What effect does hyperventilation have on carbon dioxide levels in the blood?

Hyperventilation refers to a condition where a person breathes at an abnormally fast rate, leading to an excessive expulsion of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the body. When hyperventilation occurs, the rate of breathing surpasses the body’s metabolic demand for oxygen, resulting in a significant decrease in CO2 levels in the blood, a condition known as hypocapnia.

As CO2 is a byproduct of cellular respiration, its levels are tightly regulated by the respiratory system. When you hyperventilate, you are essentially blowing off CO2 too quickly for the body to replace it, thereby reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. This decrease in CO2 levels can also lead to a rise in blood pH, resulting in respiratory alkalosis, which can affect physiological processes in the body.

Thus, the correct understanding of the effect of hyperventilation is that it causes a decrease in carbon dioxide levels in the blood.