View Full Version : unable to snatch a deep breath
Hello
I find that i am unable to snatch a deep breath, then I think I am unable to breath. the situation gets worse and real panic sets in.
How do i handle this, am I ill or is it just anxiety.
Its anxiety!
This is something i get all the time. It can last all day...and even go into the next day...and the next!
I wish i had some sound advice as to how to stop it, but i don't :(
x
hi budworth,
have you experienced this before? i get this feeling all the time and find myself trying desperately to yawn so that i can get a deep breath, its got so bad my husband and kids have noticed that i sigh and yawn excessively and seem to be struggling to get my breath. in my case i think that it is definately anxiety, the more i think about it the worse it gets, its a vicious circle. if you look on the symptoms of anxiety on this site this is noted as a very common symptom.
i have noticed that if i read or do something that totally distracts me then i dont panic about it and kind of forget, it will still be happening but i dont feel so scared.
i hvae had this for years and im still breathing so i have come to the conclusion that even though it is uncomfortable and i hate it its not anything that can hurt me.
hope this helps.
take good care
kelly x
Yeah i too have had this for almmost two years now, somedays it's worse than others, it's no better or worse at any particular time, and i've just learned to deal with it i suppose!
Hi budworth
It's nothing to worry about. Your tummy muscles are tight with anxiety so your diaphragm can't extend to take in a deep breath. This is perfectly normal with anxiety, and you won't stop you breathing in any way. The best way to do it is to lie back, relax, and when breathing out, make sure your tummy rises, not you chest.
Tom
I get this jsut as kellyw describes where you end up trying to yawn...... and it can last for days and days, although it doesn't bother me when i am asleep, and then suddenly I realise that it has gone, but becuase I have thought about it I start needing to yawn again!
It is a viscious circle!
I can relate to the yawning thing. When I go for walks I find I'm doing it without thinking and in the house my wife is always telling me to close my mouth. When I've tried relaxation tapes in the past I've always found that I think I am not taking in breaths that are sufficient but I think that's more a mental thing. It's a constant struggle to convince myself that I am taking in enough breath.
It is OK though. It's most a case of letting ourselves know it's actually fine even though our sensations tell us it is not.
MidnightRunner
19-07-08, 00:55
Oh my gosh. I have had this for years, good to know I am not the only one.
Yawning and deep breaths have always helped me, it's something I have to do a lot.
Kellyw...you could have written that for me. It wears me out somedays, then i forget about it for weeks at a time - wierd
Hi
I have the exact same problem with breathing, i was convinced there was something wrong with me. I find myself yawning and sighing just to get a good lung full of air
Anna x
Hiya
Thank god, at last a post on breathing that loads of you have replid to, i really thought it was just me, but now i really feel im not alone in this and lol i feel so much better ha ha, sorry to laugh its really not at all funny, but the relief to know its not just me is wonderfull. Hers hoping that somebody one day can give us an instant cure for this frightening problem
POLLY
i think its great too that so many people have replied to this thread. a few years ago i googled the problem and read that constant yawning is a classic sign of anxiety, this helped me to keep it in perspective nad try not to be so scared. i still hate it when i feel like this, really hate it but i always try and think that no matter how much i seem to be struggling to get a good satisfying breath in it always happens in the end, usually with a big yawn!!
for me the sensation is almost as if when i try and breathe in the breath kind of stops short of being satisfying and i feel like i havent taken in enough air. then i become aware of it and think i can get a good enough breath so i try and breath in again deeper but my chest/lung area feels constricted, like i have got a band round my chest and cant open my lungs up enough. then i make a concious effort to yawn and sometimes i try a few times before i can yawn, when that happens i feel a bit anxious that i cant yawn. then i will get a yawn in and i feel calmer. this cycle can go on and on for days. like i said i hate it but im starting to laugh a bit to myself when i get to the yawn stage and im starting to realise that no matter what i hvae had this for years and i keep breathing!!!!! i think it is just a hyper awareness of our own breathing and i think it can become a habit, just like regular breathing. i mentioned it to my doctor and he said everyone does it but the difference is most people dont get scared by it and focus on it. he siad that if you look around at social events a lot of people will be over breathing and yawning more than normal because when people are anxious about things it is one of the first reactions. i had a look round at a recent family wedding and he was absolutely right!!!!!
this thread has given me comfort, just knowing that it is common makes it easier to cope with somehow.
take good care
kelly xxx
p.s.
i think that the reason so many people have repled to this particular thread is because of the way it was worded.....
snatch a deep breath is exaclty how it feels.
perfect description. xx
Hi all
When I went through the bad period of anxiety and panic attacks I got obsessed with my breathing too. I felt that this was the worse problem as I thought I was not taking in enough oxygen The more I tried the worse I felt as my stomach got bloated. After taking medication the anxiety calmed down and the panic attacks stopped but the breathing problem stayed with me for quite a long time before I could get that satisfying sigh of relief. Shmae that doctors havent found a quick cure for that symptom.
