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Constant Urge to Take Deep Breaths

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.
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Avatar universal
Hi all, I guess I am just another one of many with this undiagnosed condition. Started for me Jan-28-2016, went away for a couple of months (or I didn't notice it), and has been full force every single day other than those months. Some days worse than others, but my symptoms are categorized by exactly what people are saying - the sensation that I need to breath deep to get that little bit of satisfaction, but it doesn't always come.

I went through all the medical tests as well, but here's what I noticed:

1) Seems we can all sleep - so it can't be something physically wrong with our lungs right? How would we be able to sleep for 7+ hours without needing to breath deep?
2) It does tend to not be as evident when I am concentrating on something - for example, I like to gamble - I've gone hours gambling realizing I never had to breath deep. I've seen other people have said this too about when they are concentrating on something else.
3) Everyone talks about anxiety being involved. Ok, so I understand some of you (including me) don't "feel anxious", but really, do you know what not feeling anxious really feels like? I think some of us have been just so nervous and worried for so long it almost feels normal.

In conclusion - this issue *****, there's no doubt about that. But it just HAS to be pyschological. It seems everyone who has this had an initial incident that led to it (as did I). It's the craziest, stupidest thing, but it's all in our mind that we need a deep breath because we ARE getting 100% (or close) oxygen saturation, and something about our nervous system has gone haywire and feels we need to breath deep to ensure we "are ok". I don't know what more we can do other than just forget about it, and the good thing about that is - every 5 minutes you can take a deep breath - it's when you get frantic to try to get it where we get in trouble.
Helpful - 2
1 Comments
Wow I’m so happy to see others commenting the same thing ! I mean I’m sad others have to go through this but I’m glad I’m not alone. I’ve had this since I was 12 I was diagnosed for asthma but it was very bad I couldn’t take deep breaths and always had to yawn constantly. A lot of times my throat would close up and I always felt my breathing was labored. It lasted a few years and one day just went away and was gone for 15 years and all of a sudden last summer it came back!!! Out of be blue!! I too believe it must be psychological not in the sense that we are crazy or anything like that because obviously what we are feeling is very real! At least I can say that for myself , I also notice it gets ten times worse when eating ?? Since doctors can’t help us I wonder how can we make this go away if it’s not really real?? I have tried breathing exercises but they don’t seem to help. I’m just very scared because I feel how can I live a normal life feeling this way :( if anyone can give any advice please help me thank you !
Avatar universal
I did post how this has gone away for me and what I did to make it go away but fighting the urge but I was eager to do more research into this I’m am so excited to come on here and give this explanation as to what I found, being this was something I dealt with for 3 longs months. There is an answer as to why we have had or for some of us still have this urge to take these deep breaths. We also have had or for some of us still have this want for a “satisfying breath”. This satisfying breath as most can only describe as being achieved by either a deep sigh or a yawn and due to this everyone experiencing this wants to sigh all the time or yawn.  When we sigh we get that satisfying breath and want to repeat them back to back but we can’t and assume something is wrong medically or that we cant breath.  The reason you can’t get these satisfying breaths back to back is because these satisfying breaths are just long sighs and YOU CANT sigh back to back. Its impossible. Sighing is more then just a sign of anxiety, stress or even depression, sighing is a reflex controlled by your brain that’s an essential task to survival.
