Constant Urge to Take Deep Breaths

[RickM78]

Hi,

For the last week I've had a constant urge to take deep breaths, and fill my lungs so that they feel stretched. The breath gives minor satisfaction, but then the urge returns.
Sometimes, I feel like I need to yawn, but the yawns are not satisfying like they should be. I don't have any problems breathing, nor do I have any other symptoms, like coughing, raspiness or wheezing. Just this persistent urge to breathe deeply.

A lot of posts I've seen on related symptoms seem to think this is anxiety, but I really don't think that I have a lot of anxiety right now.

Any ideas?


This discussion is related to urgency to take deep breaths.

[Brylina]

I've had the same things for months except I don't need to take deep breathes I just need to yawn alot but like you said not satisfying also it feels like something is in my throat but nothing is. I'm in tears because I'm scared nothing will help me my throat never gets worse though.

[dazgoby]

Oh my this sounds just like me I would suggest getting someone to look into your throat immediately because I suffered a long time before a diagnosis and I am still not well but I have what is called silent reflux and it's getting to be very common these days, (* all the stuff we eat and breathe in is having a toll on our bodies). It's called LERD or SILENT Reflux!!! I had identical symptoms.
*my opinion

[SD2016]

I get the exact symptom so many people are describing here --  I've always said, " I can't get air/oxygen". I try yawning, etc, but I only "get air" once in s while.  (the doctor didn't know what it was)

It became clear to me that it's Anxiety.

The first times I remembering getting it were before Christmas every year ( long story --  I ended up doing all the shopping for family members, because they weren't able to, I had so many obligations) --  that's what helped me to realize that --  for me --  the cause is Anxiety

I'm sure certain things like caffeine would make it worse, medication for Attention Deficit...  (So, anti-anxiety medication, like Ativan (Lorazapam) would be good to try...)

Even figuring out that Anxiety causes this "awful feeling" helped me.

       :  )

[SteveSw]

I'm wondering why this is so prevalant lately (smog/pollution)??

I have the EXACT same symptoms also, for the last 6 weeks and appeared out of the blue. Some days worse, some better, but the feeling that I need to take a deep breath, sprinkled with yawning constantly, mostly in the attempt to get that "satisfaction" that feels good once achieved but then comes back in a few minutes and the cycle starts over. Some things I've found that it almost goes away immediately when I lie down and relax - it might still occur but I feel i dont need to take as deep a breath... But what the hell, why are so many people reporting this oddity? I spoke to four doctors, two thought i was crazy and couldn't even understand what i was saying by "I feel I need to breath DEEP" (one said, "that's good! That's healthy and what you want to do!" - sorry doc, but no.), and the other two said anxiety... which I suppose could be true but I am not really anxious about anything (I've seen this said many times in this thread).

Anyway what a weird freaking annoying thing.

[Jess0619]

I'm right there with ya! My symptoms started out of the blue two weeks ago. I woke up feeling I wasn't getting the satisfaction I wanted from breathing and thought something was terribly wrong. Two ER trips and a doctors visit later I find this thread and finally have some insight. I was told each time it was anxiety of which I never had EVER I had another doctor look at me like I was crazy and scope my throat. They didn't get what I was saying. I kept saying I'm not getting a deep breath and they say well it sounds like you are and I was would say no I don't "feel" that deep breath feeling which makes me try for 5-6 deep breaths in a row . No one had answers. Come to find out I was breathing too much ! Go friggen figure. I would experience mild anxiety thinking something was wrong only after I didn't get the feeling so now I'm coping and trying to train myself to stop thinking about it while practicing the breathing techniques mentioned. 1 hour in and I already feel better. My hope is eventually I'll forget all about it and move on breathing.

[melissaleighjohn]

Hi all, I currently suffer from this problem too.  From what I can tell through random Internet articles, we are suffering from chronic hyperventilation.  We are taking in too much oxygen, and our oxygen-CO2 balance is off.  Practicing long, shallow breathing is pivotal to re-training your body how to breathe.  We yawn because it gives us mental relief from the feeling of a full breath, but in reality, it is only exacerbating our hyperventilation due to the influx of more oxygen.  

