Short of Breath All Day Long

[Trbfan]

So for 15+ months I've been dealing with this pressure under my sternum, it occasionally gives me issues it does occasionally make my breathing tougher if I've been active. Kinda suspected hiatal hernia but I dont know.


Anyway today I woke up out of a dream, in that dream I felt like I was falling into small amounts of water and felt like I was drowining, I woke up..sat up for about 30 seconds and noticed I felt short of breath. Like I was having to breathe quickly just a little bit, this continued for over an hour. I feel like it is connected to the pressure that is sitting under my sternum. 12 hours later and im still getting the sensation that I need to breathe quick a little bit. I havent had many chest pains or anything, except for this pressure, but this feeling being there all day is freaking me out. Obviously my mind jumped to a clot or pneumonia, and that the dream was only because I was already having breathing problems while sleeping.

My vitals have been normal today, heart rate isnt up at all, hasnt been many pains. I've used my cheap watch with an O2 meter, I dont know if its accurate but its read 97-99% all day. So I know the chances of it being a clot arent high. When I'm moving it actually seems to get a little better, when I yell it seems to get a little better. Actually when I had a bit of a panic attack earlier it got a bit better for a few minutes. Talking I feel it a little. Even when I did a sim race (computer race, wheel/pedals etc) it felt better. Its when I sit still that the pressure and the sensation that I have to breathe quick comes back. Its not dehabilitating but its very annoying I've felt dizzy a few times.

[ankietyjoe]

Anxiety creates muscle tension, sometimes a LOT. Your lungs and breathing are controlled by muscles. In turn, this can lead to pretty severe sensations of not being able to breathe, or rather not being able to take a deep, satisfying breath. The side effect of this you try harder to breathe....leading to hyperventilation......which then makes you feel shorter of breath.

The reason you feel it less when you're sim racing (G29/Assetto Corsa fandboy here) is that you're not focusing on it, and your body starts taking over and breathing naturally again.

The paradoxical solution is actually to breathe as little as possible through your nose. It helps balance the CO2 in your bloodstream. You'll feel you really need to breathe more, but you don't.

[Trbfan]

Im hoping that what it is, but after 15 hours now I worry heh. I've had that before for sure but maybe an hour or two at a time, it seems a lot of the feeling gets set off my movement along that spot that I've been dealing with for more than a year. Like I was just playing Fortnite too and I felt doing it, I try to not think about my breathing but everytime I stop doing something it seems to come back. Its not like im sitting here hyperventilating, its just an uptick in the pace of my breathing enough for me to notice, if I slow it down I get a bit of an air hunger feeling, but it also may be that stomach pressure..its so had to tell the difference lol.


Anxiety creates muscle tension, sometimes a LOT. Your lungs and breathing are controlled by muscles. In turn, this can lead to pretty severe sensations of not being able to breathe, or rather not being able to take a deep, satisfying breath. The side effect of this you try harder to breathe....leading to hyperventilation......which then makes you feel shorter of breath.

The reason you feel it less when you're sim racing (G29/Assetto Corsa fandboy here) is that you're not focusing on it, and your body starts taking over and breathing naturally again.

The paradoxical solution is actually to breathe as little as possible through your nose. It helps balance the CO2 in your bloodstream. You'll feel you really need to breathe more, but you don't.

[ankietyjoe]

Are you under more stress recently?

For example, recently I had a period of monumental stress, way more than the average person, and it lasted for about 3 months. I don't suffer with anxiety any more, but it put me into that state for a while. My breathing went berserk, it felt like I had eaten 5kg of meat combined with an elephant sitting on my chest. I just couldn't breathe, it was suffocating. I hadn't done this for years, but I carted myself off to A&E. They did X-rays, blood tests and Oxygen saturation tests....all normal. This went on for about 6 weeks...every single breath, and despite being able to control my anxiety these days, it was by far the most significant anxiety symptom I've ever experienced, this is the power of stress. So 15 hours is nothing to worry about.