We UNKNOWINGLY sigh every 5 minutes. Our brain has cluster of neurons that contain receptors that trigger our breathing behavior, these neurons contain peptides that send a signal to our body to produce sighs. Sighing is a reflex that our life depends on. When we sigh we re-inflate tiny sacs in our lungs called alveioli. These alveioli control the bodys oxygen flow. These sacs deflate over time and our brain sends a signal for our body to sigh to inflate these sacs and expand the lungs. This signal is sent about every 5 minutes or 12 times every hour. Once you sigh and your lungs expand and your alveoli sacs are filled YOU CAN NOT take another Sigh or “deep breath” once your lungs are expanded. This is why someone may feel like they cant get good deep satisfying breaths back to back, because its impossible. However I can almost bet that if you waited 5 or more minutes you would be able to get another one of those “satisfying breaths” you can actually get one of these breaths 12 times within an hour. So in fact your breathing is 100% perfect and your lungs are nice and filled with air when you cant get these deep breaths. Your not supposed to. Take a deep sigh and your will feel relieved try to do it back to back and soon youll be hyperventilating, wait 5,6,7 minutes and try again. BAM success.
So theres no need to worry, once you stop paying attention to your breath and obsessing over those deep satisfying breaths IT WILL GO AWAY. Your body will breath how it needs to and your brain will send signals to sigh when you NEED to.
Now a quick note on the anxiety aspect of this. There is no surprise that anxiety is often diagnosed when someone feels this or someone may be taking anxiety pills. This is because when we are anxious, stressed, or depressed we SIGH MORE. We have an URGE to sigh more. This is not yet known why we sigh more when we have anxiety but its related to the signals our brain sends our breathing center. So now when were anxious we want to sigh back to back and our bodies can not physically handle that much air. So when you anxious your going to try to take deep breaths or sigh back to back and you wont be able to so your going to think you cant breathe and you may panic and then you find our self on anxiety medicine. The reason doctors are quick to give anxiety medicine is because it will relax the nervous system which will slow down the response in your brain which then will slow down your urge to sigh and will slowly allow your body to breath/sigh a little more naturally. HOWEVER not everyone but in most cases you can do this yourself WITHOUT medicine. Just know that when you can’t take those deep breaths nothing is wrong! There is nothing to worry about (unless you have asthma and really can’t take deep breaths). You can only truly get those breaths 12 times within an hour don’t try to push more, you don’t need it. Just keep that in mind and relax, STOP focusing on your breath and once you get a good deep sigh fight the urge that’s going to immediately come next for another one, fight the urge, it will be hard but it will be your cure. Just tell yourself as hard as you try and give in you will not get that breath because your lungs are already expanded just fight the urge relax and listen to your body which will cue you when you need to sigh again, eventually the urge will loose its power and your body will do it unconsciously.
I am proof it goes away. It took 12 weeks, but IT IS GONE! !!! I know how scary it can be but YOU WILL GET PAST IT!
Helpful - 2
5 Comments
Hey im thankful i saw your message im going to fight the urge till the end thanks your a savior jess0619
Mine started this past saterday right after a big hang over
hi jess0619
   thanks a lot for this info and i’m glad it went away for u...i also had tests came back normal and i think i have anxiety or depression...it came out of the blue for me too...my q is did it improve gradually for u or suddenly it went away one day? thanks
This is the best comment that I read! I can really relate on this one because I always pay attention on my breathing. I will take this as a lesson and learning, for me to get better on my breathing. Thank you so much Jess0619.
Is anyone still monitoring this conversation for this breathing topic?
If so I could use sone advice.
Avatar universal
I'm here to comment on this post because I too had the exact same urge or air hunger. It felt like sighing was the only way to get that " satisfying breath" and when that breath doesn't come the urge to keep trying would kick in until the nervousness would set in that I'm not getting enough air.

