Please help !! Constant urge to take a deep breath or yawn for over 10 months!!

Hi Louise

I saw your post and am going through something similar at the moment. I am a healthy 34yr woman that had never had any health issues or been on any medication and 3 weeks ago i started experiencing the constant need to yawn, which then turned into a feeling of air hunger, then heart palpitations and feelings of being stuck in a state of fight or flight.

I wanted to share how i am currently managing my symptoms. I am an Exercise Physiologist so i am very in tune with my body and have been on the hunt for answers ever since. I still am experiencing my symptoms but I have managed to find some good ways to manage.

To rule out anything sinister I have had an ECG, chest scan, blood tests, echo and urine samples, all of which were normal. my doctor prescribed me with a half dose of anxiety medication which i was initially reluctant to take bit im glad i have started as it helped take away my panic and anxiety over my feeling of air hunger.... but... it did not seem to solve the need to yawn.

I find that certain activities such as exercising, belly and nose breathing, singing and distraction reduce my need to yawn. I have looked a lot into the vagus nerve and wonder if there is something more here. i understand some chiros and physios can help here. I may go down this track if my symptoms continue to persist.

Look up Buteyko Breathing for some awesome tips. i specifically found the focus on the breath hold and exhale to be the most beneficial element. interestingly, the need for a deep breath is actually a side effect of too little CO2 in our blood as well.So taking a big breath can be counterintuitive at times. This was true for me, when i ran my forced exhalation was what made me feel better and my air hunger improved when i calmed myself, forced myself to stop Yawning (its hard to do initially but got easier) and made smaller breaths with a focus (but not too much) on diaphragmatic breathing.

Lastly, one random help for me was tongue posture. i realised through all this i was a habitual mouth breather (a risk for overbreathing, which then becomes a lack of co2 and then a feeling of dyspnea). when resting i now nose and diaphragm breathe and use a mewing type strategy where i make sure i place my tongue on the roof of the mouth. It has definitely helped and i hope this may help others.

Alana

I just wanted to jump in and post a quick reply, I actually had this exact same thing happen to me, and its still there but its withering away. It all started after i visited Dr. Google and convinced myself that my back pain was directly related to Lung cancer that had somehow spread to my spinal cord or was pushing on my spine! (I know.....insane). Any who, I ended up taking deep breaths for 4 days straight trying to see if the pain in my back is going away, because it only hurt when I took a deep breath. I ended up freaking the hell out and contacted a Doctor, explained my issue and he told me to stop self diagnosing, and if i was to have lung cancer I would have other symptoms by now that would make it more than obvious, as lung cancer back pain is probably one of the last symptoms, after cough and shortness of breath and fatigue, unlike what WebMD had said.

After this chat, my anxiety had calmed down a bit, still though I needed confirmation (Anxiety is willy beast), needless to say not even 24 hours later the anxiety was back, but this time, it came with a vengeance. The deep breaths I was doing to check for back pain became the norm, and more frequent, at first it was every 5-6 breath, then after 2-3 breath and eventually every second breath.

As expected I drove to the ER and was bombarded with tests, Blood test, VBG test, X-ray 3 sides, Stethoscope analysis over my entire lung area, and finally EKG. All came back normal. The ER doctor told me to go home, and when I asked for clarification about why this occurred, his reply "we don't have a test tube for anxiety" ←-- that guy is a dick.

fast forward 48 hours, the same thing happened again, but this time because I again decided to visit Dr. Google to see what these symptoms could be, and I found Emphysema, COPD, Asthma, etc etc. needless to say my anxiety was through the roof and was feeling like I was dying and suffocating, this was amped by the fact that I was a 11 year smoker fueling the fear of COPD. Needless to say I made another trip to the ER because this time i was seriously having difficulty breathing, and was bombarded with another set of tests, yet the results came back identical. There was one exception, this new doctor, actually took the time to explain to me that Emphysema is a condition of people who are 20-30 year smokers, and a 30 years old developing COPD after 10 years of smoking is rare since it is a progressive disease and doesnt begin once you light your first cig, instead its a prolonged process that breaks down the lung capability to expand and compress, plus the test came back showing CO2 concentrations within normal range, Anion Gap is normal, SpO2 levels are with normal range 98-99%, and my lungs sounded clear ( I stopped smoking 2 years ago).

So here's the kicker, I took Alan's advice yesterday (he/she posted here about ignoring the feeling), and decided to just tell the urge to breath deep to get that satisfaction to simply "GO F--K YOURSELF" and have simply ignored it as nothing more than a a stupid urge like a scratch being ignored. The first hour was brutal, the second hour was hard, by the end of the night I was slightly forgetting about this issue here and there. Today is day 2, and I'm applying the "Alan Method" and so far, its still difficult but it really does work, the cure is within, you just have to fight this urge and your body will go back to its old ways. And remember, if you are sleeping fine, and if it is not present when you are distracted, then that should be your proof that this is all in your head, also remember your body has been breathing since the moment you were born, it knows very well how to breath and when to breath, you being hyper focused on your breathing is not only unhelpful but itself is the problem.

I know this is a long winded post, I truly do, but if it can give someone going through this a bit of confidence and provide a sense of calm then i've done my deed for the day.

you have just described my life! I am 20 years old and have suffered with this horrible disorder for as long as I can remember. In 2017 the doctors diganosed me to generalised anxiety disorder but ive always been convinced i have problems with my lungs. there was no information on the internet when i first got symptoms but now there is something called sigh syndrome and all the symptoms are everything your describing. it can be caused my uncontrolled anxiety or depression or underlying health conditions.

