Feeling of wind being knocked out?

[johnhjohn]

I'm 18 years old and have never had heart problems (I played basketball for my high school team with no symptoms) but I have recently been having sensations that the wind is being knocked out of me.  They don't occur often, and I don't feel anything in my heart, but it feels like I lost my breath for a split second that I make up for with a deep breath.  I have no idea what it could be related to, but all I could find related to my symptom pointed me in this direction.  Could this be Arrhythmia or another heart-related problem? Or could it be digestive or related to the lungs?

[LiliZornes]

My husband has something like this happening to him.. started 12 years ago and typically happens when he's asleep. it wakes all of us up because he can only inhale but not exhale.. the only thing I can do to make it stop is take him outside if it's cold or open the freezer and put his head in.. the cold air opens his lungs back up so he can breathe... he's had sleep tests done but no one knows what causes it or how to treat it... it's scary.  Happened twice last night and the first one nearly took him away from here. He says it feels like someone has hit him in the chest and knocked the wind out of him.

[achillea]

The cold air does NOT open his lungs back up.  That is not how it works.

You need to get him to his doc for an evaluation.

[kenkeith]

Quote: Could this be Arrhythmia or another heart-related problem? Or could it be digestive or related to the lungs?....I lost my breath for a split second that I make up for with a deep breath. .

I occasionally have the same event (but not a sensation of the wind being knocked),  and respiratory muscle spasm can be the underlying cause. I can't see how it could be related to the heart, but if frequent it could be neurological and related to then phrenic nerve disorder.

[ed34]

I would mention it to your Doctor. When adults do lots of exercise, their heart adapts and this is commonly known as athletes heart. According to my cardiologist, this adaptation can cause problems in some people and so anything odd like you describe is worth checking out. What you don't want to do is ignore it and end up with a serious heart defect. A Cardiologist will determine if you have any forming problems with a few simple tests.

[kay2486]

when do you get these symptoms? it could be something as little as stress or anxiety, if you have something on your mind, i have anxiety and if somethings bugging me and dont talk about it then i'd feel breathless out of the blue, just have a word with  your doctors its probably nothing