I wanted to take the time and make this post to say IT DOES AND WILL GO AWAY. A lot of people on this thread have the same issue and you may have come here worried and seeking answers but it is something you can totally rid of WITHOUT needing anxiety medicine. Now that's not to speak for everyone but I personally didn't take an medications and it has gone away...... The only thing that worked for me was realIzing my body was fine and I WAS doing it to myself.

Taking these deep breaths over and over is not practical, the body should be breathing without us even realizing, it's when we focus on our breathing so much we hunger for more air. STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. Now that was hard at first, the only way to stop thinking about it is to fight that urge for a deep breath. Fight the urge to "satisfy" that feeling that a yawn or sigh would give us. Tell yourself your not supposed to breathe like that. Breaths should be short and quiet and go unnoticed. Now fighting this urge will be uncomfortable at first,  BUT that uncomfortable feeling you'll feel in your chest is the cure ! When you feel that uncomfortable feeling tell yourself you are healing yourself of this annoyance. That's what worked for me. Eventually the urge will loose its power and you'll stop taking deep breaths as this too is unhealthy for the body because you can throw off your oxygen to co2 levels with breathing so hard.

Another very important thing to tell yourself is your body has your best interest at heart, your body will do its job correctly, your body wants to work well for you. If you've gone to doctors and they don't find anything chances are it may be anxiety OR some sort of anxiety episode onset this feeling and it's going to take YOU to turn it back off. I also didn't want to believe it was anxiety and when the doctors told me I looked at them like they were crazy.
I never ever had anxiety before and had nothing to feel anxious over however I have had some extra stress which unknowingly was causing some anxiety and one morning I woke up flustered and kept trying to take deep breaths and "couldn't" however my body was getting the exact amount of oxygen it needed what I wasn't getting was that satisfying breath... I soon realized this satisfying breath was so crab able because it temporarily stretches your chest/lungs and momentarily relives anxious feelings even anxious feeling that have no physical symptom the urge itself is enough. Think about it. The urge for that breath create a by of anxiety and once you get it it's temporarily relived however it will NEVER go away if you keep feeding it.

Think about this... Before it ever started before you ever had this urge when you would go to the doctor lets say for a physical and they check your chest and say "take a deep breath" that deep breath you would take is nothing like the deep "satisfying breath" you keep wanting. You didn't sit in the exam room grasping for deep amounts of air to the point you begin hyperventilating. Focus on that.

Once you fight the urge and feel the uncomfortable feeling welcome that feeling ! That's your body forgetting the urge, that's your body and mind becoming balanced again to your pre episode days. The good thing is if it's not medical you can reverse it yourself and I'm here to say IT WILL GO AWAY. Even if you don't get those deep sigh feelings every time you breathe who gives a sh**t your FINE and once you stop hyper focusing on your breathing it goes way.. I wanted to share my story because I too was on these threads a few weeks ago seeking answers and googling every night until I realized I was doing it to myself and I can stop it myself fight the urge and the urge will loose its power and go away.

You will get over it and it doesn't need to be medically treated. This started for me in May of this year and as of July it was gone completely.
Helpful - 2
10 Comments
Hello there! I've had this problem for a about a month and today was the last straw for me. I couldn't it anymore and just sat down crying. It's 2.30 am where I am now and I can't express how much your comment means to me. You made me so much better at a point where I convinced myself that I'll never get cured. You've really helped and thank you for that(:
Hi I'm so glad I came across your post,  I have been having the problem all week I finally am calmed down I fought the urge to take that deep breathe I didn't know what to do I was crying and tired of it and finally any relaxing and I haven't taking a deep breathe in maybe 5 minutes and I'm fine thanks so much it's gonna take some time but I will accomplish it thevjs
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I feel better already! I have been going crazy! I went to the e.r. thinking I was suffocating. I dont think it will be easy but I am going to try to fight the urge. Thank you so much!!
Hi. I have the same symptoms but I have noticed that if I'm distracted I forget to take the deep breaths. And I am fine. I also have asthma & I have my inhaler. I use it but I try not to. I try to get distracted & see if I could do without my inhaler. If I do then I know I'm fine. I also keep telling myself it's all in my head. I thought I was the only one thinking that way. Thanks. :) while I sit here commenting about it I haven't had the urge to take deep breaths. I feel fine.
This post is amazing, recently I have started having anxiety a few months ago,I used to just think people were dramatic but I wouldn't wish this feeling on anyone. It's a dibilitating feeling that something's wrong and I just want to cry but I can't cause I can "barley breath". My husband gets annoyed and tells me I'm ok, which actually helps calm me down because he knows it's not serious. This has been so helpful
This post is amazing, recently I have started having anxiety a few months ago,I used to just think people were dramatic but I wouldn't wish this feeling on anyone. It's a dibilitating feeling that something's wrong and I just want to cry but I can't cause I can "barley breath". My husband gets annoyed and tells me I'm ok, which actually helps calm me down because he knows it's not serious. This has been so helpful
This post is amazing, recently I have started having anxiety a few months ago,I used to just think people were dramatic but I wouldnt wish this feeling on anyone. Ita a dibilitating feeling that somethings wrong and I just want to cry but I cant cause I can barley breathe. My husband gets annoyed and tells me Im ok, which actually helps calm me down because he knows its not serious. This has been so helpful
Dude you rock !! Fight the urge people YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS I TRIED IT AND IT WORKED FOR ME GOOD LUCK AND DONT FORGET THIS WILL GO AWAY ! God bless !

