The bag trick--has anyone else noticed this working?

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I have noticed that if I breathe into a bag so that I re-inhale the same air many times, and do that until I'm out of breath but not ready to pass out, it is followed by a mood improvement. It is a sort of pleasant tranquilized feeling. The effect is greatest when I do this starting out from a bad, depressed mood, in which case I snap back to normal for awhile, but if I'm feeling fine to start out with I just get a very mild euphoria. It doesn't of course solve situations where I'm really seriously upset about something big, but if I it's just little things that have gradually gotten me into a very bad mood I can count on this.

I noticed this once when I was trying to fall asleep in a room with a roommate who was making noise. I got completely under the covers of my bed and tucked them in tightly to seal as much of the noise out as possible, creating a pocket of air inside. To get maximum effect, the amount of trapped air should be enough that I eventually get out of breath, but not so little that I feel dizzy after inhaling two or three times. I was wondering if anyone else has discovered anything similar.

I don't know if this has anything to do with being on the autism spectrum. I think I also am sub-clinically bipolar. I do also notice that my mood is affected slightly by altitude, with me experiencing greater amplitude mood swings at higher altitudes. I live near sea level, and I notice that if I go to around 5000-6000 feet and go hiking, I feel like I (unsurprisingly) have less energy for the first few days, but also when I stop to rest I tend to get the giggles.

As someone quite interested in brain chemistry, I've tried to think of a mechanism for these effects, though I can't say for sure what's going on. My best guess is that the change in blood pH (from changing CO2) and/or the decreased oxygen level affects the balance of ions across the membranes of neurons, changing slightly how neurotransmitters are transported into those cells.

Breathing even moderately elevated carbon dioxide levels (2-4%) is extremely unpleasant and initiates the “gasp for air” reflex even in the presence of elevated oxygen. Conversely, depleted oxygen in the absence of an increase in carbon dioxide causes hypoxia which is extremely dangerous because the victim floats off into a euphoric sleepy state.
We have evolved to react to increasing levels of carbon dioxide proportionately to oxygen depletion – we have rapid detection of increased CO2 directly from the brain tissue itself. Oxygen receptors in the carotid bodies are extremely slow and only evoke physiological changes, i.e. no panic attack or asphyxiation response.
Anesthetic effects only occur at about 14% CO2 – you would need a massive sudden release into a small volume room, e.g. from a cylinder plug blowing – in effect anyone in there would run out gasping for air in a state of total panic before they were in any danger.
We all have the best CO2 detectors invented to date as a by product of being air breathing mammals.

1% Slight, and un-noticeable, increase in breathing rate

2% Breathing becomes deeper, rate increase to 50% above normal. Prolonged exposure (several hours) may cause headache and a feeling of exhaustion

3% Breathing becomes laboured, rate increases to 100% normal. Hearing ability reduced, headache experienced with increase in blood pressure and pulse rate

4 ® 5% Symptoms as above, with signs of intoxication after 30 minute exposure and slight choking feeling

5 ® 10% Characteristic pungent smell noticeable. Breathing very laboured, leading to physical exhaustion. Headache, visual disturbance, ringing in the ears, confusion probably leading to loss of consciousness within minutes

12% Characteristic taste

10 ® 100% Loss of consciousness more rapid, with risk of death from respiratory failure. Hazard to life increased with concentration, even if no oxygen depletion. Concentrations of 20-30% and above are immediately hazardous to life.

You been tested for low CO2 in your blood or too much oxygen - Co2 ratio that the body needs?

People breathe into a paper bag when they begin to hyperventilate...

I worked at a treatment center with teens desperate to get high and this was one of their methods...along with having someone press against them so they couldnt get a full breath until they passed out.I once huffed rubber cement to get the similiar effect....ooops,I was useing those brain cells and miss them now.I do not recommend using anything that restricts the amount of oxygen to the brain.....people have died from doing this.Your paperbag thing seems "safe" but you better be in a safe environment just incase you do pass out,you dont want to hit your head on some sharp coffee table corner.In general,I think there must be better ways of coping.Paperbag huffing could be the slippery slope to Nitrus Oxide(I use to love those wippets).

I think you can get this effect instantly by opening a bottle of something fizzy, taking off the cap and breathing through the nose very close to the open bottle. Instant reaction and it's one of those uncontrollable reactions.

I have heard that breathing into a paper bag (hypo ventilation) can help someone who is having a panic attack calm down.

When two people do this to each other so that they both pass out to get a high, like the kind of mild euphoria you describe, it is called "the choking game." It is very dangerous, and you can die from it Just the other day, I found the website for a school up in Vermont where our church did some volunteer work a couple of years ago. Sadly, I found on their homepage a memorial to one of their students, who died earlier this year from the choking game. They had an informative page on this topic: http://www.concordvtschool.com/news/choking_game.htm


There is another way to calm down: by hyperventilating. In preschool they told us to to take ten deep breaths to calm down if we were angry. Doing this too much can cause a stroke, though, according to Wikipedia.

In their extremes, hyperventilating and hypoventilating can be dangerous.

seen a guy do that to someone else told him to take a deep breathe - then he did you know what to you know where until he passed out & went into shock..

