at my whits end with shortness of breath feeling

[eddy1608]

Hi everyone, so for the last few months everyday i have had the feeling of shortness of breath its like i feel like i cant get that full satisfying breath. I try to do this even when i am just sat doing nothing and my throat feels tight and sore. I am known to have bad health anxiety for the last 8-10 years and i also have asthma but this was diagnosed the same time my anxiety was. My peak flow 600-650 all the time and never really changes and the doctor has changed my inhaler a couple times in the last few months based on what i have described. My diet is also very poor as is my sleep pattern
Any suggestions or input if you have had this and what helps would be great, as you know with anxiety and asthma you always think the worst and think something is wrong
in the last 2 weeks i have also joined the gym and done yoga and tai chi and during these classes i have never had to use my blue rescue inhaler either.
Thanks for reading

[ankietyjoe]

Ok so I see you've started a few threads about this, but with no really useful responses.

I had this same exact feeling for a few years.

The only solution to it, is to ignore it. I know it sounds weird, but it's true.

What I found out was that in the effort of trying to take that full breath, you are actually hyperventilating and throwing off your CO2 balance, which in turn makes you feel even more short of breath.

I highly recommend you take a look at some resources about buteyko breathing techniques. That for me was a last resort that worked really well. In fact, I don't have the breathing issues any more. In short, when you feel short of breath you only breath in through your nose, even when your brain is telling you that you need more air....which you don't.

If your asthma is being monitored and not an issue during exercise, the lack of breath isn't really there. You (we) are making it happen.

You also HAVE to sort out your diet and sleep. It's really difficult to recover from anxiety when you are physically worn down. Diet alone played a massive role in my recovery from anxiety.