Shortness of breath even when im not having an anxiety attack!
Posted , 234 users are following.
Hello I'm a 32 year old female,I have been having anxiety and some depression for about four years now!!so I understand everything that everybody on here is going through!!!!I started back on my meds almost 3 weeks ago....I can just be sitting there on my bed and start getting shortness of breath,even if I'm not having an anxiety attack....ive been to the er so many times because of my panicking....I've had xrays,ekg's,and lots of blood work done,& the doctors tell me that I'm healthy....my psychiatrist told me that I think about the breathing too much and that Its just in my head,but it scares me!!!does anybody else have that same problem???I have read other stories with the same issues!!!I just want to know that I'm not the only one going through this!!!!!
22 likes, 351 replies
Ryan8793 G.mommy
Edited
STRESS!! this is 100% stress. its not even debateable as im literally recovering from the same thing. stress causes anxiety and is the root cause of 99% of mental health issues. the problem with stress is that is it builds up and doesnt go away until you start making changes to eradicate it trust me. your shortness of breath are anxiety attacks which is resulting in lingering anxiety. the issue you have is that reversing stress is not a quick fix, it can take months which is what people dont realise. meditation, nutrition, exercise,, rest and relaxation and sleep should be your priority every single day but you cant get good sleep unless you do the first 4.. the sooner you start showing your body and mind you live in a stress free world is only when the depression and anxiety will go.
Ryan8793
Edited
i forgot to mention that the reason you are having shortness of breath (anxiety attacks) even when you are relaxing is because you are stressed so your body mind wont let you relax. anxiety and depression will always hit the hardest during times of relaxation as your body and nervous system are in a 'stressed state' and wont let you relax as its trying to protect you as it thinks you are in danger and you are not meant to relax if you are potentially in danger which is how it interprets stress as.
Breathhelp Ryan8793
Edited
Ryan, did your shortness of breath go away?
Did you shortness of breath come and go or was it 24/7 shortness of breath? Do you take antidepressants for this? Of so, what and does it help?
Im going on 1.5 years of constant shortness of breath and tight lump in throat, heavy chest, and tight stomach from how I breath. . One dr tells me my parasympathetic nervous system is on constant flight or flight and another tells me its a mix of things: stress, reflux, and hypersensitive esophagus.
Kaykayy G.mommy
Edited
i have had the same thing and still do it started off with the breathing then my chest pounding i started feeling like i was going to faint and having a heart attack i went to er and was fine and healthy then it got to the point where i could not go in the car with anyone or go anywhere its like you have to breath slow and concentrate i have had alot of xrays and ekgs as well and blood taken still nothing i just wish i could go back to breathing like nothing but instead everyday all day its like im suffocating i dont want to be put on anxiety pills for months it started when i was 22 im now 23 it gets very tiring
yv.dav88 G.mommy
Posted
So happy to come across this thread. I am going through hell and need answers. I went from being a super active mom to 6yo twins to pretty much disabled within a week.
It all started in the car once, i felt a heavy pressure in my chest but just thought it was just gas..then my heart started racing and started getting cheat pain so drove straight to ER thinking i was having a heart attack. Ecg, heart related bloodwork, and a chest xray showed everything normal. I was sent home saying it was stress when really I have no new added stressors.
3 days later, I got the same pressure/tightness, racing heart, could NOT breathe/speak unless I was hunched over. Shooting pains in my side, left arm and jaw. Back to ER, this time they did a heart ultrasound and repeated the ecg and bloodwork. Again, everything normal! Sent home with Ativan and pills to treat reflux as they suspect thats where the pressure is coming from.
I have been suffering everyday since with the same symptoms, for some reason it seems to be worst in the car so now I avoid driving anywhere. Literally will feel like someone is sucking the air from me and I still have very brief sharp pains in my left arm/jaw and chest.
I am getting a stress test and Holter monitor done to rule out heart issues for good. But how do I stay sane in the meantime. I feel like it may be brain related? I can't believe my life has changed seemingly overnight.
sidenote- Ativan makes me about 90% better but doc said not to take everyday. I feel like Im about to drop dead! This is horrible
dip58448 yv.dav88
Posted
I completely relate. I was a very active, healthy 35 yr old. My husband and I was just going to start trying for a baby. And then randomly one day, just at home, I started getting lots of trouble breathing, shaking , and feeling like something bad will happen. The panicky stuff has gone away, but the breathing problem is still there. I actually had this same problem when I was in my late-teens/early twenties. No one could help back then. I was told it was anxiety. But the good news is, it slowly went away on its own, although it took a few years (in between there were some good days and some bad days). It's definitely so frustrating when it's there, but being frustrated makes it worse. For now, I've had to stop cardio exercises. Instead I do yoga, go on walks, do some pilates and resistance bands. And I try to keep going on with life (with some modifications for my slightly fragile state). I am also trying therapy, although they just keep telling me to do relaxing exercises, which I already do. I don't have answers for you, but know that I (and lots of others on here) understand, and that it will get better.
