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Straining to complete yawn, yawning all day, feel i just need a deep breath.

I have had this problem for a long time, but in the last year it has gotten worse and I cant stand it.  I regularly go through periods where I feel the need to yawn or get a deep breath and I just cant. I try and try over and over to yawn (causing me to get head aches), and finally accomplish it just to need  to yawn again. I am a sleepy person all the time,  but  the  straining  to yawn thing  makes me  crazy! I also have increasingly bad short term memory problems (at only 25), could this be connected to the yawning, and lack of oxygen to the  brain? could I  have asthma?  thank you so much for any help you can give me.
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How long has this been happening.  Any positions that make it worse?
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How long has this been happening.  Any positions that make it worse?
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Issues with inability to deep breathe makes me think diaphragm.
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I'm struggling with this too. It's been a year. I recommend to have your heart checked out since I got a left bundle branch block, but doctors said it had nothing to do with it. Also was diagnosed with anxiety but it's medication doesn't work. I hope I can find an answer here.
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2 Comments
Hello and welcome to the forum.  If your anxiety medication is not currently working, and it takes around 6 weeks for psychiatric medication to work, then please speak to your doctor. Finding the right medication and dosage can be a process individual to every patient. Any idea about causation of your other symptoms from your doctor?
Nope... Nothing. They say it's anxiety. But I feel like I can't complete a yawn. Is not always like this, but it is most days.
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i Have the SAME issue not getting satisfied  when breathing i have been by 2 pulmonologists and did multiple tests but so far i am still having this issue, did you get any treatment that actually helped?
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Had this problem and it was severe deficiency in Vit. D. Dr put me on high dosage of vit. D and all symptoms of air hunger went away.
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I am doing research. This seems like a vitamin B-1 deficiency. Thiamin. Take a B complex vit for a month and see if it helps. The vits just are not in our food anymore. Wow, I can not believe I am the only one who figured this out! Smh

Ya know, the lack of vitamins, and overuse of drugs (prescription too) and alcohol, depletes the body of essential vitamins. All these prescriptions people are talking about taking, that just masks the problem and further complicates the issue.

Oh yeah, and if you are worried about overdosing on vitamins, go look THAT up. Most times you just pee out the excess. Less expensive and so incredibly worth it to give it a try.

This is how we have all ended up so sick. I feel like a genius. The answer is so simple and was always there, staring us in the face. Take a look around. In 1950, one apple had the nutritional content of 26 apples as of 1998. Isn't it obvious?

The vitamins are not in the food anymore and we are suffering in our late 20s and 30s. Incredible.

BTW, everywhere else in the world, this is called malnutrition. Here, you are going to get labels and drugs for all kinds of chronic illnesses.

