How to Treat Hyperventilation

1). Look for any of these signs and symptoms of hyperventilation: high anxiety, rapid and deep breathing, rapid pulse, a feeling of suffocation, dizziness or faintness, dry mouth, numbness in the hands and around the mouth, a feeling of paralysis in the hands, stabbing chest pain.
2). Calm the person down by identifying the source of anxiety and addressing it. Hyperventilation is often triggered in wilderness settings by a fear of heights, by equipment failures, or by a minor injury that causes anxiety.
3). Communicate continually with the injured person: explain that even though he or she feels a need for more oxygen, the problem is that he or she is getting too much of it, and that the symptoms will go away as breathing calms down.
4). Have the person breath into a stuff sack or other bag, covering both the nose and mouth with the bag. This will increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood.