How do paper bags help with panic attacks?

you breathe carbon dioxide in to the bag and so you then inhale it again when you breathe in, the carbon dioxide levels then go up, and the pH of blood goes down towards the acid end of the pH scale. which will stimulate the hemoglobin to release oxygen into the tissues

They increase the amount of carbon dioxide you inhale and reduce the amount of oxygen which causes a calming effect.

When you have a panic attack, a lot of people breathe too quickly, taking short, sharp breaths. This can make you feel really light-headed and woozy. Breathing into a paper bag makes you 'recycle' your breath so you aren't taking in so much oxygen, which will help you feel less light-headed.

Paper bags create a controlled volume of air for a person to breathe in and you are essentially inhaling your own CO2 because sometimes when you become too overwhelmed and can't breathe properly, you inhale too much oxygen, so this forces the amount you take in to be decreased and helps get you back to a normal rate of intake.

This is a myth.. it's supposed to stop your hyperventilating but recent studies have shown this not to be the case. It's better if you learn to use controlled breathing to bring your panic under control. Search for "breathing techniques for anxiety" and you will be able to find a whole load of 'stuff' to help you.

With panic attacks, you often start to breathe extremely rapid, which feeds your panic attack. Breathing in a paper bag allows you to slow your breathing down and calm down by doing that. It won't make the whole problem go away, but it does help a big deal!

You can only inflate/deflate a paper bag so much before you need to inhale or exhale, so it helps you control your breathing by taking larger breaths than you would without it. Short, shallow breaths may increase your anxiety so it just helps you take deeper breaths, which is good.

They help you to take deep, long breaths and steady your breathing pattern as anxiety can cause hyperventilation that can restrict your CO2 levels and overflow your oxygen levels. In result your body is getting to much oxygen and can't use it efficiently, which can lead to symptoms such as .dry mouth .chest pains .weakness .dizziness .giddiness .heart palpations.

When we hyperventilate, the rapid breathing causes us to lose Carbon Dioxide at a faster rate. This makes our brains start to "freak out" and continue hyperventilating, which can make us light-headed, dizzy, and fog our thinking. A panic attack is a cascade of events, like a line of dominoes falling down. It can be really hard to keep our heads clear during a panic attack, but if you can find a paper bag, breathe a few times into one. What this does is recirculate our exhaled Carbon Dioxide back into our lungs and blood streams. The brain gets to pause after realizing everything is going to be just fine. This can help stop a panic attack from accelerating, and gives us time to restore control.

They help you to steady your breath they help you to concentrate on the breathing and calm it so that your heart rate will settle it works as a distraction you start paying attention to the bag rather then the reason your panicking