breath holding

[occb]

I just saw a video about behaviours that mimic epilepsy and one of the things was breath-holding spells in children. They may be due to epilepsy, but most times are not.

My partner, when he was little, once held his breath until he passed out, and then knocked his noggin on the toilet (stubborn, stubborn ). He was unconscious for a while after. I became curious and wondered if anyone else here was a breath holder as a youngster too.

[Rae1889]

Yup, me and my sister. mostly after we got yelled at and were "stressed" out from getting in trouble or being scared.

[occb]

did you ever faint/pass out from it?


I was never a breath-holder. My moods always changed for the better far too quckly.

[Rae1889]

Oh yeah.

My sister would be a silent crying mess. Like your crying really hard but not making a sound cuz she'd not breathe.

With me, if I cried real hard I'd realize that I couldn make my self breathe so I'd try and make screechy noises then pass out

[flinnigan]

WOW kids little buggers. Are they related to epilepsy in any way?

[Bernard]

... I became curious and wondered if anyone else here was a breath holder as a youngster too.

Only when swimming underwater or when driving past a cemetery (stupid superstition - lol).

[Rae1889]

Only when swimming underwater or when driving past a cemetery (stupid superstition - lol).

AHAHAHAH!!! yes I used o hold my breath past cemeteries too! and put my hand on the roof when going under a bridge and lifting my feet over train tracks. lol

[Meetz1064]

I did ALL of those things!!

[Jen]

I actually just posted this in another thread. But breath holding spells aren't related to epilepsy necessarily. My oldest brother had this as a child. It would happen for no reason just out of the blue. The doctors said that it would usually stop around 5-6. It did. Alot of famous people have mistakenly been classified as epileptic when they simply had breath holding spells.

[Cinnabar]

I agree that breath holding spells are not necessarily related to Epilepsy but conscious breathing techinques like Pranayama in yoga (one of many techniques) can cause problems. Inducing seizures is one of them. It has to do with the slow deep breathing involved. And I'm sure neurologists could shed more light onto how it affects brain receptors.

It is extremely important to remember that Pranayama techniques or any other form of deep breathing practices for relaxation can be dangerous, especially for people with Epilepsy. I've read that it's strongly recommended that one discuss deep breathing excersizes with your doctor as to whether or not if it is safe for you. I will strongly suggest that any form of deep breathing be avoided. Save yourself a trip to the doctor.

I've practiced Pranyama for several years under yogi supervision. Up until my first seizure it was a good method for relaxation and getting in touch with my core.

Relating to Pranayama breathing: The day of my first seizure, Tonic Clonic, I had little sleep the night before. Pressed myself with errands the next day, nevertheless. Came home to a household upset and went into my room to practice Pranyama in order to calm down. The slow deep breathing became quickly out of control and I found myself hyperventilating. There was no way I was able to get a handle on this. Panic upon more panic. The next thing I remember was an oxegen mask being placed over my face while in the ambulance.

After this first seizure, of course, I began allot of reading and learned that "deep breathing" of any sort should "not" be practiced by Epilepsy patients.

I've often heard here..."Just take a deep breath". A kind of colloquialism, meant to say "calm down". Do not take it literally! Light, easy breathing....please.

[flinnigan]

WOW I'd never heard that in fact my old neurologist used to recommend it. I haven't practiced Yoga for years and actually used to date my yoga teacher who had been studying it for a long time. He used to get jealous of how intense my meditations where, I since learned the source of my "visions" could never have been reached by him, but I'll never tell him let him stay jealous.

[epileric]

I always thought that hyperventilation can trigger a seizure, not long, deep controlled breathing.

I try to stop seizures by breathing long & deep when I feel an aura.

[Cinnabar]

Flinnigan - I, too, have a new vision of my visions!

epileric - What I'm saying, in my case, was that the long deep breathing led to hyperventilating which led to the seizure. Overbreathing induces alkalosis, which is a known trigger of seizures.

Have you been successful fending off seizures by breathing long and deep?

[epileric]

What I feel during a seizure is my heart rate increasing. That usually means I'm hyperventilating though I'm not always aware of it. By taking longer & slower breaths when feeling my heart rate incresase I've found that sometimes it will stop or lessen an oncoming seizure.

[Cinnabar]

That's the key "longer and slower breaths." I hear you now.

[momofevan]

my 2 year old does this while crying...the silents cries noted above from one of the other posters....he just did this the other day..and his face started turning a bit bluish....i blow in his face and he catches his breath.....my niece who does not have a seizure disorder has also been known to do this along with her mother (my sister did this when she was younger)....

[Evergirl62884]

when i was younger i had breath holding spells...also I'm not sure what this is or if anyone had encountered it. Little light balls floating in my vision. They look like fireflies. It probably has something to do with low blood sugar.

[Nakamova]

When I'm doing relaxation breathing I do the inhale for 5 beats and exhale for 8 -- it seems to work for me. I've never had the hyperventilation problem.

[sayyadina]

I try to stop seizures by breathing long & deep when I feel an aura.

My husband uses the same technique and it has been successful on many occasions.