Excessive Yawning and Constant Need to Breathe Deep

Hello,

I have been suffering from the same for about 2 years now, but lately it has become more often. I feel the need of air every 5 minutes, the need of a deep breath which most of the time it does not come easy. I went to see a doctor and I was diagnosed with asthma but even using the inhalers does not stop this desperate feeling. i am almost convinced that this is not asthma. This is ruining my life, i cannot even eat, hold a long conversation because I feel asphyxiated. I wanted to know if you have foud something that makes you feel better or cured. I feel I cannot take this any more.

Thank you,

Angela.

I've struggled with this since I was 5 years old. I have mild asthma as well but this kind of dyspnea is clearly different from other kinds of breathlessness (as you all can attest!). A few things I'd like to share:

it IS a hyperventialtion feedback loop, and slowing down or regulating breathing can help in the moment and even help end an attack

it is NOT caused by "stress" or "anxiety" although those things can sure make it worse, because we breathe more rapidly (and thus tend to hyperventilate) when stressed

ditto for stimulants - they can make an attack worse, and i've had the experience of a sudden increase in dosage of a stimulant medication triggering attacks

just can't quite get that satisfying breath? try raising your arms over your head, or if that would be embarassing, raising your shoulders up towards your ears while pushing your hands downward onto your lap as you breathe in. works for me like 85% of the time

Tiger0191 mentioned something called Vocal Cord Dysfunction. I googled it and and guess what you guys - I almost definitely have this, am infact having an episode of both hyperventiation and VCD rtight now. this explains why mucinex often helps my attacks, and skipping my prilosec (for GERD) can precipate an attack. seriously everyone, go google Vocal Cord Dysfunction! do not stop, do not pass go. google it right now

folks on a couple of other web-based threads like this one have suggested that irritation of the vagus nerve can also trigger it. that makes sense too given that the vagus nerve controls the muscles of the larynx, and yawning attacks can be brought about by vasovagal reaction

in a nutshell, for me, what i think happens is this: gastroesophageal reflux, allergies, postnasal drip, etc. trigger Vocal Cord Dysfunction, which triggers irritation of the vagus nerve, which leads to hyperventilation syndrome. but i expect anything that irritates the vagus nerve could do it, not just VCD

so when you are having an attack, in addition to paying attention to your breathing and not getting anxious and not taking in too many stimulants, see if you can figure out if an environmental trigger is irritating your throat, esophagus or vocal cords, and attend to that as well

they can diagnose VCD by the way by putting a scope down your throat to visualize the vocal cords when you are having an attack. maybe suggest that at your next ER visit when they are trying to fob off more xanax at you for your supposed "panic attack"

now - does anyone know what the physiological basis of the "satisfaction" is?? for me it feels like something is triggered deep in the lungs, like in the bottom 10% of the lungs which otherwise refuse to "fill" with air until I finally have that deep satisfying breath. I have no idea what this actually maps to, physiologically. any ideas??

Oh! I am so happy I found this. First i had a feeling of a lumb in my throat which I read that is probably a Globus sensation. Then it went away and a few days after I started to feel like I need to take a deep breath.

After I read this forum I felt so much better knowing that it is probably anxiety and stress that half of the feeling is now gone. I still feel the need to yawn or take a deep breath but at least it is not all the time.

I have a question though! Because of the constant deep breathing I feel like my chest or diaphragm hurts. Something like sore muscles after excersize. Anyone else with the same pain?

Hello all - seems this page has the most info and participation of any site on this topic. I realize almost everything has been said here, and I did read about 95% of every comment. I have the exact same issue as the original poster, started in Jan, was bad for a few weeks then sort of disappeared until it came on full force in April, and since then, it's been NON STOP. All the doctors say anxiety as folks have on this board, but I'd like to try to explain the symptoms again and have folks weigh in if they think it's something else. It's not that I don't believe the doctors, I do tend to be a bit of a "nervous" guy in general, but it's seems so odd to me that anxiety can cause this (given I don't feel anxious or stressed).

