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By Dr. Artour Rakhimov, Buteyko breathing teacher and educator

All other factors mentioned previously lead to chronic hyperventilation. Chronic hyperventilation causes the brain of modern man to be over-excited. As a result, people often perceive threats and become stressed, when there is no genuine reason. Stress, instead of being a healthy challenge, becomes another cause of chronic hyperventilation. In animals, stress also results in hyperventilation, together with other elements of the “fight-or-flight” response (e.g., hormonal rush). However, animals usually fight, or flee, seconds after the challenge. They exercise and their breathing gets back to normal sooner rather than later. Most modern humans, on the other hand, feel stressed and anxious, without getting involved in physical activity later.

Is it fair to claim that modern man experiences more stress now than our primitive predecessors did in the past? Many primitive people probably had daily situations when their lives were seriously threatened. Are there many people nowadays, who face death on a daily basis? Very few do. Hence, from an objective viewpoint, people in the past had much more stress. However, the excited mental states of modern people can make their lives too stressful and anxious due to over-reactions to ordinary and non-threatening situations.

This is an example of a vicious circle. Stress, along with other factors, causes chronic hyperventilation. In its turn, chronic hyperventilation impairs normal perception, resulting in more stress. This new stress can be generated even in non-violent situations.

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