Fear That I will stop breathing

[Hollystressed]

I have written posts about this before a while ago when I as struggling with this issue and I thought I had gotten over this but now It has come back with a vengeance! ! ! When I try to fall asleep I get this weird feeling like I need more air and I am gasping for air but not getting enough . . is what it feels like. . who knows if i really am or not. . . Than throughout the day I have this uneasiness that I will stop breathing. . Like each breath is my last . . and its lasting all day!! Even when I distract myself It's still in the back of my mind! My breathing is all out of wack too because I am thinking about it all day I sometimes feel like i am over breathing because I am not breathing enough. . I feel like i hold my breath a lot. This is SOOO scary and I feel like it'll never go away!! You know when you're swimming under water and you're holing your breath (obviously) and when you get up from the water you gasp for air kinda because you were under water holding your breath for so long that you need air. . well that how I feel all the time. . its terrible. I feel like I am not breathing through my nose good enough or enough. . How can anxiety actually make you feel physically bad like this? And I am worried that because I am thinking of this SO much that I will stop breathing because of my thoughts. Does this make sense? I know my thoughts are making my breathing not good at all and even when I am sleeping it wakes me up gasping for air. . so can it make me stop breathing? will i always be this way? I see No light or hope. I fear I will always be this way and feel this way. A constant struggle for a breath. . and I am only 23. What is wrong with me. i cannot even enjoy my One yr anniversary with my boyfriend today because I am constantly thinking of my breathing. Has anyone felt this way and recovered? I thought i recovered from this. It just comes back in different forms I guess. How do I get rid of this )-: When I used to get this I was more panicky and had panic attacks and would just pop an Ativan. Now I dont have a panic attack but I feel extreme anxiety and depression from this because it's ruining my life.

[mila]

Hi Holly,
i am having a similar problem right now. Well, i am starting to think i hold my breath too. I am soo scared. I constantly think about my breathing and I get that feeling like after you've been holding breathe, or like if you think about breathing and lose its rhytm, then i get all panicky like i can't catch breathe or its rgytm again. It can even be difficult to talk, probably coz it's kinda hard to talk if you're controling your breathing at the same time, if that makes sense...But I also get a feeling of not being able to open my chest up enough to breathe, or a smothering sensation. For me it is so bad that i have been to see 4 different doctors in the past couple of days and been to the emergency twice, where they found nothing wrong with my breathing! But I still feel the same and fear i will stop breathing, so much that it is difficult to get on with my life...
I had similar feelings couple of years ago and it did go eventually but only when things that were able to distract me started happening. I don't know what it is going to take now for me. If you don't have feelings you can't expand your chest like I do, it would probably be good for you to try some breathing exercises. Most relaxation tapes also guide you with the breathing, at least the ones i have listened to.

[mothermac]

This does sound like anxiety hun,I sometimes get quite hung up on my breathing technique if I get palpatations and sometimes I say to my hubby"I don't feel as though I am breathing right".
It does sound like severe health anxiety and if it has encroached on your life this much and stopped you enjoying your night with your boyfriend then you must speak to the doc about it.
Don't worry about it as he or she is there to help and would have heard much worse and it will be good to talk to someone about how it is affecting your quality of life.Remember the brain tells the body what to do and if you are constantly getting panicky about breathing in and out all day then you will be more conscious of it.Breathing is something we do without realising it even as a baby so I am sure you will find some relief soon
Take care and let us know how you get on.

[Hollystressed]

Iv been to plent of drs believe me and the only solution to them is anti depressants. I dont like ssri's and wont take them. I do have a fear of medication BUT i have been on 3 diff antu depressants so i have a right to. Had bad experiences with them. . I see a therapist once a week and this issue seems to come and go but i am afraid it will never leave. A normal dr wont be ablw to do anything for me. I saw an herbalist and he gave me herbal supplements for my hormonal imbalnces and anxiety. . we'll see how that works out. I just need to stop this bad habit

[Tom_M]

Hi Hollystressed

Breathing is an automatic thing. If you held your breath until you passed out, you would automatically start breathing again while unconscious, so you can't stop yourself from breathing by thinking about it. I'd learn how to control your breathing by learning how to relax the muscles involved in breathing.

Tom

[Hollystressed]

cool thank you Tom. That makes me feel better! ! ! Yes I am very tense in the chest area. Just feel like i dont take in air from my nose enough. I know this sounds weird and I may sound crazy. . i posted this on another anxiety site and a woman said "You need to get help ASAP" im uh. . . thanks that makes me feel better. . as though i have never gotten help for my anxiety. I see an herbalist, therapist once a week and more dr's in 3 months than most have seen on 5 yrs . . or more. . . so what else?? SSRI's dont work for me so i dont take them. I feel like when i say that people dont believe me and think anti depressants help everyone. Iv alrady taken 3 of them in the past 5 yrs. . . They just make me feel i am going crazy. This is why i see an herbalist. Sorry just venting because i know some people think i am dumb for not taking any ssri's but if they didnt work for you, made you have panic attacks and made you feel nuts would you take them?

[mila]

Holly, i completely understand what you're saying. SSRI's won't work for everyone, we are all diferent...I am not really sure they ever worked for me, though i have been taking them for a long time, on and off...They seemed to help the first time, but now i am not sure was it really the med or me believing it will help me and probably releasing some of the fear i have that way. Right now, i don't know what to do really, there is nothing about anxiety that scares me as much as when i find it difficult to breathe...The fear i feel with it, the way it affects my life, it can't be compared with any other symptom, i am absolutely terrified to do anything, go out, enjoy time with my partner, nothing, i can't even think of anything else other than my breathing and if i am breathing right and if it is going to get worse and what will i do then...even thinking of doing anything physical scares me, cause i feel i would get too short of breathe and something horrible would happen...
I would also like to know how to relax my chest area...
Do things your herbalist gives you help?

[Hollystressed]

i feel the same way right now mila. its painful. . I just started taking the herbal supplements so i feel no difference. I just an my breathing issues to go away. i want this all to go away!!!!!!

[gtrgrl3369]

Please try not to worry yourself so much. I know thats easier said than done. I also have stuggled with the breathing issues and do not take ssri meds or any other med. I have has bad experiences with them and will not take them. I will let you know what my doctor said about breathing or fear that you will stop. Breathing is natural and will occur even when you are not focused on it. He also told me to get a breathing clock which I still use. I take 2 deep cleasining breathes and then hold my breath for as long as I can and then release it. I do this for 5 minutes and it helps put balance back into my breathing. Like other people have said if you overbreathe it leads to hyperventilation and will make it harder for you to feel like you are breathing right or that you will stop. Rest assured you will not. If you need any further help, let me know. I have been there done that and feel a whole lot better. Take care honey, it will get better.

[Hollystressed]

THANKYOU 3369!!!
I really appreciate it! I know this is my anxiety but it doesn't make my fear of not breathing any easier So how long did you deal with the breathing thing for ??