So here's what is happening. Essentially, every 3-5 minutes (could be less at times, could be more), I get this tightning sort of feeling in my chest - just an uncomfortable feeling (no pain). And the only thing that makes it go away is if I inhale a huge amount of air, just enough to get that little "twinge" of satisfaction (like I can feel a shot of dopamine go up my spine into my brain). Sometimes I don't feel that satisfaction - and I keep breathing deep (sometimes hyperventalating in the process) in order to get that "feeling". But luckily (I guess), it always comes - eventually (maybe in a few minutes of bearing through the uncomfortable feeling - lying down seems to help too). What also "fixes" it is a yawn, 100% of the time. So after I breath deep or yawn, I feel 100% fine - zero issues, I'm just on top of the world with no issues. Then.... it sneaks up again in a few minutes, and the cycle starts all over. 

Here are some data points:

1) I can sleep fine (more or less, I do wake up a couple times), though one sleep study said I am not getting enough deep sleep.

2) If i am MAJORLY concentrating on something (like playing high stakes poker), either I don't realize I am breathing deep (though I doubt it), I can go a few hours and think "holy cow, I didn't breath deep for a few hours"

3) It still happens even when I am nothing thinking, nor worried about it. Maybe not like #2, but I swear to you I'll just be doing my thing without a care in the world (between deep breaths mind you), and it will occur like clockwork. My point is, I am not concentrating on it all the time. 

4) It happens when I am on vacation for even 1 week + so it's not like I am stressed then (does it carry over from weeks/months before? maybe who knows)

5) It gets exponentially worse when I exercise or exert myself. It seems I feel i need to take that deep breath much more often.

I think that's about it - please let me know what you think, more importantly how do you make it go away? My doctor has me doing exercises where I force myself not to breath deep even though I feel it (he thinks its OCD though I never had that before), and to my surprise I am able to do that - it's uncomfortable, but if I put my attention on it, it seems I can get by without breathing deep. I'd rather just breath deep and get my 3-5 minutes of bliss though before I need to do it again.

PLEASE give me feedback I am at my wits end on this very odd one!

p.s. i tried 10 mg of Paxi for about 2 weeks, maybe I didn't give it enough time but it didnt seem to do anything.

Hello all, I am new to this forum. I have actually followed this thread for a while but never commented.  I too go through periods where I need to take a deep breath and constantly yawn until I get that sense of satisfaction.  I have found that two thngs trigger this reaction:

1 - Anxiety, which I have been diagnosed with by a professional therapist (general anxiety / panic disorder).

2. - I do strenous workouts, which typically help relieve anxiety but every now and then I aggravate a chest muscle on my right side, which seems to trigger a feeling of tightness in my chest and a need to constantly breathe deep (with the rationale that if i don't, something terrible will happen).

I have found that when I am outside, heavily involved in a project or running around with my son that I don't think about breathing.  Same thing when I take an energy Yoga class every week (dahn-style yoga), the stretching and core workouts and challenge of the class keeps my mind off my breathing. 

If I am finding that I am obsessing about breathing deeply and trying to get enough air in, I will typically do calming breathing exercises - inhaling for a certan number of beats in one nose, breathing out the other nostril and switching back and forth until I get a rhythm.  Also, laying down in a relaxation pose, with hands resting on abdomen and breathing deeply always helps as well.   And of course, with these nervous types of habits, I find that the more involved you get with something - whether work, a hike, exercise, etc..  - the better it is for your mind as you won't even think about your breathing.  Easier said than done I know, but as with most folks on this forum, wlith a healthy heart rate and pulse, this really is a matter of mind over matter. 

So if I got what you are feeling right, I would say that you may have problems with acid in your stomach. Gastral reflux or something of that type. Look into it. Cause I have that and I also gasp for air and feel like it is not enough.