Constant Yawning and Need for deep breath

[sammyj]

Is constant feel for a need of a deep breath and yawning somehting that anxiety can cause? If I feel I cant take a full deep breath I then make myself Yawn to take a deep breath. When I drink wine, as i have a few glasses in the evning on weekends I seem to forget everything and feel "normal" is this because I am relaxed.I am worrying I have asthma maybe brought on by allergies (think I am somewhat allergic to my cat as I sneeze alot)

[Sammy J]

Hey namesake,

It may be because you're not taking enough air in with your regular breathing so the yawning is your body's way of getting it in, If I have a full blown panic attack I know when I'm coming out of it as I yawn (and wee!) alot.

I also find I don't have panic attacks or suffer anxiety if I have a glass of wine in the evening but, as I'm suffering with gastric problems, wine is banned until my stomach pain/heartburn goes away. Unfortunatly this means I'm having panics/anxiety most nights at the mo but have just started CBT so am hoping this helps.

Sam

[sammyj]

Sammy J lolthanks for your reply. Its just such an awful feeling.A glass of wine is like my saving grace at the moment but dont want to over do it on the vino! loli feel like it is def more persistent when I am aware of it so am trying to take comfort in the fact its not constant, just seems it at time. i sleep fine just something else for me to worry about!

[Zsofi]

Hi sammyj,

This is one of the most usual symptoms of anxiety, I think most of the members of this forum are suffering from it.
This breath issue is something that I still deal with too, even though my anxiety is much better by now and I didn't have a panic attack for years. But this feeling that I am not able to breath in fully or to fill up my lungs with air and I start to yawn - is still a quite frequent thing that happens to me mostly in the evenings.
Btw, as long as I know red wine (might seem to be a good solution as for now), but on the long run alcohol fuels anxiety, so if I was you I would try to find some other relaxation stuff for the evenings. If you want to drink something why don't you give a go to the good old chamomile tea?

Zsofi

[sammyj]

thanks Zsofi, I will give the tea a bash!"

[SaSa]

This may sound silly ...
But I can't breathe normally too ...

And my father notice it ... and guest what ... he gave me yoga book ...
And it describes, how you can breathe ...
And it really helped me ...

(or you can sit down, relax, breath deply and it works too )

[jobob123]

This also sounds like airhunger - just do a search for "airhunger" on Google and you'll see what I mean. Hope this helps

[WilliamCDaniels]

I have had this same problem for years and I finally found out what was going on. I (and I imagine everyone in this discussion) have something called "Hyperventilation Syndrome." Basically, over the years, we have learned to stop breathing deep in our bellies, as all newborns do, and learned to breathe in our chest's. Most of the time this is completely unconscious. Anxiety CAN exacerbate this, but most likely would go completely unnoticed.

Before you say "Its not anxiety! I've tried every antidepressant and gotten all of the tests and nothing came back!" I would tell you that I did the same thing, and it all came back clear. Not being able to breathe and not knowing why is probably one of the most terrifying feelings there is and there have been many times where I have just wanted to take a swan dive over a high bridge. But believe me, there is a solution. First of all, realize that you absoloutely are getting enough air. That is not the problem. You will not die from this. The reason you feel like you are constantly out of breathe is because you are expelling too much carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is essential for maintaining oxygen levels; so when you don't have enought CO2, your brain realizes this, and attempts to take in more air, giving you that "air hunger" feeling. All you have to do to cure yourself of this is to relearn how to do belly-breathing. Google "Buteyko Method". It is excellent. Also check out the book Hyperventilation Syndrome by Dinah Bradley. Believe me when I tell you that it works and once you learn how to do this you will be fine. Sorry to everyone who is going through this horrible feeling. When it was at its worst, I literally felt like I was suffocating. If you find yourself panicking, just remember - you're expelling too much CO2. The best way to fix this is to breathe "low and slow". Lie on your back and breathe deep into your belly, as slowly as you can. Your chest shouldn't move at all. At first, it will feel very incomfortable; this is because your brain still feels like it needs more air. But what you are doing is slowly restoring the CO2, which will in turn modulate your oxygen. As I am writing this it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but believe me it works. If you can't trust some random dude posting on this forum, and who would blame you if you couldn't, then just google "Hyperventilation syndrome" and try the deep belly breathing. You should also go for brisk walks and ONLY breathe through your nose. Never your mouth. Every time you breathe through your mouth you are expelling more CO2 and thus receiving less oxygen. I hope this works. It did for me.