Excessive Yawning and Constant Need to Breathe Deep

I Started with this problem 4 days ago, on an extremely stressful day. I think what triggered it were stress, anxiety and stimulants, because since last month I'd been taking phentermine for weight loss (a derivate from amphetamine), and a few days ago I also started drinking energy drinks with high content of caffeine.

I suddenly developed this constant urge to take deep breaths. It is like an itch around my stomach, I started feeling uncomfortable and anxious as this itch intensified. Then I'd feel I was out of breath and in need of oxygen. This feeling would not stop until I took a deep breath and got that satisfying relief feeling and rush of oxygen. This would constantly repeat on and on throughout the day. It was very annoying because it distracts me from normal daily activities, and the unpleasant feeling of being out of breath all the time is terrible.

This is fairly new to me and I'm a medical doctor. I believe this is a psychological issue and a diaphragm muscle tension problem, which we try to relieve by getting this nice feeling that produces muscle contraction in the diaphragm. All of this is the result of stress and anxiety.

I'm trying to find a solution. I'm on klonopin 1 mg with nice results. It seems to relax the diaphragm muscle, and the need to take deep breaths diminishes. I stopped taking stimulants too.

I also started an antidepressant (fluoxetine 20 mg), I hope it helps with the obsession (thinking about deep breathing all the time) and the compulsion (taking deep breaths).

The more we stress about this problem, the worse it gets. The more we reject it, the more it intensifies. The more we think about it, the more it is present in our minds.

It helps not rejecting deep breaths, because they are a normal physiological process. But don't over do deep breathing, because the brain gets addicted to that rush of oxygen and nice feeling from deep breaths, so we start thinking that normal breathing is not enough. Medication helps reducing the frequency of deep breathing and the anxiety. I'll keep posting my progress. The thought of living like this forever scares me, but I won't let it get the best of me.

hi everybody

I Have the discussed symptoms since I was 21 years old.

I am now 64. This airhunger comes and goes but recently it takes longer to settle down.

I was wondering if anyone has tried CBD to relieve the symptoms and care to share their

experience with it.

many thanks

hi. this started happening to me also a week ago. I am going crazy. Been to ER twice in two days. All tests are good so far. EKG. Blood work. CT scan with dye. I am so upset. Help.

hey thanks for your post i know its been a whileim going through the same thingonce in november for 3-5 weeks, then it threatened to come back for a few days about a month agoand now its back again going in week two question........ did you also have throat clearing? maybe some phlem in your throat? also how are you doing now?

Fluoxetine cured me from this. I hope everyone finds a solution for this horrible problem. Don't lose hope, it can be fixed. It is 100% psychological.

Hi. When I read your title and description I couldn't believe someone else is having the exact same issue. I've searched the internet for years and couldn't find anything useful. I've talked to my doctor who isn't really concerned because my oxygen levels are fine, no heart issues, etc. We have tried allergy medication and inhalers to no avail.

It borders on very annoying to quite unsettling when it's bad. My issue is the exact same as yours....the need or feeling the need to take a deep breath. A big full yawn gives the same temporary satisfaction. In a few seconds the overwhelming, building need to get another deep full breath comes. I usually have varying levels of this everyday, but I have gone a few days breathing normal before. Also, this has been an issue for the past 5 years or so...but I have no idea why it started.

As you know, dealing with this really sucks and since you are the only other person I've heard of experiencing the exact same thing I was wondering if you have figured it out. Thank you!

I've had this kind of breathing problem for quite a while now, but it has gotten bit worse lately. It's not in a way that I could not breath, but I get uncomfortable feeling if I don't take breaths. I also had some abdominal pain and chest pain for couple days now, but it lasts less than 5 minutes and goes away and is pretty much "all over the place"

Hello everyone,

I stumbled across this forum after searching for a very similar problem I'm having. Full disclosure, I do have generalized anxiety and OCD and very bad health anxiety. This is all stuff I’ve had for the past 10 years at least.

Last October 2020 I remember wanting to be able to take a deep breathe and it just felt unnatural to me. I thought it was Covid so I got a Covid test and it came back negative. The feeling went away after 2 days. Fast forward 5 months to 2 weeks ago and I had the feeling again, this time shortly after exercising doing squats. Feeling lasted for 2 days.

