Breathlessness

[blondinou]

Breathlessness. I am feeling this right now! It's scary and i'm kind of overbreathing/ feeling too aware of every breath and it feels as if I could start really running out of breath suddenly. I am fairly sure it is anxiety rather than any serious illness but of course the doubting part of my head says what if you have some fatal condition!! Does anyone else get this and have any tips of how to deal with it?! Thank you thank you thank you!

[swgrl09]

This is not a great tip, but I have felt this when I start becoming too aware of my breathing and so I drink a glass of red wine to calm down!! Not really the best solution, but that's what I do. I don't know if this is the same but there are times where I become aware of my breathing and then start feeling like i have to force myself to breathe. Weird, huh.

[Tari]

I get this all the time! Even though I have suffered from anxiety for many many years this is a fairly new symptom for me, when it comes on randomly but I don’t feel as if I am having a full on anxiety attack. I feel almost breathless, but not wheezing like someone with asthma might be, but it still feels as if I cant breath, I struggle to breathe. For me it can last for hours at a time, a full day even where I constantly feel as if I am not breathing normally and on occasion can start off a full attack. I sometimes find I will get it on and off for a few days as well, and it can get really exhausting.


I have been known to keep getting up to go to a mirror to check if my lips are blue. Not sure how good this advice is, I think different things work for different people, but here is what I do.




Mints!

Sounds silly but if you have some really strong mints try sucking on one, it kinda helps you feel your breath. As I sit here typing this I have two multi packs of extra strong mints on my desk and I have another packet upstairs by my bed. This really really helps me. It eases it at least a little bit so you can move on to try and distract yourself.


Distraction

I know you might think this is impossible when you can't breathe, But I have found that trying to do something to take your mind off it can help. When you are not thinking about breathing your body just resets and goes back to breathing normally You realise that when you are absorbed in something it stops or you don’t notice it so much, which helps you realise its likely nothing serious and just anxiety which can eventually help you relax about it and everything goes back to normal.


I never feel like doing something physical when I can't breathe, television doesn’t seem to distract me enough, as I am an online gamer I just log on and play till I feel better, so you might have to try different things till you find something that works for you.




Make a phone call

If you are too wound up to concentrate on something, see if you can make a phone call to a friend, talking can sometimes help my breathing return to normal and its reassuring to have someone on the other end of the phone.


Hope this helps a little bit. And I hope you are feeling better


Tari xx

[judipat]

Chronic hyperventilation syndrome

The biggest clue to Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome is the presence of vague dizziness accompanied by a lot of other seemingly unrelated symptoms, which might include any of the following:


shortness of breath for no apparent reason
frequent sighing or yawning
chest pains
heart palpitations
sweating
syncope (fainting)
dizziness
trembling
slurred speech
cold, tingling, or numb lips or extremities
nausea or irritable bowel syndrome
aching muscles or joints, or tremors
tiredness, unsteadiness, or diffuse weakness
restless sleep, insomnia, or nightmares
sexual problems
anxiety or phobias
fear that perhaps you're a hypochondriac
dry mouth
pressure in throat or difficulty swallowing
bloating, belching, flatulence, or abdominal pain
impaired memory or concentration
confusion / disorientation
tinnitis (ringing in ears)
headaches
blurred vision, tunnel vision, double vision, or flashing lights
tachycardia (rapid pulse)
depression
erratic blood pressure

So many members have been posting recently about "difficulty breathing", or not being able to take a "deep breath" - together with all the other nasty symptoms they are experiencing.
There is a book by Dinah Shore which is half explanitory and half self help about the above syndrome. Dinah Shore is a physiotherapist from New Zealand who specialises in respitory physio. The book is excellent, easy to read and explains the condition in full and in simple language.

I have suffered with this for years and know how unpleasant and frightening it can be. It also know how it can excaserbate anxiety/panic and spiral into an uncontrollable cycle of misery.

Of course, you should get checked out medically - but if nothing else is found to be causing your breathing problems, please look into this.

I hope this helps.

Judi

[scaredstiff695]

Hi I'm very similar to tari my breathing thing is identical. Also I had anxiety for 8 years and my breathing thing started this jam and Its the hardest symptom BUT a doctor once said to ne if u had a problem u would kinand people around u would.
I never tried mint trick but going to mine I'd talking. Told that if you can talk in Tull sentences your breathing so when I'm bad I talk to myself or shoe era with ne or even sing. If I'm with my kids and bad I start singing nursery rhymes with them. Xx