I.just want to add something " IF YOU GO TO SLEEP AND WAKE UP THERES NOTHING WRONG ! "
So happy I found this!! I feel exactly the same. I’ve been trying to fight the urge but it is really very hard I’ve been so using to breathing this way for so long, but I have beat it before and for whatever reason it’s come back and I’m tells trying. I also have a difficult time eating the breathing gets so much worse , anyone else ?
guys i’m back here to tell you all i got these symptoms 3 days ago and now i’m completely fine don’t have symptoms anymore. i think this is related to anxiety. i might get this back again but i don’t fear it now bcoz i know for me it’s anxiety and i bet for most of you it’s anxiety too. i did nothing significant to improve these air hunger symptoms
Avatar universal
It’s hyperventilation syndrome. I’ve just been diagnosed with it and it requires breathing retraining. Will be a long road to recovery but I just hope the toad does lead to recovery as I can’t cope with this anymore.
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
I have this exact same problem! I noticed this about maybe 5 months ago in December. It was light and would go away, but would come back here and there. Since February, I have to inhale deeply every single day, throughout the day. I even have to try to stretch out my throat and my arms to see if I can get the air to... how should I say this... to circulate everywhere in my lungs, especially to the lower part since the top seems to be tighter. I keep myself in good shape (though I eat out quite often, so I need to start to rule that out), but I find myself yawning a lot when it feels especially tight and when I feel like I'm not getting enough air. The yawning seems to bring the air in very well (feels more satisfying), it's minor relief but it's more comfortable to yawn then stretch out my chest and neck to inhale. Working out feels draining and breathing is so hard when I'm lifting. I think it started more prominently when I was running in the snow.

At first the doctors thought it was asthma (my mom has asthma and I also had this a couple times as a kid but after one episode, it would go away and not come back again for years), so they tried some asthma medications (flovent and salbutamol) and put me through a spirometry test. Medications did not get rid of it and spirometry test was normal. Then I did a chest x-ray, ECG and blood test. Chest x-ray normal, blood normal and ECG results pending. They've been giving me anxiety medications for the longest time now, first with Ativan and then APO-LORAZEPAM. I'm healthy, fit (athletic build and normal bmi), male, currently 27, athletic, optimal blood pressure (below 120/80) and resting heart rate between 53-60. No other problems that I can think of, and my heart feels strong, but my lungs can't seem to keep up with my stronger heart. My sleep is not affected by it (though I wake up quite often throughout the night anyways since my sleeping is not so good to begin with) and it's quite easy to breathe for the first 15-45 min after waking up. Never smoked, but drank maybe 3-4 alcoholic beverages in my lifetime.

I had strongly believed it was not anxiety, since I'm so familiar with mental health and the like because I work in health (and also assess for anxiety). I also don't seem to notice it very much when I'm in the heat of something crazy like a competitive online game, but walking and working out still feels very draining. I'm working in my office right now and as I write this, still forcing deep breaths. My workplace is in the hospital and I occasionally work in the lab, but I've been here for so long that I can't seem to think it's due to chemicals. To find that I can breathe normally during my sleep (it doesn't wake me up, I just sleep bad) and that my body is quite strong, makes me think.. maybe it's in my head... maybe anxiety has always been my 'normal'- which kind of terrifies me because I feel even less anxious then when I was in university. I'm trying some of the breathing techniques that were mentioned here, and continuing my over the counter acid reflux and heartburn tablets. Might even get some sleeping meds prescribed. I'm so glad I wasn't the only one feeling this and thank you so much guys
Helpful - 1
2 Comments
Sorry reposted by mistake
100% Like my situation - all of it. Some times It vanishes. Do share please if you come to know of some definitive solution. For now, I found breathing techniques as the most helpful remedy.
Avatar universal
Have you found the answer to this? I am having the exact same thing and I do not believe it's anxiety. Thanks!
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
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.
Helpful - 1
1 Comments
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
Avatar universal
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.