Have faith it does go away and I know how you all feel.
Best regards
Andy
hi andy,
one thing you mentioned has really struck a chord with me.....bloated stomach. i get the most horrendous bloating and terrible burps and reading that has just made me connect the two together. overbreathing , gulping in too much air resulting in bloating tummy. i wonder if everyone that sufferes with this has bloated tummy too, it would be really interesting to find out.
kelly xx
Hiya
Yeah i to get a bloated tummy, also i do know that i dont breath in the correct way, ie from the tummy, mine is breathing from the chest which really doesnt help. Another thing i get with my breathing problem is i start with a tickly cough then that goes on to an omg i cant breath, docs have tested me for asthma but my peak flow readings are always the same, does anyone else get this????
POLLY
yes polly i get a cough too, how bizzare. it doesnt happen very often but when it does its a really tickly irritating cough, like i have got something in the back of my throat. it comes out of the blue and i feel like i cant breathe in enough to get the cough out, if that makes sense. the tummy thing is really intriguing i hvae had bloated tummy a lot recently and really loud wierd burps along with this stupid breathing problem. its so reassuring to finally realise they are linked. i must be gulping in so much extra air. its quite funny really when you think about it, we feel we cant breathe when actually we are filling ourselevs up with so much air we are making our tummy swell up.
xx
I get this as well,it's amazing how we all have identical symptoms,it's good we all come to this fan club.
I get it mainly on an evening or in the middle of the night. I always say to my husband that I feel as if I am not breathing properly,it's awful so I do sympathise with you,it makes you feel like crap sometimes.
Hi Kelly
Yes you are right breathing problems and bloatiness and burping are all inter linked. I still get some bloatiness now and burping especially in the morning but knowing what it is doesnt bother me any more. Dont worry cos when the breathing problem subsides so will the bloating. Just give yourself some time.
Best regards
Andy
Oh my goodness, a thread on breathing problems. I really suffer badly with this and thought I was on my own. So glad to see that others suffer this too (if you know what I mean!).
I have a phobia about walking to the bus stop. I've had to change my route as if I go a certain way I find I am struggling to breath. Panic sets in and I feel awful, shaky, breathless and weak. I feel sure I will collapse. I never do but the thought is always there.
I've only got to think of something I'd rather not do and my breathing is all over the place.
Yes, I too have the bloated stomach and burping. Really loud ones, much to my embarrassment. I find that when I'm bloated I can hardly breath.
I've had panic attacks for a while now but lately they've got worse, especially with the breathing.
love
Sunny
Hi there :D:hugs:
Just thought I woul post these links which may help
Breathing
Short Of Breathe
Cant get any air in (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=961)
general anxiety (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2576)
Reverse panic (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2246)
Feeling Awful Today (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3558)
Breathlessness (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3954)
Breathing!! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3276)
Everyone please read this!!!!! ( breathing weird ) (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3298)
Reverse panic (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2246)
Strange feeling in one lung (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4632)
Breathing problems (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6247)
breathing (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7670)
Short Of Breathe / try exercise
Shortness Of Breath!! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4345)
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)
TAKE CARE
LOVE JILLXXX
Hi Budworth
The reason you cannot take a deep breath is that you are probably hyperventilating. I have had this all the way through my anxiety problems. The trick is to slow your breathing down and breath from your stomach not the top of your chest. Breathing using your upper chest fires up the fight and flight response.
Your doctor may refer you to a specialist physio in hyperventilation problems if you continue to have problems.
Hope that this is helpful
Ron
Hi. I get this also mate. When it happens, if you have anyone who will do it for you, see if they will give you a shoulder and back massage and your neck too. Works like a charm.
If nobody else is around, then try pulling your knees into your chest, put your head down and rock slightly if that help (I don't rock though) and concentrate on your breathing. Tell yourself you're OK and "Calm down" in a soft voice to yourself, over and over again.
I wouldn't do this in public though. :winks:
I do this all of the time and started doing this as a child. My mother took me to the Dr. when I was 10 and the Doctor said it was just anxiety. :)
I get this all the time, it gets worse when I try to stop it, so I try to focus on something else until I calm down.
S.
i get it to but mine goes other wat to where i feel to weak and i cant breath properly dr says its anxiety recons mine severe hope evey one stays gd i know its very hard
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