Try breathing with your mouth closed with good posture.  Inhale shallow breaths over ten seconds (filling your belly, not your lungs) and then exhale through your nose slowly (deflating your belly).  This will be uncomfortable at first because our oxygen-CO2 balance is off and we have trained our bodies to breathe incorrectly.  The key to this is shallow, small breaths; this is counter-intuitive because it seems like we need more air and a complete breath, but we really need less oxygen. Commit to this method for a day and see if your breathing improves.  The goal is to re-train your body to breathe like this unconsciously.  Another trigger to our hyperventilation is being so conscious of our breathing; practicing correct breathing will help make it automatic and will further decrease our symptoms.

I have been using this method over the past hour and feel great relief.  Every few minutes, I still feel the need to take a large inhalation of air with my mouth open, but I have stopped feeling the need to yawn.  I have suffered from this for a little over a year now and was previously very healthy and not anxiety-ridden.  However, when I began a full-time Master's program while working full-time, I began having these breathing problems and have had them ever since.  Doctors have prescribed Zoloft and Xanax which helped, but I don't like taking prescription medication.  I hope the relief persists and I hope it helps some of you out there.

[gmako74]

Hey I have the same problem! I'm  34 years old and have been a very physically active person, up until about 5 years ago when I got a panick attack after smoking some pot. I think alot of this is anxiety, and our bodies getting into the rythm of going for that full breath of air. I dont consider myself and anxious person nor do I have anxiety attacks anymore but I just can't seem to shake this feeling of constantly needing to take a deap breath. I excrcise in moderation and try to control my breathing and relax, this seems to help alot.  I did notice that when I feel very cofident and fearless this symptom seems to vanish.... strange?? I hope that this may help someone who's going through this, how do we get ride of this permanantly is the question I have.

[FabianBo]

Hello, I have the same problem, here are some advice to cope with it and hopefully eventually get rid of it. (In case your organs and bloodwork got checked and everything is ok.)

1. Realise that it's psychological, maybe it was something physical at some point, but it isn't anymore. By feeding into it you strenghtened that neuropathway and your brain is fooling you to get that release again and again.
2. Srop giving into it, no matter how strong the urge might feel
3. Ebrace it, rather than fighting it, if you want something to stop really badly, it won't happen-> say to yourself that its ok to have that feeling, it will go away eventually
4. The problem might be worse when you are in stressfull situations or while being tired-> practice calm and steady (shallow) breathing, maybe with some slow exhales (this will undo some potential overbreahting beforehand and reduce the oxygen level in your blood) and whilest doing that keep in mind that  you are content with the situation and that it is not a big deal.
5. The number of urges around the day will reduce over time and the less you think about it, the better it will become.
6. Avoid stressfull situations, for me it was playing stressfull videogames which led to me giving in to the urge unknowingly and therefore deepening the "addiction".
Also smoking had a negative impact on my progress because it is a common trigger, since it's exactly that neurological connection to the breathing area which is messed up and any disturbence can be a catalyst to enhance the issue. Caffein could also make it more difficult to control yourself because it pushes stress levels.
7.The urge might come in different forms, once you avoid taking deep breaths, it might come as constant yawning, when you stop yawning, it might come as a little burp. Identify that and don't get fooled by it, since it's still the same urge in sheeps clothing. Don't get demoralised by yawning at some time in the evening or morning, since its completely normal to do it occasionally (leads to cooling off your head). Just dont do it more than 1-2 times a day, since it might bring back the habbit, because it's hard to differentiate between a regular yawn and the excessive yawning you are trying to get rid off.
Keep in mind that the longer you carry this burden around with you, the longer it might take to cleanse yourself from it. Stay strong, keep your discipline and don't get demoralised by minor setbacks!

Anyways, I hope this will help you get better and give you back your inner peace!