       :  )
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
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.
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1 Comments
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.
Avatar universal
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.
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
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.
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20903377 tn?1605090546
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!
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Avatar universal
Hi, This is what I found on internet

Alex Hanna, lives in Greensboro, NC
Answered September 11, 2018
I’m not sure if ur question was answered. But I have experienced the CONSTANT urge for this deep breath and stretch that comes back almost immediately after satisfying it and also the feeling of even needing to constantly be in a certain position to even take a deep breath. This can be caused by Overworking or over stretching your interior muscles between the ribs and lungs and also the Diaphragm - Filtro Pressa it is not easily caused but happens. The only reason I know about this is bc it was fairly scary when it happened to me. This can also be caused by the following…. maintaining hunched stretched position involving reaching and lift the trap muscles. The way to fix this is as follows. Find the stretch position or just take a deep breath and stretch… hole your arms out and up and move in all directions as well as turning your head in different directions until you find the most resistance and hold for 20 sec at a time as it takes 15 sec for muscles to get past the point that they will return to their improper postition. This is often caused by use of stimulants bc of staying in positions that are more tense than necessary and or spine and posture/work related issues. Use of a foam roller and holding stretches that make you feel “satisfied” will help. Try and be very aware of your posture and stretch every day. Be sure to massage deeply underneath your shoulder blades. This can be done with an angled foam roller or by leaning against a wall with a massage ball between your back and the wall and take time and find the areas that are troublesome and trust me u will know when u find them. It will be slightly to fairly painful but satisfying. I hope this helps
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Avatar universal
Do you feel short of breath ? Or laboured breathing ? & you think one day you are better only for the same symptoms to come back ?
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Avatar universal
I am 38 years old female and I have been having this issue for 3 months now. I have tried so many things. Some worked shortly and some not at all.

First I want to explain that I see this issue half physical and half psychological. Maybe some physical trigger gets you in place that you are not able to take breath and brain starts obsessing on it and makes symptom worse.

I will try to explain my taught process and stuff I tried and hope it will help someone.


1) Check yourself physically. Even if its anxiety, once a doctor makes all tests and says you have healthy lungs/heart/digestive system it will help in times when you will not be able to breathe and you will be spiralling down taught something is seriously wrong with you. You can pull doctor tests and look at them, until you feel secure you are healthy. Of course if tests are not good then it's not a "mental" blockage.

My pulmologyst said that I have a lot of gas build up and that they might be pushing diaphragm-a and shortening my breath, so I will look into that.

If you can sleep and when your brain is not awake you don't have this issue, its probably not connected to your physical health but mental.

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2) If you still are not convinced - as I wasn't I got myself oximeter. You can get them on amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Santamedical-Generation-SM-165-Fingertip-Saturation/dp/B00R59OTOC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=pulse+oximeter&qid=1557067280&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

and anytime you feel that there is not enough oxygen in your body you can measure oxygenation and heartbeat. You will probably see ( if its not medical issue ) that your oxygen levels are normal ( around 97 ). And your hear-beat as well, as it does not need to beat super fast to send oxygen to body. If these numbers are not well, go back to step 1. If they are measure them as many time as you need to feed your brain evidence that you are receiving enough oxygen and all is well.


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That being said I understood that its not oxigen my body is looking for. And I understood that deep breath is not same as breath that "stretches" body that I am looking for. So I taught if my body needs stretching I gave it exercise:

3) Yoga + Cycling. Yoga because it stretches very inch of body and pushes you in breathing patterns so helps you open your throat and puts you in poses that are pushing breathing in line with body. And cardio I took just because i read in many article that cardio helps easing anxiety. Sometimes immediately after exercise I could breath normally sometimes not.


