Aa
Can't get a deep breath / Difficulty Breathing
Hi - I've been having difficulty breathing for at least the last 9-10 years...and it's a daily thing. I am 31 years old, am healthy (exercise almost daily, eat healthily, am not overweight, do not smoke, and only drink socially), and yet I always feel like my breathing is extremely laboured. I constantly yawn to try to catch a satisfying breath. There are some periods throughout the day where it's not laboured and I feel as if I breathe normally, but then it creeps up on me and I have to start yawning again. My nose feels very clogged all the time and my chest, stomach, and back muscles feel very constricted when breathing. It's especially noticeable when I am working out...especially running and lifting weights. I have to stop every once in a while just to yawn (frustrating) to stop from getting dizzy. It's also noticeable as I am trying to go to sleep and/or when I've had a glass or 2 of wine. I was "diagnosed" with exercise-induced asthma 9-10 years ago, but I think this was a mis-diagnosis as the inhalers never work (I've tried all sorts) and they usually end up making me feel worse. After using the inhaler I always end up coughing up fluid and my breathing sounds gurgle-ly (so I don't take them any more unless I feel I really need to...note that I have never had a full blown asthma attack). I'm worried that it could be something else (was exposed to TB as a teenager, but took the "horse pills" for 6 months and was told I was fine), but none of my doctors will really listen to me. They see that I am slim and active, and they dismiss me - I live in the UK (free socialised healthcare - so not a lot of time to spend with patients). Has anyone else experienced this? I see lots of threads on here with the same topic, but they all have to do with taking medications, being overweight, being a current/past smoker, being depressed/having anxiety, etc. Please help - I'm tired of living like this. I'm worried that I could be living with something undiagnosed that could rear it's ugly head one day.
Oh my God, I know when this is coming on because I experience increased sexual arrousal. I didn't want to tell anyone this because I thought I would be labeled "crazy". Two weeks ago I suspected a problem was on its way de to a big increase of sexual arrousal (such as 2 x's a day for a week - and I am 66 yrs old when normally once every couple months). I told my wife that I will probably be sick, she was happy for the week and then all the breathing problems started and I ended up in the Emergency Room. A breathing treatment and steroids have not helped, and a week later I am still trying to take a deep breath.
A couple years ago I thought I might have cured the problem with Wild Cherry Bark Extract (3 tsp a day) and Quercetin with Bromelin (3 a day). It did work for 1-2 years. Breathing tests verified that I could get more air into my lungs. I stopped taking it because I thought I was OK, and in about 6 months to a year it all came back (maybe worse). I am now trying a Pulmonary Specialist, but don't have a lot of faith there. If anyone has any other suggestions please share - I would appreciate all feedback.
A couple years ago I thought I might have cured the problem with Wild Cherry Bark Extract (3 tsp a day) and Quercetin with Bromelin (3 a day). It did work for 1-2 years. Breathing tests verified that I could get more air into my lungs. I stopped taking it because I thought I was OK, and in about 6 months to a year it all came back (maybe worse). I am now trying a Pulmonary Specialist, but don't have a lot of faith there. If anyone has any other suggestions please share - I would appreciate all feedback.
I find i have problems breathing when i eat or drink anything that contains sulphites, yeast or MSG which is in alcohol/wine/beer or food and a lot of sauces eg tomato, soy etc i use an inhaler even though i dont suffer from asthma. My problems are due to allergies. Look at the product ingredients u buy especially anything with enhancers i think 621 etc ingredients especially in spices and most food. Coke affects me also!!
I am 56, work out (hard cardio workouts, so that's not problem), don't smoke, etc and had exact same son-of-a-gun episode everyone on top is describing. I doubt everyone here has "anxiety", or at least didn't until they start having episodes of gasping for air. I thought it was something unusual until i found a thread or two like this. Someone above felt that the medical ppl should be on top of this with more research and that is so true. Instead, everyone walking from appt to appt, wasting time and money on false remedies and suffering, because it may not be life threatening, but it certainly spoils your quality of life. I have GERD, tho I never knew that. They told me it is invisible. Taking stomach meds (tecta). Then one day, out of nowhere, this happened and i found myself in Emerg going home with an inhaler. A little better, but I don't think the final answer. Due to the GERD, I was forced to change my diet a lot, and I have allergies to milk and soy. As we, was trying to lose some weight. It's possible there is something happening in the nutrient department so I review and try to hone that every day. I am a Splenda consumer, gave up sugar years ago, and today read about possible connection between splenda and thyroid. A few of you have mentioned thyroid. May have to check that out. Starting to add some iron into my diet today too. It's all mysterious and a huge pain when all you want is what someone above called "a blessed breath". So true how much struggle for a simple deep breath. I'm positive most of the anxiety is a result of, not a reason for, this problem which should get better attention than "i don't know" from doctors. Thanks for all the awesome posts and discussion.