Fast forward again to 3 days ago. I woke up and went downstairs to workout and I was feeling a little uneasy and decided to workout anyway. The workout itself was fine but after the workout I just couldn’t catch my breathe. For the past 3 days I’ve been experiencing what everyone else here is describing: a sort of air hunger that a yawn will satisfy. I need to take deep breathes to get the satisfying feeling but on occasion I feel like I just can’t quite fully fill my lungs. I feel the need for this deep breathe maybe every 4 minutes or so.

I’m able to sleep no problem. The first minute of getting up and walking around all seems fine, then I remember about the breathing and it all comes back. I am able to complete my workouts with no extra difficulty though.

I am 35 years old and a male. 3.5 years ago I had a full workout from a cardiologist where he did an ultrasound, stress test, etc and all came back fine. 2 days ago I did speak with a family member who is a doctor in pulmonary and critical care and he said it sounds like nothing physiological and the fact that I was extensively checked out within 5 years means it’s unlikely something serious developed. I’m also not a smoker and a relatively healthy person.

But I keep thinking it is something with my heart or lungs despite what I’m reading here. Then I reason with myself saying I can still workout with no extra effort needed and the past 3 instances of this cleared up on their own - if it was truly something bad I’d like to think it wouldn’t go away. I don’t know.... it’s just a very uncomfortable feeling.

I would say I am a little more anxious these days due to a few reasons but if this breathing issue never bothered me years ago then why is it manifesting now? What can I do now to alleviate this? Appreciate any advice!

Thanks

Hi there - I too have been suffering with this and quite frankly just reading about others in the same situation has made me feel better! You do think you are the only person ever! It has now been 17 months since it started and like others have had chest xrays and am being monitored for possible mature onset asthma! GP's really have no idea but when it affects you - it is very real. i had a similar episode many years ago after a divorce and a bereavement - it eventually disappeared after a couple of months. I then had further shorter episodes that eventually stopped. However this time it has just gone on and on. Like others I have good and bad days. Ive tried taking Kalms (a herbal anti anxiety medication) which helped a bit but also like others dont feel Im particularly anxious about anything! was interested to read on this forum about the relationship between the brain and lungs and wondered i hypnotherapy might be worth trying? Has anyone tried it? I am slowly accepting it is a psychosomatic problem and I really have no control over it - my psychosomatic system has taken over but would love to know how to break the cycle.

I got the same issue as you have written. I find it difficult to breathe and have to take constant yawns to get the breathe. This issue was faced by me last year in same months April, May and now in May 21. I am trying home remedies but it isn't working for me. What you did to get over this?

Hi, my 15yr old daughter has had this issue for about 5 years now. it started at gymnastics one day when she started yawning and was unable to take a deep breath and in the next hour yawed hundreds of times. in the end we went home early. I wondered if she was anxious about something and checked on her when she was asleep and i could see that she still wasn't breathing properly. she has some tests run by the doctor- heart check etc but all results came back normal. she still complains often about this problem and says that distraction helps when it does start but i would like to help her get rid of it. she is still a gymnast and about to leave school and go to college in september and she is active and very fit. i am searching online today as she has gone off to gym with a bout of this problem this morning. i wish i could get rid of it for her. unsure whether to go back to the doctors......

honestly it sounds like CO2 retention I find when I have this feeling and the reason doctors draw it back to anxiety is because we tend to hold our breath when we are anxious. if you take breaths in your nose and out your mouth as intended you'll retain more oxygen and you'll get rid of your CO2 better. just a suggestion make sure when you're feeling this way to blow all the air out of your lungs till you cannot blow anymore and then take a deep breath check back let me know if this helps. another thing I can draw this to is allergies, do any of you have allergies and do you take your medication on a daily basis wither or not you have allergy symptoms? the reason I say this is because of the lady who mentioned that the Mucinex helped. Mucinex has a expectorant in it, expectorants have for lack of a better term bronchial dilators and this lubricates the eviola in your lungs so that you can cough out whatever is blocking it if there is anything to block it. so it sounds like a steroidal type medication would help.