Breathlessness - is there a way to tell if it's just anxiety or something else?

[VioletWings]

Hi there,

Just the last few days I've been feeling short of breath, I have had it before on and off but I just haven't like this in a while. Also my shoulders and neck feel kind of stiff and hurt when I move them around, my head also feels strained.
I had a bad panic the other night (triggered by the breathing thing) and then today, I have felt horrible all day and am resting in bed this afternoon.

So my question is is there any way to know that breathlessness is caused by something other than anxiety? Like are there other symptoms or would it be a certain type? (like would a person with a heart/lung condition have noisy breathing??) Any advice would be appreciated

Thanks.

[JulieJay92]

i get this frequently and especially in warmer weather as i was diagnosed last year as very very mild asthma

[LiveAboveIt]

How are you sleeping? Do you notice you breathe better when you're absorbed heavily in something? Do you have difficulty breathing when talking? If your breathing improves sometimes, it's usually a sign of anxiety.. Normally if you have COPD or something heart/lung related, it's pretty much bad all of the time. It doesn't just get better when you don't think about it.. And most often have trouble sleeping because of the breathing.. Anxiety causes us to overfocus on our breathing and make it much worse than it actually is, if say we have a chest cold or something.. And then we start to panic, which tightens our chest and neck muscles because we tense up.. Which it sounds like you're doing as well.. My best guess would be that you're having anxiety. :o

[Jules147]

Once I discovered that I could still hold my breath for a minute I realised it was anxiety.

The stiffness in your shoulders and neck are a clue also. They tend to make you breathe shallowly. Try slow breathing for 3 mins. In for 7 counts, out for 11.

It works for me but beware of sneaking in the odd extra breath.