Feeling like I cant breath... is this just anxiety?
Question posted by babydoll610 on 14 Dec 2014
Last updated on 5 August 2023
For three days now I've been having the feeling I'm not getting enough oxygen ... I wake up with it and go to sleep with it it last all day and has caused me to have more panic attacks
I'm consitrating on my breathing so I know I'm taking in deep breaths not hyperventilating and I'm not weezy so why do I feel this way its scarrying me to death... I also have the feeling I have to constantly swollow ... Does this happen to anyone???
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59 Answers Page 2
BR
breathingissues
10 Sep 2018
i dunno if it is anxiety related everyone around me thinks so but I have this problem since i was 6 it comes and goes and now it is on again and its been a week i hate this so much it got me depressed i was barely eating and not sleeping due to discomfort i honestly think it is what causing me anxiety and everytime i cant breathe i have a strong panic attack i will try ssri
Votes: +0
IN
Inactive
5 Aug 2018
It looks like you are suffering from anxiety. If the breathing problem is caused by anxiety, Tranxene can definitely help. But first of all, the breathing problem doesn't necessarily related to your anxiety. That's what my Mom always encountered. She thought it's anxiety, it actually turned out to be a combination of COPD and anxiety. I think you should rule out the possibility of any bronchopulmonary issues before diagnosed it as "anxiety."
Votes: +0
IN
Inactive
18 July 2018
I have had this when my anxiety level is increased to a high level, for an extended period of time - brings on panic attacks - which last off and on until I get my anxiety level back under control. It is frightening and also exhausting.
Votes: +0
KA
Kadadrrius
18 July 2018
Why I’m feeling this why like I’m not enough anxiety
Votes: +0
PJ
pj000
7 May 2018
I am going through something very similar. It started out of nowhere and I've been to the emergency room and urgent care multiple times. Have had EKGs, ultra sound of my heart, been prescribed meds and the whole lot of it. Nothing seems to help. I dont hyperventilate, instead I feel like I have to take very deep breaths. I've been talking to a psychiatrist and recently paid 2000 out of pocket in hopes a hypnotist might be able to help. Nothing. No help. The only thing I have been able to take back from any of my multiple meetings is dr's are afraid to prescribe me xanax, larozapan or ativan and alcohol seems to elevate the symptoms. The problem is very frustrating. Exercise seems to help but usually briefly. Been going on a year now. Symptoms are still there but not as bad as they were at one point. There were times when I was up all night. Now I am at least sleeping better but everyday these symptoms randomly pop up.
Votes: +0
AM
amaraeuq
28 March 2018
Im looking fwd to a response to your question. I feel like a smoke two packs a day.( do not smoke ). Im on a stupid sleep apnea machine until effexor is gone . Truly looking fwd to a response to your question . I was just about to post a similar question. My shrink says its anxiety. ( no. Its freaking drug withdrawal).
Votes: +0
JU
juliecarlstan
28 March 2018
Sounds like both asthmatic symptoms and panic. Which I recently learned they trigger eachother! Super, huh? When I'm having a panic attack often there is a feeling of something lodged in my throat, which causes the swallowing, or uncontrollable vomiting. The gasping feeling is probably asthma. Especially if it's brought on by dust, airborne chemicals (like acrillic nail salons), stress can even trigger an attack. But stress also leads to panic attacks. If u have a friend who has a rescue inhaler I would ask to borrow it for just two puffs. Cheaper than starting with a Dr. Visit and going through testing. If it helps open your broncials you'll feel it immediately. The inhalers are packed with steroids, so in a few minutes you may feel jittery, don't freak out, it passes quickly. Either one seems like it would cause major difficulty sleeping though?
Votes: +0
JA
javier1930
6 March 2018
I have been suffering from anxiety since a child and not realizing about it until my early 20's when I was diagnosed by my medical doctor. I also had this feeling a few years ago and it lasted 2 weeks or more just a horrible feeling, it felt like i had phlegm in my throat that kept coming back every time I cleared it out. Then it manifested into cramps on the side of my back below my ribs, every time I would eat something or be somewhere where I felt unsafe I would get that uncomfortable discomfort. Going through these symptoms for 2 months I noticed a pattern when I would get these feelings and realized that I was causing them by my unconscious mind so one day as I was in tears of the pain i was getting by this I lay down in bed closed my eyes and just concentrated and put attention on that pain and try to feel it as much as I can, miraculously it melted away within 1/2hr and never again to return.
Throughout my life I would get symptons of anxiety from time to time and depending on the situation it would rank anywhere from 5-10 rating scale. I was so sick and tired of it that I needed to understand why this is happening to me you see our mind sometimes can play tricks on us and get us stuck on our anxieties without us even knowing about it, but there is hope with mindful techniques and meditation that can aliviate your anxiety if not take it away, but you need to accept it, love it, and thank it for letting you know something is wrong and it could be that your just over thinking or doing too much in your life. If you are having daily severe episodes it would be a good idea to take a mild anti depresent for 6 months - 1 year to help you control your anxiety while you learn how to control your emotions and change the way you think and get rid of your negative thoughts about yourself or situations that you can't control that you don't even know you have on a daily basis.
These 2 people have gave me a good understanding on how my emotions play a big role on my anxiety and depression. You see first you need to learn why you get these anxieties the root cause, and anxieties are just unconscious negative emotions that you have not yet learned how to control. Plain and simple but difficult to do but you can do it with lots of practice and in time your mind will build on it just like lifting weights. Listen to these 2 people that have helped me control my anxiety, love myself, and understand how my emotions play a big role on my everyday life to reduce stress that creates into anxiety. God Bless!!