[Trbfan]

Not more than usual. I've had a lot of stress in general because quite honestly for the last 18 months I've felt terrible. Extreme fatigue, heart seems to want to beat faster than usual with activity, low blood sugar feelings frequently, this stomach pressure which seems to get set off with certain movements, etc. I hope the oxygen saturation level on my watch is correct cause it would be 99% which is good lol. That does sound awful, I've had an hour or two periods where I felt short of breath but not all day. Im honestly not sure I really am breathing hard right now, if I am its only very slightly, it may just be the stomach pressure making me feel like I am.


Are you under more stress recently?

For example, recently I had a period of monumental stress, way more than the average person, and it lasted for about 3 months. I don't suffer with anxiety any more, but it put me into that state for a while. My breathing went berserk, it felt like I had eaten 5kg of meat combined with an elephant sitting on my chest. I just couldn't breathe, it was suffocating. I hadn't done this for years, but I carted myself off to A&E. They did X-rays, blood tests and Oxygen saturation tests....all normal. This went on for about 6 weeks...every single breath, and despite being able to control my anxiety these days, it was by far the most significant anxiety symptom I've ever experienced, this is the power of stress. So 15 hours is nothing to worry about.

[ankietyjoe]

You won't notice if you're breathing incorrectly, it becomes habitual.

Stress has a habit of building up and then hitting you hard. Every symptom you describe is anxiety 101. I would suggest NOT worrying about those things as it becomes self sustaining very quickly.

Here's a suggestion. Go for a walk, go for a brisk walk for 10 minutes. Get your heart rate around the 100-120bpm mark. Just keep telling yourself that's what it's supposed to do, and then when you stop walking, just sit with the sensation of the faster heart rate for a while telling yourself all is good. That's the way to beat these things. It takes time, but it works.

[Trbfan]

You won't notice if you're breathing incorrectly, it becomes habitual.

Stress has a habit of building up and then hitting you hard. Every symptom you describe is anxiety 101. I would suggest NOT worrying about those things as it becomes self sustaining very quickly.

Here's a suggestion. Go for a walk, go for a brisk walk for 10 minutes. Get your heart rate around the 100-120bpm mark. Just keep telling yourself that's what it's supposed to do, and then when you stop walking, just sit with the sensation of the faster heart rate for a while telling yourself all is good. That's the way to beat these things. It takes time, but it works.

Today has been slightly better, but I still have this pressure under my sternum and bottom rib height, occasional pain that still creates the sensation that I need to breathe harder, or maybe slightly short of the breath. I've been breathing normally mostly today, but it feels like something is causing this.

[ankietyjoe]

It's quite possible you're experiencing severe muscle tension. Anxiety alone can cause that kind of pain as well. By all means get it checked out if you feel you need to, but it all sounds very familiar to me. Word for word familiar.

[Trbfan]

It's quite possible you're experiencing severe muscle tension. Anxiety alone can cause that kind of pain as well. By all means get it checked out if you feel you need to, but it all sounds very familiar to me. Word for word familiar.

Maybe, yesterday was good. Today I woke up gagging for air again, immediately flung myself out of bed, heart was going 150+, was hyperventilating bad. After that calmed down I was extremely dizzy and all that pressure from thursday that feels like its making it tough for me to breathe is back. I tried laying back down for an hour but several times got the sensation like I'd be really short of breath or that I would gag for air. When im moving around that pressure isnt so bad, but when I lay down or sit down and slow my breathing down I Really notice it. If I yell, or like earlier I had to grab a cat from under my car, because it crawled up in the suspension, I felt ok there..as soon as I got in..boom couldnt breathe right. But today so far has been worse than thursday.

[Trbfan]

Went to the medclinic because my mom was already gonna be there for a strep test, my BP and and pulse were high for me. 148/95 pulse 102. Usually im 110/70, pulse 60s. I still feel very short of breath sometimes, but the doctor said my lungs sounded clear. My o2 level was 97%. He said it could be something gastric or anxiety, he didnt run any other tests, he didnt think it could be a clot based on risk factors, but thats not always 100% the case.