It is caused by a lack of vitamins!
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I've suffered from this from time to time for years. I train in Muay Thai and it's physically draning on the old cardio, every so often I have a blow out on weed which usually ends up with me smoking cigarettes or rolling with tobacco.  I've just had a three week blowout and stopped two days ago and once again the " I can't get a full lung of air and I need to yawn syndrome has started again ", I couldn't even sleep last night because of it. The only way I've found to stop this is through strenuous cardio exercise,  it kills me doing it and admittedly I will rush of from training to be sick as a dog. Four weeks in and sickness subsided I'm back to normal. I personally think that mine is self induced as this happens a few times a year everyone I smoke and drink but I smoke non stop till I'm no longer getting a good buzz. I know a few people this happens to and they train and smoke. Funny thing is it doesn't happen if I carry on smoking weed so I assume it's much lungs trying to repair themselves?  Hope this helps anyway, EXERCISE cures most minds to a happy state......
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I've delt with this hell for most of my life.  Exactly as described.  It only happens when I think about it so I assume it is probably some mental OCD.  I spent about 5 years of my life walking around in public with a big suction cup on my chest that I had rigged with a ***** pump to suck my chest out as I thought it was the only way I could get any relief.  Very embarrassing.  Anyway, I have finally found some relief in the past 5 years through exercise and getting into shape.  It started with just taking a long walk everyday but now I run and lift weights. I still have the problem but it's 90 percent better.   One other technique I've found that helps is to start fake coughing really hard until I start gagging.  That usually helps alleviate the problem for a bit until I can stop thinking about it.
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I have the same thing i went to my dr and was given a brethe test and i failed badly! I was sent to a pulmonary dr i was diagnosed with C.O.P.D STAGE3! its an un nerving thing to have...
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I have the same problem. Dx.asthma. chest ct scan done.xrays.blood test. In advair and ventolin as needed..2 visit to ER ..have app for pulmonary test and stress test..asthma getting little by little better but constantly yawnimg id lucky every 10 min night time is worse..
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Check your nostrils that you may have devoted septum
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I have this problem RIGHT NOW! I dunno if I have to yawn or just take a deep breath but every time I try it just feels like I need to take more and more deep breaths! Someone help because I feel literally that if I don't keep taking the deep breaths I will eventually not have enough oxgen and die! IT feels so weird everything I normal breathe it's like my lungs are telling me to keep heavy breathing? Is this a small problem or will I die! I must know because I'm always freaking out!
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1 Comments
Don;t worry youre not dying trust me Ive had that feeling multiple times and have had it throughout this whole month. Its mostly just Anxiety and Panic attacks. Once you realize that you cant yawn well just take it easy and relax and listen to some smooth jazz or some music. But just make sure that you dont panic otherwise it will make it worse, not to the point of death, but to the point of severe annoyance. Take care! :D
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It's 5am at the time of writing this and I have to say it is the most annoying thing I have had to deal with in my lifetime. To preface I don't have a solution but I would really like to share my story with you. I am now 24 years old and have had to deal with this since I was little. I used to be able to take as many deep breathes as I wanted. I remember the exact night I lost that ability because I woke up panicked. I had to be 8 or 9. It's weird to remember loosing that ability but now when I achieve a full breath it is oh so satisfying. However on nights like tonight where the sun is coming up and I cannot sleep because I feel I can't breathe. I worry that this is a condition that has not been recognized.
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Hi Rat193, I just read your post about your breathing & yawning. I have the freaking same thing and i am so desperate. I know you posted this 5 years ago, let me know if it got better for you.I could not yawn for the past 12 hours and I am going crazy, very panicky...I spent the whole night fighting panic and trying to yawn and nothing....my husband is supportive but  does not get it. I need to hear form somebody who is in the same situation. Heeeelp
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I have the exact same problem! My girlfriend doesn't fully understand what I mean but she knows it's happening. I went to the doctor several times for it including the er and they've done ekgs, oxygen monitoring, blood work, heart and chest X-ray, and all came back normal. Last time I was at the hospital they chalked it as anxiety and panic attacks, I've gone to my pcp as well and he too claims its anxiety and gave me medicine. It doesn't seem to be helping at all but they've found nothing wrong with me so it has to be all in my head! It's driving me nuts! Sorry for the long book lol.
Hi! Im having same problem.. Im 15 and been ha ing bad anxiety/panic attacks. I seem to always worry ablut dying and i feel like i cant breath or anything. I want all the pains and feelings to go away. I just wanna feel normal again
hi i too suffer from the same thing my doctor says its a form of anxiety bc at first i would go into a complete panic attack. It still occurs frequently but my doc said as long as I'm breathing im fine but to help calm myself from panicking breathe slowly in my nose out my mouth and concentrate on the breathing and it will pass and eventually u will be able to take the breath u need to get relief. I have also noticed standing up helps if I'm laying down or sitting it makes things more difficult. i know its been a while but hope this helps!! I decided to google this bcuz i am going through it now and I want more answers I'm glad to see its more common than i thought, since talking with my doc and taking her breathing advice I have been to calm myself before going into a panic attack but its so uncomfortable but obviously theres no miracle cure!!
Avatar universal
Hi. I'm the original poster. It's been a long time since I started this post. What I have to say is that unfortunately as much as all of you who are dealing with it and for myself who is still dealing with it to some degree is that's it's truely all in the head. I wasn't able to get what I thought at the time a deep breath for almost 10 years. I started with the recommendation from someone to get help from a Rolfer who specializes in fascia which is the superficial part of the muscle. After doing the whole 12 sessions I was able to finally take a deep satisfying breath. This led me to search and investigate more because now I was able to get a deep breath and all my thoughts of "theres something wrong or having a mysterious diseases" was proved wrong. What I have come to discover and find out is that there is something called SOMATIC OCD related to breathing. What most of us are suffering from or what I'm suffering from is obsessive compulsive disorder related to breathing. All of you who think you might have what I have please search Somatic OCD breathing and it will be the answer to you problems. There is a diagnosis for what we have. It's a mental illness. We have Come to think and believe that every time we take a deep breath or yawn that it's needs to be or feel a curtain way. We think it needs to be deep or feel satisfying or else there's something wrong and then we get stuck in a cycle of hell. But the truth of the matter is that ever time we take a deep breath it doesn't have to be satisfying because it's just normal body function. If our bodies need it... It will take it. If we don't need it and we try to manipulate it... It won't work and it's there where we get stuck into this cycle of hell. So please read about somatic OCD breathing and remember that everytime we have surge to tea a deep breath it doesn't have to be satisfying. Now this is not for everyone but if what your experiencing why I have experienced or am experiencing then what I've mentioned is what I've come to to conclude.
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Zamrbotta, i've been searching for you as you have posted this problem 9 years ago. So i would like to check with you if you have found any solution. I would like to know more on your medical journey.

