Feeling as if I can't breathe

[Shellbell]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this site but after reading what some people have put I feel a little more at ease with what I am going thru. I just wondered if anyone could give me any insight into the subject of breathing during an anxiety attack. I sometimes feel as if I can not get a breath in or that I have stopped breathing altogether-it is so strange! When I breath out it feels so weird like i could breath out forever and it would make no difference if i breathed back in....does this make any sense? sorry if it doesn't! Also I feel as if i am physically having to tell myself to breathe and it is driving me mad, does anyone else experience this? Please help me if u can, i don't want to go insane! Thanks Shell xx

M.H.Pickering

[birdinumnum]

Yes, my breathing pattern sounds exactly the same.
Sometimes I only feel like I can get a breath in when I yawn, I feel like I'm only breathing out all the time.
Sometimes after what seems like hours of trying to get a breath in I get a good deep breath in to the bottom of my lungs and for that second it's bliss then I go back to my usual horrible little shallow breaths.
I honestly feel a lot of my problems are to do with my breathing pattern.
A lot of people here swear by the Dinah Bradley Book 'Chronic Hyperventilation'...I just ordered it, so I'll let you know how it goes.
Good Luck hun, you're not on your own.

Birdi xxx
P.s. I get horrible wind as well from all the mouth breathing and air going into my stomach!!! sorry tmi

[honeybee3939]

Hi Shell

Heres some links that may help

Breathing technique
How Do You Do The Breathing (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4042)
Breathing.. wow (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4037)
Breathing Techniques (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4044)
CONTROLLED BREATHING (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5041)
Working to get better, have a few Q's to ask... (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5412)
Insatiable Mouth / Chest Breather???? (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7113)

Love

Andrea
xxxx


"If you have a worry turn it into a problem, you cant solve worrys but you can solve problems"

[pamella]

i2 would feel like that at times,have learnt to put hand on belly just above waistline.now breathe in through nose and try and push air into your lungs way down deep so your hand moves up, count to 4 and then release so your hand goes down. it takes some practice but helps teach u to breathe usuing all of your lungs.do it when your not feeling stressed. u can do it standing up or lying down.if u can learn this then it helps calm u down. took me ages to get hang of it.i felt i had to tell myself to breathe it woodnt come naturally and was told id learnt to overbreathe usuing only top part of lungs.so had to retrain myself.hope this helps.

pjrobb

[sal]

Hi Shell and welcome.

A panic attack is horrible and breathing can help us out of them, its so hard as those normal everyday rational feelings and thinking go right out of the window.

But it can be done, i still stuggle when im in a panic attack but remember my CBT therapist saying slowly and deep and concentrate on your breathing and not those irrational thoughts.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.


"Life is a distance and to travel that distance you were given the strength and guidance to do so".

[craiglc36]

Yes ! At last some people who share my own worry .
I can be doing anything , and suddenly I think "craig, you haven't breathed in for a while ". And then I have to take a huge breath . I am constantly having to take very deep breaths all day every day . Sometimes my panic attacks happen during one of those *not breathing* moments . And I actually think maybe I am getting light headed and wobbly because I am not getting enough air .
Yes I understand too about the breathing out lasting forever , It is like a great release.
My Anxiety counciller has explained that using simple breathing techniques can help greatly , So now I have to learn them and use them a few times a day to train myself to breath properly .
I will try to post the breathing lesson soon for you .
perhaps it will help you .

[Shellbell]

Thanks so much to all of you for helping me out. xxxxxxxxxxx

M.H.Pickering

[nomorepanic]

Try this .....

Shortness of breath
The sensation:
You feel that your breathing is forced and laboured. You become conscious of how you are breathing and you have a hard time catching your breath. It seems like you have to force yourself to breathe, in fear that if you don't, you'll stop breathing and die. Or, for no apparent reason, you feel out of breath and find yourself doing an unusual amount of yawning in an attempt to catch your breath.
The reason:
When stress biology changes the body, it quickens the breathing and respiration so that the individual is ready for immediate action. Unfortunately, this also means that the breathing becomes shallow in nature (unless we are physically exerting the body such as running, fighting, swimming, etc.) which results in the body not getting enough oxygen. That’s why we feel out of breath. This is a natural occurring biological outcome resulting from stress biology.
Sometimes this symptom will be persistent from day to day, and other times it may appear for awhile, then disappear. Both are common. Once the nervous system calms down, you breathing will return to normal.
Also, because breathing is an automatic bodily function, you’ll never have to worry about not breathing. Your body does it automatically. It may be shallow, but you’ll always get enough oxygen.
Regular exercise helps to maintain regular breathing patterns.
As with all symptoms, when the nervous system gets sufficient rest, this symptom will diminish and eventually subside.


Nicola

People will forget what you said
People will forget what you did
But people will never forget how you made them feel