1 Comments
YES! The "anxiety" started AFTER the breathing thing. It's pretty damn scary to not be able to breathe normally! That's where the panic and nervousness comes in. As for everyone saying "it's only anxiety"...NO, it's NOT! It is a physical problem!
I've been having the same problem for about two months now. Anyways, I did the same thing your chiropractor did to you. The result of this was letting out a huge burp...But then I took my first full breath since this whole thing started!!! EVERYONE, THIS WORKS!!!! :DDDDD
I have the exact same problem the majority of people here suffer from: constant restricted breathing/can't take a satisfying deep breath, and have had this since Jan 2012 and it has remained EXACTLY the same since the Sunday when I noticed it had happened (I'm a 23 yr old male from UK).
However, unlike many people here who suggest all kinds of 'causes', I firmly believe this has nothing to do with any of them (e.g. food allergies) and I believe it is solely related to stress/anxiety. I believe this because before this happened to me, I had a history of panic attacks over a period of roughly 2 years (Oct 08 - June 10), but after taking beta blockers I had not had a panic attack since June 2010 (and of course I had not had ANY breathing problems whatsoever in my life apart from the panic attacks).
However, in Jan of last year I began working in a school and, because I'm not a confident person (I have body image problems), I was extremely nervous and on the Sunday after working one week in the school, I immediately noticed that my breathing was restricted. I was on my usual run (I run 3 miles 3/4 times a week) and noticed that I just could not satisfy my breathing requirements in one breath. I had to either 'fight' my lungs to push more air in, or take more rapid but shorter breaths. It is as if my lungs just will not open far enough to let the air in. This problem has stayed with me till this day and it's a constant daily battle.
After a few days of suffering with it, I went to see my local GP on the following Saturday. He did some basic tests on my heart and breathing and said everything seems fine, but come back in a few months if the problem has not gone. Well it did not go away, so a few months later I went back and had some more intensive tests on my cardio system. I had a spirometry, blood pressure test, and a chest xray. The spirometry test measures the ability of the lungs to utilise oxygen. I thought that because it feels like I cannot get enough air consciously, this would show that I have a problem. But incredibly I had a vital capacity of 7.2 litres and forced vital capacity of 7.22 litres, which is 25% and 32% better than expected for my age group (most likely because of my running). This demonstrates that there is no functional problem with my lungs (thank god), but something else is happening which is not related to the lungs ability to utilise oxygen. The xray also came back normal.
Therefore, I believe that this very 'real' problem which we all suffer from is another manifestation of anxiety/stress, much like a panic attack is, but of course instead of being acute and short lived, this condition is a constant daily battle which is ruining our lives. What I guess is happening is that some aspect of our brain which regulates breathing (or within the central nervous system) has changed, and means we are not allowed to consciously satisfy our breathing requirements in one breath, so instead we constantly have to fight our own lungs to intake the required oxygen (even when sitting at home and not under any immediate 'stress'). In effect, our bodies are artificially restricting our breathing, most likely due to an event or series of events, which we accumulatively call 'stress'/'anxiety', which has caused the system to react in such a way (much like a panic attack does). That is what I believe has happened for the vast majority of people who suffer from this specific problem.
I presume that this 'change' in the brain (or CNS) is like a switch which could in theory very easily be switched back, but how we can do that I do not know (thus I do not believe our normal breathing is gone forever). An obvious answer would be to try to discover what the exact causes of the stress/fear/anxiety is, and then try to remove those things, which will hopefully make the breathing go back to normal. My doctor believes it is a panic disorder. However, I am sceptical that even if I was happy and did not lead a stressful life, that it would *definitely* go back to normal. This is because I no longer work in the school environment but my breathing has remained exactly the same from when it happened that Sunday in January. Therefore, I would like to see if medication can help, just like medication helped me with my panic attacks (I have never had a panic attack since June 2010, but would have them about twice a month in the preceding year and a half).
