Mysterious air hunger

Posted , 8 users are following.

Hello, there is already a forum posted about this mysterious air hunger and constant need to yawn/ inhale deeply (like an itch) , but i thought id start a new thread by the chance others may see it.

For me, this seemingly unbreakable cycle of shallow breath followed by one large upper chest yawn, started around 6 years ago. it was at a time of high stress and anxiety in my life, and i did have a lot of depression and anxiety in the years before that, so that does give me a deep feeling that the root of this is phychological.

It feels so physical, though. Maybe its a psychological thing that has manifested into a physical thing? The brain is that powerful. Anyways, i have seen doctors for ashthma, anxiety meds, speech therapy for vocal dysfunction, a pulmonologist - and nothing has given me any relief. The only thing that has somewhat eased it is TIME and LIFESTYLE CHANGES. But its still there, like a constant itch. I cant even speak properly because most of the time i speak i run out of breath.

Could be horrible anxiety manifestations, but again it feels so physical, like a tight upper chest and im inhaling through a straw. My inhales and exhales are usually uneven. I hold my breath. Im still not going to rule out physical causes - the next thing im going to look at is the possibility of Silent Reflux or GI tract problems playing a hand in it. After that, there is a long list of possibilities that will keep me busy. theres so many ways your body can stop breathing properly - not just ashthma and anxiety. Hope someone in the same struggle sees this, please reply.

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • Posted

    It maybe that you have got into the bad habit of shallow, fast breathing and now it has become established, I know for myself if I start to shallow breathe I eventually take in a huge breathe and with my condition that hurts. I really have to take note and breathe from my diaphragm. Maybe you can look up breathing exercises on the Internet to get yourself into the habit of breathing correctly. Best of luck, the more you panic the worse you will breathe even if you haven't got a problem.

  • Posted

    So it sounds like you have dysfunctional breathing, I was told I had this after being diagnosed with multiple pulmonary emboli. But it doesn't have to be down to a respiratory problem it can be caused by anxiety. Are you having any other symptoms apart from the breathing? There are respiratory physiotherapists that can help your symptoms. There are also youtube videos that can give you breathing exercises to help.

    • Posted

      thanks for the reply. This is exactly what im trying to find - a respiratory physiologist that takes all possible causes into consideration. I saw a reg pulmonologist and he was of no help. I have no idea where to find a respiratory physiologist for this type of problem and dont even know where to look. even my primary doctor is of no help. If you know of where/how i could find one please let me know.

    • Posted

      and not really any other symptoms, i used to have really bad anxiety and depression but not anymore i would say im pretty calm. Maybe this is what is left over from that i dont know. Literally feels like im sucking through a straw in my upper chest though...

    • Posted

      Look up physiotherapists in your area and ask if this is something they may do and if not, could they recommend someone to you. I would recommend looking at breathing exercises on you tube for dysfunctional breathing. When you get bad try walking around concentrating on your posture, it can sometimes help me. Also if you don't have one already, get a carbon dioxide detector. You may also have breathing issues due to an allergy of some description. Keep a note of when and where your breathing gets worse. Mine gets worse when my hormones change at certain times of the month.

  • Posted

    I'm wondering if you have this backwards and it started because of a health problem and when that help problem ended it continued for psychological reasons.

    • Posted

      i have no idea. this is what im still trying to figure out. Or maybe i still have the health problem and thats why i am even getting anxiety? (i dont really have bad anxiety but i used to) Its really confusing and i just want to breathe normal! never take breathing easy for granted yall lol because when you cant it sucks....

  • Posted

    I have exactly the same symptons like im breathing through a straw and being suffocated almost i cant quite describe it its an odd sensation. Doctors also say its anxiety. No idea what to do

    • Posted

      are you at least sometimes able to get a satisfying breathing in? for me it like most of my breathes seem to not make it up into my lungs right and then maybe once every twenty breaths or so i get a breath that is satisfying but it definitley feels like a constant chest tightness and that im breathing through a straw. seeing a doctor tommorow ill let you know if i ever find anything.

      also seeing a chiropractor its a long shot but ive heard of people with similar issues have found relief getting some sort of adjustments done

      i know its really hard but try not to stress about it too much! it only makes the physical symptons worse, the cause may not be anxiety but anxiety will always make it worse

    • Posted

      every breath is a strain for me, i just cant pin point what it is. Its a weird feeling, it just doesnt feel right when i breathe in if that makes sense and i dont get any relief from it. I dont have any other symptoms just this. My sats levels are always good so apparently the airs getting in, i just feel like theres something making it hard to and worried it will get worse. I hope you find something tomorrow and manage to get some relief soon. You should definitely try that, try everything till you get something that works and thats true thank you. Ive got an ent appointment in two weeks to see if they can help

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