Does your breathing cause panic attacks, or do panic attacks cause breathing difficulties? There has been much research and the outcome is not conclusive. I will outline the relationship between the two.

The common term for over-breathing is 'hyperventilation', basically it means - breathing too much. How can you breathe too much you may ask?

When we are feeling under threat or anxious about something our body prepares us for action. Part of this process involves the body getting rid of carbon dioxide, it does this by breathing more rapidly. This process expels carbon dioxide to make way for extra oxygen, which the body anticipates it will need to either fight or flee from the problem you are facing. The problem for us is that as the body depletes the carbon dioxide levels you will start to feel pins and needles, for example down your arms to the finger tips. You then interpret this as a sign of an impending panic attack, become frightened and low and behold you have a full blown panic attack.

Here is a quick way of checking that you are breathing properly. When you breathe in your stomach should expand outwards and your chest should remain still; if your chest is moving in and out you are not breathing properly.

Many people breathe improperly and can actually bring on a panic attack by doing this. Worse still many people who have breathing problems often assume that light exercise will help, they participate and what happens, yes they amplify the already flawed breathing pattern and start to experience the pins and needles and again interpret this as an oncoming panic attack.

Research has shown that it is often the misinterpretation of the bodily symptoms of rapid breathing that incite a panic attack through fear of the symptoms. So yes, breathing and panic attacks are closely related, some say it is hyperventilating that causes the attack and some say it is the fear of the symptoms of hyperventilating that causes the attack.

Either way for you the sufferer it doesn't matter too much, your main concern should be learning to breathe properly. Start out with this simple exercise: - place your hand on your abdomen, breathe in slowly and gently, your hand should rise and fall slowly as you breathe in and out, meanwhile place your other hand on your chest and check that it remains still during breathing.

This is one of many steps you can take to control your panic attacks. You owe it to yourself to investigate further and get to the root of the problem, it's worth it!

Bobby Jonnes (Ba Hons Psychology) has an in depth knowledge of what works and what doesn't.