This is NOT hyperventilation. That is a unique condition separate to the one experienced by the majority of people on here. That most commonly occurs during a panic attack, when you literally breath too frequently, taking in too much air and excreting too much carbon dioxide, which leads to dizziness/chest pain/light-headedness/tingling and so forth. We do not generally experience those things. We do not take in too much oxygen or excrete too much carbon dioxide from the blood. We are therefore NOT over-breathing. When we feel like we can't get enough breath, that is because our lungs are literally not allowing the air to go in! This is totally separate from hyperventilation, and calling it such is not helping our cause.
Unfortunately for us, it appears as though the medical establishments of the US/UK are unaware of this 'condition', but it is absolutely a REAL HUMAN CONDITION which is affecting thousands of us. It is not just a general panic disorder; it's a specific set of symptoms that should be recognised as a condition.
It drives me crazy that just over 12 months ago, I had absolutely no breathing problems, and if it was one thing I always thought I had it was my health. Since that Sunday when it happened, the quality of my life has changed dramatically and I never feel good because of this terrible breathing problem.
I have bookmarked this thread and will post back here if I have anything more to share. This is a battle I intend to eventually win!
Dave
However, unlike many people here who suggest all kinds of 'causes', I firmly believe this has nothing to do with any of them (e.g. food allergies) and I believe it is solely related to stress/anxiety. I believe this because before this happened to me, I had a history of panic attacks over a period of roughly 2 years (Oct 08 - June 10), but after taking beta blockers I had not had a panic attack since June 2010 (and of course I had not had ANY breathing problems whatsoever in my life apart from the panic attacks).
However, in Jan of last year I began working in a school and, because I'm not a confident person (I have body image problems), I was extremely nervous and on the Sunday after working one week in the school, I immediately noticed that my breathing was restricted. I was on my usual run (I run 3 miles 3/4 times a week) and noticed that I just could not satisfy my breathing requirements in one breath. I had to either 'fight' my lungs to push more air in, or take more rapid but shorter breaths. It is as if my lungs just will not open far enough to let the air in. This problem has stayed with me till this day and it's a constant daily battle.
After a few days of suffering with it, I went to see my local GP on the following Saturday. He did some basic tests on my heart and breathing and said everything seems fine, but come back in a few months if the problem has not gone. Well it did not go away, so a few months later I went back and had some more intensive tests on my cardio system. I had a spirometry, blood pressure test, and a chest xray. The spirometry test measures the ability of the lungs to utilise oxygen. I thought that because it feels like I cannot get enough air consciously, this would show that I have a problem. But incredibly I had a vital capacity of 7.2 litres and forced vital capacity of 7.22 litres, which is 25% and 32% better than expected for my age group (most likely because of my running). This demonstrates that there is no functional problem with my lungs (thank god), but something else is happening which is not related to the lungs ability to utilise oxygen. The xray also came back normal.
Therefore, I believe that this very 'real' problem which we all suffer from is another manifestation of anxiety/stress, much like a panic attack is, but of course instead of being acute and short lived, this condition is a constant daily battle which is ruining our lives. What I guess is happening is that some aspect of our brain which regulates breathing (or within the central nervous system) has changed, and means we are not allowed to consciously satisfy our breathing requirements in one breath, so instead we constantly have to fight our own lungs to intake the required oxygen (even when sitting at home and not under any immediate 'stress'). In effect, our bodies are artificially restricting our breathing, most likely due to an event or series of events, which we accumulatively call 'stress'/'anxiety', which has caused the system to react in such a way (much like a panic attack does). That is what I believe has happened for the vast majority of people who suffer from this specific problem.
I presume that this 'change' in the brain (or CNS) is like a switch which could in theory very easily be switched back, but how we can do that I do not know (thus I do not believe our normal breathing is gone forever). An obvious answer would be to try to discover what the exact causes of the stress/fear/anxiety is, and then try to remove those things, which will hopefully make the breathing go back to normal. My doctor believes it is a panic disorder. However, I am sceptical that even if I was happy and did not lead a stressful life, that it would *definitely* go back to normal. This is because I no longer work in the school environment but my breathing has remained exactly the same from when it happened that Sunday in January. Therefore, I would like to see if medication can help, just like medication helped me with my panic attacks (I have never had a panic attack since June 2010, but would have them about twice a month in the preceding year and a half).
