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Breathless when talking - is this anxiety?

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dip58448
dip58448

Hi,

I've been having breathing related symptoms for a few months now. The doc said it's anxiety related. I don't have any stress in my life, but sometimes maybe the brain chemistry just gets imbalanced and can cause symptoms. I've been going to CBT, which has really helped me accept that it's anxiety. I think I'm very slowly getting better. I still have shortness of breath randomly when I think about my breathing.

One of the most annoying thing for me is the shortness of breath getting worse when I'm talking. This is very difficult, because I teach, so I need to talk a lot. I may feel ok when I'm silent. But the more I talk, the more I feel like I can't catch my breath. I feel winded from just having a simple conversation. If I keep talking it gets worse, and then my body starts to feel numb and tingly. It's really affecting me, because in a month I have to be back teaching and talking a lot. It also affects when I go out with friends, because I can't talk without feeling winded. So I have to take breaks. I think it's anxiety, because I do exercise, and otherwise feel healthy.

Anybody else feel winded and breathless after talking? What helps with it?

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • sasical72
    sasical72 dip58448

    Edited

    Hi there,

    Has your doctor checked you out?

    I get this and the only thing that has worked for me is to say to myself, here we go again with the anxiety!! and continue speaking and it eventually dies down.

    • dip58448
      dip58448 sasical72

      Edited

      Thank you so much for the response! How long till the sensation goes away for you?

      I was very healthy before this happened. Right now with COVID, hard to get respiratory tests done. But my family doc listened to my lungs and heart and said it all sounds good. I still exercise and try to be active. Just have this sensation of breathlessness most of the time, and it gets worse when talking. It's quite uncomfortable and frustrating.

    • sasical72
      sasical72 dip58448

      Posted

      Yes, it is uncomfortable and frustrating.

      The sensation goes as soon as I can stop thinking about it, as soon as I can get outside my head and focus on the conversation or teaching, sometimes a few seconds, sometimes a few minutes.

      I also teach and sometimes it was so bad that I would find ways to get the students to do the talking.

      I have sometimes felt as though it is coming from my stomach putting pressure on my lungs, have you ever had that feeling?

    • dip58448
      dip58448 sasical72

      Edited

      You teach too! That's so awesome! Definitely feel like I want to be healthy for school time, because it's not an easy job.

      I personally have not felt pressure from my stomach pressing on my lungs. I do get chest tightness, my rib muscles and diaphragm muscle sometimes feels tired/sore. And mostly, just really breathless randomly throughout the day. It's usually worse when my brain is bored and not distracted.

      How long have you had this for? I had it when I was in my teens and early twenties, but have been healthy now for 10-12 years, until this came back out of nowhere after my COVID vaccine. Now it's been like three months, and super frustrating!

    • sasical72
      sasical72 dip58448

      Edited

      I have had it on and off throughout my life. I have bad anxiety and it manifests in different ways at different times.

      Another thing that can apparently cause it are hormones. I don't know if you are a female and around perimenopause age, because it's quite common at that stage.

    • dip58448
      dip58448 sasical72

      Posted

      I'm not perimenopausal, but I am on some meds for getting pregnant. My symptoms started after the COVID vaccine. I guess that may have triggered it, which is so interesting, because I have never had a reaction to a vaccine before. Thanks for your responses, and hope you are keeping relatively healthy!

  • Sashimi
    Sashimi dip58448

    Posted

    I get this sometimes. I also dont think im under much stress but perhaps our baseline perception of stress is higher than what the body can handle? I used to study 50 hours a week in uni, 7 days a week for weeks at a time. After so many years of this, I can see the mind taking a toll. My guess is serotonin problems.

    • dip58448
      dip58448 Sashimi

      Posted

      wow! that's a lot of studying, and I'm sure that can contribute to stress. Are you still doing that, or was that in the past? When do you symptoms show up? I agree with you that for me, it feels more like a chemical imbalance in the brain, rather than stress related. I have very little stress right now..Hope you are keeping well!

  • katelyn70127
    katelyn70127 dip58448

    Posted

    Yes! very recently i have noticed that i an constantly out breathe when talking. it is very frustrating! i just take deep breathes before i talk.

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