Actualized.org on youtube Attacking anxiety and depression by Lucinda Bassett
Votes: +0
LR
Lreynolds8
27 Dec 2017
I fell the same way I even went to the doctor and told her she listen to my lungs and nothing but wanting to swallow and sometimes I even wake up because of it she did put me on singalar it helps a little at first then I go back to the same way and I take that singalar at night
Votes: +0
JU
Judy Gent
9 Dec 2017
I think I have anxiety I am fine at this moment but if I get up and go to the bathroom or something It starts again what should I do.
Votes: +0
VA
VampireIdle
28 Nov 2017
It can be anxiety but it doesnt have to be. Best would be to just go to the doctor and check it. If you cant go alone, dont be afraid to ask your family, best friend or partner to go with you.
Votes: +0
BA
Bannanasbaby47
26 Nov 2017
My 14 year-old girl last night was coughing all not couldnt breath but the doctor said see wasnt weezy and she keeped swollowing and now it's happen today what is wrong with her
Votes: +0
DR
Dreamaker322015
6 Sep 2017
I know the feeling exactly. It's like you feel your lungs expanding painlessly, but your brain says there wasn't enough air in it. Mine started right after having my 4 year old. I have explained it to my Dr. and he says it's my anxiety. I am taking 90 milligrams of cymbalta and .25 of xanax but does not seem to help.I will constantly yawn trying to ease the feeling, and sometimes it helps for a minute but then it's right back to starving for air. I also have the strange dry feeling in my nose, but not sure if it's associated. And I have these feelings in my chest that feels like muscle spasms or I describe them as a feeling like a bird or butterfly is taking off. Sometimes it's so hard that I literally freeze up with fear. I have to say it's nice to know that I am not the only one that feels this way, though I hate that others go through it.
Votes: +0
JE
Jean123456
27 July 2017
POSSIBLE SOLUTION/TIPS: Hello it seems like a lot of others were feeling the same way I have been feeling the last two weeks. In my case, I have never been diagnosed with anxiety or panic attacks. However the last 2 weeks have been extremely emotional for me filled me anger, fighting, and crying.
This is why I think MY shortness of breath is more related mentally.
After talking about this symptom to my boyfriend he helped me do the following for about 30 mins and now I feel fine. I hope this helps others. Please reach out to a friend, parent, spouse, etc so you don't feel alone. Rest your mind, youre alive and well today.
I was light headed, tingly fingers, felt like I couldn't get the right amount of oxygen into my lungs, lungs never felt satisfied only with deep yawn.
First sit straight up with your feet on the floor. It's important to sit straight so your lungs can expand. Clear your head. Breathe in through your nose 3 times, exhale normally out of purses lips. Your body knows how to breathe on its own. Let's your reflexes kick in. Have someone pull back your shoulders for ~15 seconds. Do this frequently during this half hour. When hunched over our muscles limit us from fully expanding and breathing. Relax your shoulders and upper body while sitting straight. If you're tense have someone massage your whole back. This helped me tons. Try playing relaxing massage youtube music while doing this. After some time of doing this try putting your head down in between your knees and breath steadily. When you come back up, massage, and pull shoulders back like you're trying to crush a can between the plates on your back again. Someone can massage you while doing this as well. Look down at your chest and stomach. Breathe so that your stomach pushes out and retracts in when breathing out. Try not to expand your chest while breathing, but your stomach. Focus on this for a little and let it take over on its own. Watch someone else's chest and stomach when they breathe and see how they go out and in with their stomach and not their chest. Clear your head. Keep hydrated. I had crushed ice at different points of my massage/back-straightening.
That was basically what I just did for the last 30 mins and I feel fine now. I think I was getting a bit anxious with my life, coupled with poor posture and breathing.
I hope this helps someone!
Votes: +0
JG
Jgolfer94
17 July 2017
Hi, I found this page by googling, "It doesn't feel like I am getting enough air". Anxiety works in funny ways... Whenever something uncomfortable happens, we tend to steer ourselves clear of that discomfort. Take a panic attack - The symptoms are the same as a heart attack, but since they are triggered by an overactive brain, they are harmless. Nevertheless, nobody likes the feeling. So then, we begin to make it a goal to not get a panic attack.. Which causes us to steer clear of things that cause them.
I was driving across a bridge earlier today and began thinking, "this would not be an ideal time to hyperventilate". And what should happen next other than start feeling the sensation of panic? The bridge was stable and I KNEW nothing would happen... But, the fear of experiencing a panic attack again cause me to go into a panic attack. It's a catch 22.
Whenever you create a post, I want you to think about something: Think about how you are breathing while typing. One of two things will happen... You will either breath normally and focus only on the post, or you will focus on the breathing and not make any sense.
Once that happens, you will realize that if you simply don't think about what the issue is, then it becomes less of a problem.
Votes: +1
DP
dpanc60
5 Aug 2023
i like your bridge analogy as it fits me exactly. i was fearless,raced motorcycles,honestly,i was in fear of nothing..i wont go into it but i was fearless to the point of being reckless/borderline insane,zero thought of my mortality. nothing scared me or gave me pause. i had to get a liver biopsy when i was about 25 at einstein hospital in phil. it was unpleasant,and i drove myself there as i didnt want to trouble anyone, long story short,i got stuck on a bridge opening at the tacony palmyra bridge,happened 100 x before,i started to hyperventilate,thought i was having a heart attack,never in my life did i experience someting like that. it was terrifying and i have never recovered from that,the feeling of being trapped and not being able to breath,no escape.
i understand what you are saying about breathing and distraction,but in my case it is 100% mental,i intellectually know it,i give it thought (maybe i should not) before i try to drive over the bridge that it was just a bad moment,but i either stop and have 2 beers before i cross or i just flat avoid it. the mind is a wonderful tool or can be crippling,in my case..i would rather be in a gunfight then drive over a bridge..how crazy is that? i will try and take your advice