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(Our happy hour fact to amaze your pub-going pals with.)
Scientists say they have solved the puzzle of why people struggle to breathe when they have a panic attack.In the past the reaction has confused men in white coats as it limits the bodies' ability to deal with extreme pressure, thus opposing the 'fight or flight' response.
New research shows that the parts of the brain which register fear and suffocation are linked and scientists believe that a "short circuiting" in the area is what causes trouble breathing during a panic attack.
The study, by researchers at the University of Iowa in the USA, suggests that humans evolved to register fear when they are being suffocated.
"Because oxygen-breathing organisms are under a constant threat of (suffocation), it could be argued that the threat of suffocation has had a primary influence on shaping the brain's defensive systems," said Stephen Marin of the University of Michigan.