Breathhelp dip58448
Posted
when you had it as a teen / in your twenties, was your shortness of breath constant or was it more like panic attacks?
dip58448 Breathhelp
Posted
It was both. Constant, and some times with panic. But it slowly went away on its own after a few years. Those few years, it started to become less constant, and eventually was gone. Although 10 years later it is back now.
Breathhelp dip58448
Posted
I have alot of questions, I hope you dont mind!
when you were going through this breathing problem, would you say it was really bad or subtle? And was it always there, regardless if you were just sitting? Did your chest and stomach feel heavy, like someone was always sitting on it? Any chamce you had other symptoms as well, like a tight throat?
Did you do anything to help it go away..,special diet, exercise, breathing exercises, antidepressants? Did you feel you had to take a deep breath every couple minutes to get enough air? How long before it started to fade bc Ive been 15 months so far in this constant situation. I did every test snd doctors cant find anything. It all started after tremendous stress.
hthomas2199 G.mommy
Posted
Yes! The same thing is happening to me now. After a really bad anxiety attack that had my heart rate at over 150 my resting heart rate and breathing has never gone back to normal. I don't know what's going on with me either. I recently went to the doctor about it and they said I was fine and it was nothing to worry about.
Tweetybird0519 G.mommy
Posted
Yes!!!! I constantly feel like I am suffocating and it scares me too so therefore I can'tget my mind off of it and I feel it constantly! I also have tension in my neck, shoulders, and behind eyes from this fear! I too have been checked so many times, EKG, chest xray, labs and they are normal. Mine all started with a migraine phobia that began in 2011 and ever since until now in 2021 I have became worse and have panic disorder and depression. I cannot get this feeling out of my mind and it is all that I feel. I sleep fine so that is the only time I get relief. It really feels like something is medically wrong! I think that what we are doing is manual breathing, instead of automatic breathing. I do not know how to relax at all and can't automatically breathe. I would strongly suggest having your hormones checked by an Endocrinologist and have your Digestive system check by a Gastroenterologist though. I have appts for both coming up soon. So, NO, you are definitely not the only one going through this, and it sucks so bad! I know even know what feeling or breathing normal would be like now. Keeping you in my prayers!
dip58448 Tweetybird0519
Posted
yes!!! totally relate. I wrote a response above to yvdav88. Really hoping it gets better for all of us!
no14368 G.mommy
Edited
hello im 20 yrs old this year and im also suffering from shortness of breath for about a month now. I went to the hospital to get myself checked and my blood test, X-ray and ekg all came out normal. So i thought this would be all on anxiety, yes there are times where i experienced it while being anxious but that happens very little. I realised that it also happens frequently when i'm jus sitting, lying down on my bed and sometimes walking so i really dont know what to do now is there any advice u could give me and can this "condition" be fully eliminated ?
natalie23195 G.mommy
Posted
I started with health anxiety in august when I went to the dr with chest pain and a pharmacist rushed me to hosp saying I was having a heart attack then a week later my stepdad passed unexpectedly from a heart attack so I started getting panic attacks. I to suffer air hunger which h lasts about a week to 2 weeks or thr feeling I've been winded and someone is sucking the breath from me I've had 2 chest xray a chest scan 4 lots full blood counts done n all normal I'm having the air hunger now but makes me bloated and burping alot anyone else get like this
d25208 G.mommy
Posted
i cannot explain how much this is relatable to me! i have always been an extremley anxious person. i was 16, It all started when i felt off one day, and it felt like i couldnt breathe and i panicked. That was the first time ive ever felt this. Shortly before i started feeling this my grandpa passed away, which is the first person ive ever lost, but i didnt think it effected me that much so i did not believe this was just from losing someone/anxiety. This shortness if breath lingered for a few days while i was begging my mom to take me to the doctor. I really felt there was something wrong and i needed help. everyone in my household tells me im fine and there nothing wrong and i for sure am breathing. I would be glued to the
oximeter and stethiscope because they might be wrong.When i went to the doctor i had another panic attack there, thats when i started to "understand" it. I got blood work , chest xray and ct, went to a pulmonoligist, and they say its anxiety, after i went the shortness of breath went away for a few weeks, and i didnt have a panic attack in months ,now im starting to feel short of breath but without the panic attacks. It really feels like i cant breathe and whenever i feel it i tell myself, this time is different, its not like the last time, what if this time is the time i actually stop breathing, its a viscous cycle and i dont know how to get that feeling to go away, or at least beleive its mental because what if one day its not just anxiety. But something that helped me is talking to yourself and saying "if you can talk then you can breathe", because if your talking then it means your breathing.
dip58448 d25208
Posted
i relate to this so much! My breathing problems also started when I was 16. It went away for many years after that, but is back again. Now i get the same thoughts of, what if my breathing muscles get too tired and I stop breathing. It's a constant effort all day to breathe. It is the only anxiety symptom I have, and I don't really feel all that anxious otherwise. I have started therapy, to learn how to shift my attention away from my breathing. I also do light exercise, to prove to myself I have more air than I think (because otherwise I would not be able to exercise). The more positive associations you make with your breathing, the better it gets. Nothing lasts forever, so soon I hope this feeling will pass for you too.