4) Reverse psychology. I started to push-myself NOT to take yawning/forced deep breaths for 5 minutes of time. So I would set up a timer on my app to ring every 5 minutes. Once timer started I would say to myself - 5 minutes without deep breath is normal. Once clock rings you will start to worry about taking it. So in the beginning I would deep "shallow/normal" and would  just watch the watch and think I will not be able to make it. And yet after 5 minutes +/-15 seconds the deep breath came naturally. If it didn't, I would just set up ringer for next 5 minutes, and would say ok, 5 more minutes its also ok. In the meantime it would happen. Once this satisfactory breath occurred I reset timer again to 5 minutes. After an hour or so, I would just start to snooze it, and continued my activity without being involved in measuring and breathing came to mostly normal. Later I prolonged timer to 10 minutes and  in few days I didn't measure anymore.

This method ( connected with all above ) made biggest difference. I think its due to fact that you postpone your worry in 5 minutes, and you have timer that will remind you to worry but just bit later. Just few minutes of relief and each success-full breath pushes you in direction of relaxation that helps you not to obsess and just breathe.

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5) Few extra tips:
To my daily routine I added 5-10 min of meditation, relaxation and exercises of belly breathing/phrana breathing while watching tv or in my car. Fix your posture while sitting and standing that can help air flow better. Girls stop pulling your belly in to make it looks smaller, that can also be cause of lack of space in abdomen. Also buy broader braw or loose it - as it also gives constrains to expansion fo ribs while breathing. I also got some crystal stones for throat and heart chakra (??), I mean It cant hurt :)  

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6)  I also went to psychotherapist - he told me I do not have anxiety disorder rather bunch of emotions overflowing me, and once those are settled that breathing would be ok. That didn't help me much in my day to day breathing at all :).


I hope this will help someone. Do not expect it to be gone in a day. I think this condition we unconsciously develop trough years and once its triggered it becomes real issue and stops you from enjoying life. I am still on ups and down struggle depending on each day, but I built myself arsenal of possibilities I can try in moments I feel this issue and I feel the symptom much less.

So I propose to combine any method that helps at least a bit and incorporate in daily pattern.

Here are few videos that really helped me get better insight:
https://youtu.be/4Lb5L-VEm34
https://youtu.be/DZZ2lQ9mdKI
https://youtu.be/4zhDsbZZ4ZU
https://youtu.be/395ZloN4Rr8




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Avatar universal
Unfortunately I was dealing with the same issue. Turns out I'm in the stages of COPD. And that sucks. At times I will gasp for air. I yawn all the time I'm just a mess.
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Avatar universal
Check mitochondrial issues... seems like you are needing extra O2 for your etc
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2 Comments
For your etc?
Electron transport chain... the O2 picks up the electrons and protons to form h20 and atp( energy)... I'd see a neurogeneticist, biochemical geneticist or mitochondrial specialist
Avatar universal
Hi,
I’ve had this problem for the last few days now, Most of my breaths are  unsatisfying and every once in a while I’ll have ONE good breath. The moment I noticed I was laying on my couch watching YouTube (nothing stressful about that). The first few moments after waking up I can take a few breaths but after that until I go to bed I am struggling. I’ve been to the hospital, had blood work, ct scan and x-ray for blood clots all come back normal so the doctors tell me this is anxiety and I’ve just worked myself up. At this point yes, I am stressed because I FEEL as though I am not getting enough air even though  oxygen levels are normal.

I am 21 and I am very scared at this point. If anyone has found something that helps please let me know, thank you.
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Avatar universal
Hi I don't know what's the cause to this but I'm going through the same thing as you recently, I just have the urge to take a deep breath and it can be quite scary well for me it is, makes me worry if there's something wrong with me,but just try to not focus on it an inhale from your nose, hold for a few seconds and let it out through your mouth slowly. I hope this helps decrease that urge to take a deep breath constantly. Just know that you're not alone on this:)
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1 Comments
I have the same issue but I think that mine is from my Chiari malformation and I have brain stem dysfunction. It's really scary. I really need to try something to see if it helps. I feel like I have a lump in my throat, I can't take a full breath and it's so scary! I hope there is some way to repair it! I'm scared I'm going to die. I'm going to stop drinking wine and see if that helps. I don't know what else to do. I constantly use Peppermint oil to help me breathe and aromatherapy diffuser for relaxation. But sometimes I get so shakey I'm scared I'm going to pass out
Avatar universal
Howdy folks, I have had this for over a couple of decades.  It would come for a month a at time, then leave and for the last 10 yrs it was constant.  Initially taking nexium and controlling the acid reflex helped, but then the breather issue came back.  