This is NOT hyperventilation. That is a unique condition separate to the one experienced by the majority of people on here. That most commonly occurs during a panic attack, when you literally breath too frequently, taking in too much air and excreting too much carbon dioxide, which leads to dizziness/chest pain/light-headedness/tingling and so forth. We do not generally experience those things. We do not take in too much oxygen or excrete too much carbon dioxide from the blood. We are therefore NOT over-breathing. When we feel like we can't get enough breath, that is because our lungs are literally not allowing the air to go in! This is totally separate from hyperventilation, and calling it such is not helping our cause.
Unfortunately for us, it appears as though the medical establishments of the US/UK are unaware of this 'condition', but it is absolutely a REAL HUMAN CONDITION which is affecting thousands of us. It is not just a general panic disorder; it's a specific set of symptoms that should be recognised as a condition.
It drives me crazy that just over 12 months ago, I had absolutely no breathing problems, and if it was one thing I always thought I had it was my health. Since that Sunday when it happened, the quality of my life has changed dramatically and I never feel good because of this terrible breathing problem.
I have bookmarked this thread and will post back here if I have anything more to share. This is a battle I intend to eventually win!
Dave
3 Comments
How are you doing, Dave?
My problems breathing started while working at a school, too. I did have a lot of stress in my life at the time (lost a close family member, graduated college, etc) but that period of my life is over. It's 3.5 years later. My life is still stressful but I am doing okay managing it and eating clean, meditating, practicing gratitude, everything possible.
Just curious if you've "beat" this?
Alexis
My problems breathing started while working at a school, too. I did have a lot of stress in my life at the time (lost a close family member, graduated college, etc) but that period of my life is over. It's 3.5 years later. My life is still stressful but I am doing okay managing it and eating clean, meditating, practicing gratitude, everything possible.
Just curious if you've "beat" this?
Alexis
Hi Dave, not sure how old your post is but will answer anyway. In short I will tell you how I cope and also how it all started. I'm 68 now but the breathing problem started when I was 12/13years old. Some periods in my life it was better and some other periods it was worse, but I cannot now remember what would have caused the difference.
However, I have found a way of coping by accident. I was going to a physiotherapist for a neck problem and he taught me an exercise which is did, it was lying flat and lifting head slightly and counting to ten, ten times. After about 3 or 4 of these head lifts I would be able to take a deep breathe, and OMG it feels so good! I am of the thought that, for me anyway, it has to do with muscle restriction around the chest. I can also breathe deeper if I raise my arms above my head - try that. I, like everyone else had all the tests done in hospital and all and noting negative came up. I hope that my story will help someone in some way. Apart from that I recently discovered that homeopathy also helped me breathe better (I went to a registered homeopath). Wishing you and everyone the best of luck.
However, I have found a way of coping by accident. I was going to a physiotherapist for a neck problem and he taught me an exercise which is did, it was lying flat and lifting head slightly and counting to ten, ten times. After about 3 or 4 of these head lifts I would be able to take a deep breathe, and OMG it feels so good! I am of the thought that, for me anyway, it has to do with muscle restriction around the chest. I can also breathe deeper if I raise my arms above my head - try that. I, like everyone else had all the tests done in hospital and all and noting negative came up. I hope that my story will help someone in some way. Apart from that I recently discovered that homeopathy also helped me breathe better (I went to a registered homeopath). Wishing you and everyone the best of luck.
I wish to correct a statement in my answer above! It is important that Dave/people know that it is not LIFTING THE HEAD - but rather bending the head forward a little like if saying 'yes'. I really rather do not recommend any specific exercise but everyone should follow their own physiotherapist advice. But for me it helped.
You mentioned that you have the Hyperventilation Syndrom, or chronic overbreathing. Get a book called "Close your Mouth" by Patrick Mckowen. He tells you how to do all the breathing techniques necessary. And when you do them, it's ok to feel air hunger. The feeling will pass in a few days or even a couple of days. It helps to reset the metabolism which will help with addictions as well.
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