I don't believe any of the people who say this is dangerous. I had a science teacher back in high school who talked about how carbon dioxide is sensed by the brain and how breathing is controlled. He told a story about how he knew kids who would voluntarily hold their breath until they passed out when they were mad. He mentioned that the second these kids passed out, their automatic respiration control centers kicked in, making them regain consciousness within seconds, and that it would be impossible to cause any actual damage this way.

Therefore, unless the bag is somehow tied to your head so that it would remain stuck over your mouth even if you passed out, there is no way to hurt yourself doing this (other than of course falling, but I never hold my breath or breathe into a bag while standing, so that isn't a problem).

About nitrous use, I have no problem with that. I am actually a quite pro-drug person ideologically, even though I haven't done much (I just now am managing to connect with the right people to get stuff).

About that choking game page, that is talking about people who actually cut off the blood flow to their brains for several minutes by tying something around their necks. That is different from re-breathing air. In fact, I have heard that some medical professionals recommend breathing into a bag to prevent hyperventilation.

Also, there are very tellingly no actual statistics presented to back up the claim that kids are killing thousands of brain cells when they are playing these games. It seems anyone who wants to criticize any drug or activity claims that it kills brain cells. At one point people were spreading alarming messages about glue sniffing too (If you're in doubt, see here for details). I do not sniff glue, as I would rather use actual drugs that have more specific effects on the brain, but I'm just pointing out the pattern here.

[As an aside, for those who are interested, the mechanism by which toluene, the most common solvent inhaled recreationally, affects the brain is still not known. I once talked to some scientists who researched the effect of toluene on neurons (and in fact sniffed quite a bit themselves), and while they could reproduce an effect with isolated neurons in culture, they couldn't find the molecular target it was acting on.]

Think anyone who listen's to a teacher saying something stupid like that, is one hell of a fool to listen...

http://www.deadlygameschildrenplay.com/en/home.asp

Them type of test they stand by with the cpr machine's..... and that.....

http://www.deadlygameschildrenplay.com/ ... ictims.asp ( Victims List )

There's something like that called Autoerotic Asphyxia.

Here is a page from a pediatrician that backs up what my science teacher said (and what seems logical):

http://www.drgreene.com/21_1039.html

There also are several sites claiming that breathing into a paper bag for several minutes can prevent panic attacks

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/counselling/lea ... nxiety.htm
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/BHCV ... ttack?open

and one that recommends breath holding to help with "shy bladder"

http://www.paruresis.org/FAQ/faq_page_23.htm

Even if you pass out, you can still breathe fine as long as your mouth and nose are not obstructed.

First site is about baby's not adults.....

/*
UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY & PANIC ATTACKS - You use the paper bag for panic attacks, anxiety you take deep breathes from your diaphragm not your chest....
*/


/*
Q: What is the breath-holding technique? Does it work for everyone?

And this is not to do it for other reason's it is for people who need to piss, and 45sec is the max to hold
*/

Your using example's of dif techniques that have got nothing to do with the way your doing it, the way your doing it is dangerous, it only take's 1 min of lack of oxygen to damage your brain

http://www.choa.org/menus/documents/Our ... injury.pdf might want to take a look at this to see if you got any brain type damage

Signs of a brain injury
– Unusual behavior
– Confusion
– Agitation or mood swings
– Weakness in any part of the body
– Changes in how your child swallows, talks, walks, or controls his bowel and bladder

http://www.deadlygameschildrenplay.com/en/media-tv.asp watch these news storys...

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/breath_holding.htm

hi people, come on, he was only saying that breathing in a paper bag helped him to calm down.

yes, people do that, for example when anxious or something similar.

I'd stick with the "take a deep breath" method, or try to meditate a little.

There was a relaxation method that a guy teached me, it was to breathe, hold the air for 10 seconds, and then exhale trying to make it last 10 seconds, then repeat. It works for me

I'm glad that there is someone here who does more than just criticize, even if he/she can't comment on having tried it. I've only been on here for a little over a week, and I'm already beginning to think that logitechdog really likes trying to spoil other people's fun, from the condescending attitude he's been giving everyone on here about drinking, marijuana, parties, etc. I've decided I'm no longer going to reply to any of his posts when he does that.

As for why I breathe into a bag, it's not really to calm down but to snap out of a depressed mood, or to produce a mild euphoria (sort of like with drinking) usually before going to sleep. It only has to make me a little out of breath to work--it doesn't require that I strangle myself with a rope around my neck or something.

They is fun and they is stupidity all you can do is offer advice if the fool won't take it then ill wait till he hit's the something really bad happening that finally knocks some sense into them, they is other methods of gaining the same effect… I am been a lot lighter than what other people would be so your lucky your getting it from me… Other people will show you the people… & let them talk.. did not know I was against parties & drinking, social drinking is fine....

You don't tactical the depression you just stop it for another day... you will be doing it for the rest of ye life and when that stop's working you will try other methods...

The only time I ever do this is when I have the hiccups. It works very well in getting rid of them. But as soon as I feel like the hiccups are gone, I remove the bag.