I have finally stopped all coffee.  The breather issue went away.  I have had it only a few times since and it has happened after I have taken a sip of my wife’s coffee - I still love the smell and taste of coffee.  So it has been a year since I have had even a hint of the breathing issue.  This past Christmas I was in the Dominican Replublic relaxing and thought I would have a cup of coffee - no response.  I didn’t try again.  My wife got a Nespresso for X-mas so I tried one cup - no issue.  So the next morning I tried another - my breathing issue kicked in.  So I figured that is it.  I accidentally got a chi latte rather than a chi-tea latte on Friday and my breathing kicked it quite strongly.  

After all the trial and errors, I figured I am allergic to the oils in coffee.  Just a few sips can cause the breathing issue and it kicks in with in an hour.  So probably not linked to my acid reflux.  I do drink caffeinated tea and no issues, but decaf coffee also leads to my breathing issues.  My actually breathing issues are identical to those above.  So for me - it appears to be an allergy to oils or some other components in coffee.  I am going to try coffee plus an antihistamine to see if that makes a difference.

I’ve been drink the non-coffee beverages like Akava and encore.

Anyway to me, for the past few years I have been doing the trial and error approach and so far it has been a perfect match to drinking coffee.  I do not miss the need to constantly take deep breaths.  Hope this helps you.  
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Avatar universal
I haven't seen a doctor but I'm 99% sure it's anxiety-related. Most everything I've read about people going to the doctor turns up cold, anyway. Not saying you shouldn't get checked out, but for my part I didn't have the health insurance to afford a doctor. I tried my partner's Xanax but I didn't really feel it helped, plus I'm not crazy about pills, plus the last thing I want right now is a benzo addiction. Really, it started to get better when I started addressing my anxiety and relaxing about the whole "air hunger" thing. Just remember that--if it is anxiety-related--you're not going to suffocate or die. In fact, your physical health probably has nothing to do with it. It's just going to annoy the **** out of you for a while. It sounds crazy, but the more I got comfortable with the fact that it was just going to be there, the better it got. Another thing that helped was keeping busy, being around friends, being immersed in anything that distracted my mind enough to stop thinking about my breathing patterns. And yet another hurdle that you've got to get over is sleep. Despite the fact that this is going to interfere with your sleep--I sometimes couldn't sleep until I got so tired it was harder to stay awake--you've got to sleep. Once you do get to sleep, try to stay asleep for as long as you can. It was very noticeable that the less I slept, the worse it got. No medical background here, but if I were to give my two cents, I'd say just convince your mind that this is something you're simply going to have to live with--that way your mind stops freaking out about it--live a normal life as best you can and try to get some ******* sleep! Easier said than done, I know, but it worked for me.
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Avatar universal
Did u ever find the answers im expereincing the EXACT same thing...plz let me no thx
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Avatar universal
Deep breaths and yawning all of the time what is wrong with me. Please someone help me. Please come reach out and give me some hope. Please.
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Avatar universal
Hello, I just had a baby back in December of 2016, my baby is now 7months old.
I started feeling this way about 4 months after giving birth, so I've had this breathing issue for 3months now, I have GERD, always have, and I also have high anxiety and it gets so bad I have panic attacks nearly every day, I believe we all have a little anxiety,We just don't notice it, I think if your body goes through something shocking or sudden like, starting a new job,GERD could cause it!, moving,getting severely depressed, in my case giving birth and dealing with postpartum on top of this anxiety,fear and being left alone 12hours a day with the baby, etc.
It can trigger your anxiety without you even knowing and cause your body to go into survival mode, Your body is panicking with all the stress and you think you have a breathing problem, you'll think you're dying often, you'll worry about something constantly. There's millions of symptoms of anxiety disorder, you'd really be surprised!
I hope you found a solution!
God bless!
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