May i know how can we overcome Somatic OCD?
Thiamin. Vitamin B-1
Avatar universal
I've had the same thing here's a simple but effective solution. ..when you feel you need a satisfying deep breath but can't seem to get it if there is s way you can make yourself sneeze that will automatically give you that deep satisfying breath, it works everyone for me and once you do it if will ease your mind and you'll find it happening less and less and I'm speaking if it's caused from anxiety. Try this out really does work cuz when you sneeze your body takes the deep breath automatically.
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This has happened to me too,just feels like i need a deep satisfying breath but can't do i figured out how to do it and once you do the feeling goes away cuz you know it's just anxiety, this is how i did it. If there is s way you can make yourself sneeze you will automatically get that satisfying deep breath cuz when you sneeze your body automatically does it. It absolutely works!
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honestly kid  playing games helps a lot it takes your mind of things that you might be worrying about try playing Modern Warfare 2 or 3 good luck keep me updated
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When I was a little boy, I didn't notice it well till now that I have a son , that I have remembered the cause of not I being a brilliant in class.  
People with yawning ability or more yawn are not good in studies. But good in games ,when it comes  to studies they also feel boring and as if they carrying heavy load on their head.

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did any of this ever go away???
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has this went away for anyone?
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Actually this is for everyone. I have had an anxiety disorder since I was 16. Always had and still have those issues.
I had a heart attack at age 57 but while I was having it my breathing was fine. Too busy worried if I was going to drop dead!

So first get an Ok from your doctor, an ECG, listening to lungs and an ultrasound just for your own sanity.

The deep breathing is good for anxiety breathing. 5 in through your nose, hold it for 5 (not your nose, your breath) and 6 out of mouth. Do it in the morning and each night before bed. Actually anytime you feel anxious.
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I only have these yawning episodes when I think about yawning, (damn it thought of it again). But when when I am busy or distracted, I don't yawn at all and it starts up when I think about it again. Does anyone else have this?
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Avatar universal
For me, this only happens when I think about yawning or realize that I'm yawning and start thinking about it. It get quite annoying sometimes but as long as I'm doing something and/or distracted, I breathe normally. Does anyone else have this?
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