Dizziness and tingling during breathing exercises: what to do

What to do straight away

1. Stop the exercise. Don’t push through it.
2. Sit or lie down, if you aren’t already.
3. Breathe normally, or slowly and gently through your nose, with small, soft breaths. Let the out-breath be relaxed.
4. Wait a few minutes. The dizziness and tingling usually fade within a few minutes as your carbon dioxide returns to normal.
5. Get up slowly, sitting for a minute before you stand.

Don’t breathe into a paper bag. It can lower your oxygen, and slow, gentle breathing does the same job safely.

Why it happens

When you breathe faster or deeper than your body needs, you blow off carbon dioxide faster than you make it. The level in your blood falls, which narrows blood vessels in your brain and makes nerves more excitable. That causes light-headedness, dizziness, blurred vision, tingling in your fingers, feet or lips, and sometimes cramping of the hands. See carbon dioxide and over-breathing.

It is most common with fast methods such as Wim Hof breathing, but it can happen during slow exercises too, if you make each breath too big. Slow is not the same as deep.

How to stop it happening

• Make the breaths smaller. In slow exercises, each breath should be soft and comfortable, not a big gulp.
• Shorten the counts. If 5 in and 5 out feels like hard work, try 4 and 4, or use the “Faster” setting on the breathe-along guide.
• Leave out the holds at first in box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
• Breathe through your nose, which naturally slows and softens the breath.
• Practise sitting or lying down, never standing, in water or driving.

Other feelings that are normal

• Yawning or sighing as you settle. Common and harmless.
• A mild hunger for air during Buteyko breathing, which is part of the method. It should never become distress.
• Strong emotions, especially in longer sessions. If this happens often or is distressing, stop and consider talking to your GP.
• Feeling more anxious when you focus on your breathing. Some people do, especially at first. Try a different exercise, keep your eyes open, or stop.

When it isn’t the exercise

Call 999 if dizziness comes with chest pain, a racing or irregular heartbeat that doesn’t settle, sudden weakness or numbness on one side, a drooping face, slurred speech, or if you faint and hurt yourself. See your GP if you get dizzy or tingly often when you are not doing breathing exercises: it can be a sign of a breathing pattern disorder or another condition worth checking.