Breathing problems

[valley]

Hello.
I am experiencing a symptom which I know is a common anxiety symptom, but it is scary none-the-less. It is also a new symptom for me. I am having problems breathing, it feels like I need to take a deep breath but can't. It's like a heaviness sort of feeling in my chest, I take in some deep breaths but I feel like I can't quite get enough air in. Then I end up yawning and that helps, but it feels like, without the yawns, I can't get in enough air.
I have really been freaking out about this lately, convincing myself I have lung cancer or something. I know I've been subconsciously anxious, as a friend's husband was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He is my age, and he's young - 34 years old. I guess it's hitting me hard because I've never had a good friend diagnosed with a serious/terminal illness, especially someone my own age. It's scary to think about and now I think all sorts of thoughts like, "well he's old enough to get cancer, so I am too" or "well if it happens to him it can happen to anyone, even me", etc etc.
The breathing seems to be a little better when I don't think about it.
It also seems counterintuitive to try anxiety breathing excersises, as I think the more I focus on my breathing, the worse it gets.
I guess I need some reassurance that this is anxiety related, and also any tips/suggestions for how to deal with this.

On a side note, I'm 33 years old and have suffered with anxiety since I was about 15. I've had TONS of physical anxiety symptoms over the years, but this is a new one. Why would a new symptom start NOW?

[Sam Winter]

new symptoms can happen at any time it does to me all the time,
i've recently got a new symptom and i've had anxiety for three years,
as for the breathing i get that all the time trust me, and i know the fear can really take over i find myself saying "well it happened to him so it can to me" a lot! its not fun lol
i'm sorry i can't be more help to you, but please know i'm always here to help if you need me :hugs:

[valley]

Thank you Sam. It sure is frustrating that new symptoms can show up, even after all this time. At least with the old symptoms, the ones I KNOW are anxiety related, I have learned to ignore them when they come and then they eventually just go away.

[debs71]

I agree with Sam.

Anxiety never fails to throw a new symptom out of left field and into the mix. That alone is very scary and automatically makes us think something really bad must be going on physically, but sadly it is anxiety again.

I have recently experienced similar breathing issues - like I can't get a full, deep breath, and like I am not getting enough air into my lungs, and as you mention, my chest feels heavy. I find that distraction helps greatly - I usually play a game on my laptop or watch a DVD, something like that, and then the breathing issues calm down.

New symptoms are daunting I know - recently my panic attacks have totally changed. I used to start off with a racing heart and sweating, but now it kicks off with an intense feeling that I am going to throw up immediately.....so strange!

Please try not to worry. I don't think you have anything sinister here. xx

[Fishmanpa]

Yep... not fun but you're spot on that it's a very common symptom of anxiety. The fact it improves when you're not focused on it further points to anxiety as the culprit.

I'm not an anxiety sufferer but I can tell you flat out that when I'm really stressed, all sorts of physical symptoms appear.

Hope you feel better soon.

Positive thoughts



From the "Symptoms" section:

Breathing/Shortness of breath

The hyperventilation as above plus your bronchial tubes dilate thus requiring more air than usual to fill the lungs so feels that it's taking more effort to breathe – it is , you're taking in more air at each breath.

What you feel:

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.

What causes this:

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.

[Pepperpot]

Hi
This is my main symptom. We are not very good at breathing ourselves which is why our body does it for us. The more aware you are of it, the more you will feel like you cannot breathe. I guarantee you that if you distract yourself, you'll think to yourself after a while "I'm breathing fine now?"

[wubu]

weird breathing thing person checking in!

i also have it, i had it years back at school and randomly came on a month ago. What made it worse is when i took in a deep breath i would cough to clear my throat and ended up giving me a sore chest which made it 10x worse.

I also do the yawn thing but it makes it worse because it kind of becomes habit. :doh:

I also find doing other things takes my mind off it and then its like "ahh, normal breathing".

Of course if you find it too troublesome then see your doc.

Happy a positive xmas!