmed asthma. A selective beta one blocker like concor in small dose like 1.25 mg is tolerated by many of my patients who have only mild asthma. Benzodiazepine like Klonopin leads to dependance as you have already experienced. So reserve it only for times when you feel very anxious. Buspar is a better choice and can be your main medicine.
Take care
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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