I know how you feel i have this problem for 7, 8 years. First you must understand that you are physically 100 % ok.Our problem is OCD. Dont search online what ocd is because you gonna stuck with another ocd problems. Just go to your doctor and try to remember that is just in your head. Its gonna be hard but you can learn how to deal and live with it.Some people for example has problems like constantly washing hands, its the same thing, they feel relief after they washed it, we feel relief after we take a deep breath or yawning. Im here to just help you. The faster you understand that is OCD the better your condition will be. Dont worry everything s gonna be Ok. Sorry about my English.

mine happens more often when im eating.

Difficulty breathing stems from bad heart function. I believe this is what you need to work on. Exercise more often, and drink less fizzy drinks and alcohol.

I read through every single reply looking for the magic trick to resolve this issue.... ive been having these same exact symptoms with many others added. Mine started while i was hiking back on october 17th. i had just started out and I hike all the time so this was very odd to me but i could not recover my breath and was causing me to just about pass out which in turn caused a small panic attack. about 10 min later i recovered and the rest of the day i continued my hike and was fine. this happened again a week later however i was sitting at home in the evening and then again the next week while driving. the third episode was bu far the worst and put me in the ER. Every test came back completely normal however from this point forward it was an every day feeling sometimes i could satisfy the need for a breath but most of the time i could not leaving me miserable making me feel like my body isnt getting the oxygen it needs to function. i managed to get through a week feeling like the next breath was gonna be my last. then it stopped and i had zero issues for two weeks and while making dinner one night i felt like was shocked and my left arm went numb had a crazy pain in it i absolultely could not recover a breath and i knew i was dead... back to the er for the 3rd time and for the third time all was fine and and it was only anxiety. in and out of general doctor visits landed me more prescriptions for xanax, antacid medications, some other anxiety med... now on the surface it makes zero since to

me i have anxiety. and i know there is an underlying condition ... i am in tune with my body and what it needs. i am very active and very fit. i eat right, dont smoke and drink socially. ive had multiple symptoms sometimes all at once and sometime one at a time ranging from dizziness, numbness and tingling in my arms and legs, racing heart, headaches. I have started other therapies homeopathic remedies and vitamins and have seemed to eliminate most of the symptoms but the worst of them being the not able to catch my full breath persists and consumes my every thought just feeling it every second of everyday now. trying as hard as i can to ignore it. It strains my marriage and my job both . At times it gets to the point it is overwhelming. i have found that a Full spectrum CBD past with a trace amount of THC takes the symptom caused anxiety out and allows me to asses exactly what i am feeling. just like many folks on here i do not have any real answers. its sad but unfortunately reassuring to know im not the only one or crazy and someone knows exactly what i am feeling... ill keep following this tread and input as much as i can! good luck all ! Prayers!

Im just 15 and after a big anxiety attack i had the same. I have health anxiety so that makes things even worst... ive been going to therapy but now i think its acid reflux. my mom also has bad acid reflux

Received a message from someone today and felt like I should stop by for an update. Man 4 years ago I posted this, feels like a lifetime. Unfortunately guys I have not found the answer we're all looking for. I still live with this issue on a daily basis although it is not as severe as it once was. What I would say has helped me the most has been overall happiness. I can recall when this first started happening to me I was in a very dark place and dealing with a lot, whenever I am really stressed out it is when i feel this the most now so i know there's a direct correlation there. Im overall in a better place now, a little while back around the time I started dating my current partner I started doing more and did not allow for this thing to keep me down. I feel like when you allow yourself to get down from it your mind plays a very selfish trick on making you feel ever worse and affects your breathing even more. My advice to everyone is just to continue to do what makes you happy and look at life positively, 4 years of this and im still here to tell the story so its not something that has caused any physical harm to me. Everyone in here has the power to get through this as well and if anyone ever needs to talk you can always message me! I dont check this forum anymore but when I receive messages i do get them as emails as well so ill always log back in and respond to any message. Take care everyone.

My own update!!

I have been suffering from this for about 2 1/2 years.

I have seen: Doctor: Osteopath, Acupuncturist

I have learned the following:

It is suspected that my problems are caused by a number of things which makes fixing it very tricky but the main two causes may be...

1. too much computer work which has caused all the muscles to stiffen up around the front of my chest. I KNOW this is a major player as when I see the osteopath/massage therapist she releases the tension in these muscles which almost immediately improves the breathing for anything from a few days up to a couple of weeks. It doesn't last as inevitably the muscles stiffen up again as I go back to work.
2. I also suffer from sleep apnoea and my acupuncturist suspects poor breathing techniques in my sleep may trigger over-breathing in the day. The sleep apnoea is untreated as I can't get an appointment to get the right treatment until sometime in the next century (if I am lucky).

Things that make it worse

Too much coffee, overthinking it, high stress, failing to do my stretches.

Things that help

1. When the urge to over-breathe comes over me NOT to allow myself to start doing so. It's hard but it means the over-breathing stage lasts for a much shorter period.
2. I have a tennis ball and lean into a door jamb and use the tennis ball to help massage the front of my chest muscles and mouse shoulder.
3. Tiger balm rubbed into my upper chest and collarbone area followed by holding a hot water bottle over the area for at least twenty minutes. (Can give me a few days up to a couple of weeks of relief)
4. Managing my stress (meditation) but also through nutrition (I am a nutritionist and in my experience vitamins mineral etc are NOT a cure however maintaining adequate B-complex, magnesium and vitamin C intake does help.)

I am about to start on a collection of more intense yoga exercises to see if I can help my self. This is a recent decision and too early to tell if it will make a difference but research suggests it may be a powerful treatment.

I'd love to hear from anyone else if the above work for them too!

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Please guys help me out i am experiencing the same issue and i am really scared i dont really know what to do anymore

some days are better than the others just like that

All i hear is cold , is cold but ive taken injection for cold and kept on taking over the counter medicines but still nothing i am tired

Help me out

Have you found a cure?

If yes Please share with me