…to ask about your experiences with this anxiety symptom?

[MuddySnowflake]

For the last 18 months, I’ve been finding it really hard to breathe. It feels like I can’t breathe in deeply enough to inflate my lungs, and it’s impossible to take a full breath. The only way to take a full breath is to yawn. It feels like my lungs are filled with cement, or that there’s something very heavy pushing down on my chest. Sometimes the anxiety is in my stomach, too, and I have this acid, sick, cramping feeling in my stomach.

It’s the breathing that’s the worst though. Has anyone else had this, and how did you deal with it? (I’ve been to the GP and had an X-ray, blood tests etc - all is fine. I had a course of CBT and a lot of therapy, but nothing has helped this symptom specifically).

I wake up every morning with this feeling of dread, too. I open my eyes and then it’s like the Dread arrives and I think, ‘oh, there you are’. I feel so lethargic and like I have no energy, ever.

I think…I feel very unhappy when I consider this might never go away. And if it doesn’t, how will I live like this? I find no joy in anything, and I’ve made terrible choices in my life and destroyed a beautiful relationship with a very understanding man because I felt I was going mad. I just don’t know how to live this life. It’s all too much.

Has anyone else had this chronic breathlessness/ difficulty breathing? And what did you do to help?

Thank you 🙏

Yes I have. It was the main symptom for me (and insomnia and lack of appetite). Even now it comes back if I get anxious.

I mainly used meditation actually. Or running. (Tried smoking for a while which I wouldn't really recommend). I was running or meditating pretty constantly for a while.

Yes I have had this intermittently over the years at times of stress and worry. It will go on for a few weeks or months then gradually dissipate…till the next time 🙄

I used to be terrified when it happened and believe I had a heart condition and was on the verge of having a heart attack. I now know it’s part of how stress, depression and anxiety manifests itself for me. I’ve learned to manage it to a certain extent. Medication never worked for me so I try to just ride it out. Sometimes I will realise I haven’t had “an episode” for months and months.

Are you menopause age by any chance? Things got a lot worse and feelings scared and depressed became more extreme when I was in perimenopause.

This is going to sound so trite but I always noticed that when I would go out for the day to somewhere pretty or to the sea, I would feel better on the day and for a few days after. It felt very counterintuitive to do these outings as I felt so down I could barely summon up the energy to open the front door but once out, I always felt better.

Sertraline was the answer for me.

Yes I had similar. The dread went when I was on anti depressants. The tight chest & breathing , I found an exercise on line where you breathe in for a count of 4 hold it for 4 then breathe out slowly . It really helped. Also, I live on nothing but coffee & toast when anxious & depressed. Eating proper meals however small, made a massive difference to my mood.

Yes. I was referred for breathing physio, which was amazing.

The basics I was taught were similar to buteyko breathing, which can be searched on YouTube.

It still happens but I’m able to manage it much better than I did.

Going somewhere completely different with not a lot of people around helped me. But yes, also sertraline.

Medication (citalopram) and Pilates really helped me learn to breathe better

Thank you so much, everyone. This is really helpful. @Itsnotdeep what sort of meditation did you do? Was it via an app/ 10 mins a day? I have the Calm app but I’ll sort of do a one off session and then forget about it.

I think I’ve tried every anti anxiety and antidepressant out and I’ve got to say Duloxetine has been the absolute best for my heavy chest and pains. I’ve not had a panic attack in months and feel more like myself than I have in 7 years.

@BingoLingFucker I’m glad the physio helped. Was the breathing due to a specific anxiety trigger, if that makes sense? Or was it constant? I’m wondering how the referral works.

Yes, chronic hyperventilation syndrome, I get it when life is getting too much. The only thing that works is breathing exercises. So breathing OUT more than I breath IN, and eventually my body allows me to take a deep satisfying breath which helps ease the anxiety around breathing. Breathing out for 7 and in for 4 works for me.
Basically I hold my breath subconsciously as a result of anxiety, which leads to a cascade effect that ends up with an ineffective CO2 and oxygen gradient in my blood lungs and muscles which tells me I need deep breaths when actually I need less oxygen, hence the breathing exercises.

The best advice I ever had for that feeling of not being able to take a full breath is to breathe out fully first : trying it a few times made me realise that when i am anxious I often try to take a full breath on already full lungs which never feels good. Exhaling fully first makes it all much easier. Very simple but it really helped me.

Also breathing out for longer than breathing in , as the person above me suggested, really works too .

Thank you, everyone. Out of interest, did alcohol help you with the breathlessness? I feel like if I have a double G&T, even a few sips in, I can feel myself breathing a little bit more easily. Clearly I know all of this is psychosomatic in the first place but I was interested if anyone else felt that link to alcohol and breathing, too.

@MuddySnowflake I kept going to the gp thinking I was dying.
I was already on sertraline, but the breathing was hard to manage.
I think the gp got fed up of me going and referred me to a breathing clinic, where I was sent for physio.

If you can get a referral I highly recommend it.
If you can’t google buteyko breathing, it works wonders.

Me! I had this last year and a huge breakdown (or whatever the modern term is)

Propranolol 80mg, running 5k and lots of therapy have helped me so far.

I’ve gone a week without a panic attack for the first time in over a year very pleased with my progress!

Oh and an Acupressure mat! £20 off Amazon and they’re incredible for relaxation and anxiety (eventually!)

Best of luck!

Yes, this is chronic hyperventilation syndrome - it's my physio specialist subject!

OP, if you DM me I can send you my ancient handout. Or you can check out this website:
www.physiotherapyforbpd.org.uk/

In brief what I would say is to begin by trying to only breathe through your nose. Then move to tummy breathing in lying, through your nose. Then slow your breathing - I find it easiest for most people to just repeat 'slow, slow, slow' rather than count - I am in a minority here though.

You can then move to tummy breathing in sitting, standing etc - always aiming for 5 minutes, 5 times a day.

But this can definitely be cured, and if you can be referred to a physio specialist, that is best - they tend to be mental health specialist physios, so don't let that put you off.

@BingoLingFucker thank you - I’ve googled the Buteyko Breathing and have a video lined up to watch. It’s so grim, isn’t it? I am glad the breathing clinic helps. When it flares up now, can you always identify the cause of the anxiety? Or is it general stress? I’m trying to think about how I’m going to manage this long term.

I also tried sertraline, but it didn't work for me. Yoga was really helpful too.

I had a few apps I used - buddhify was good I think. And lots of counting breathing exercises.

I also used alcohol to start with (when in deep crisis) - I wouldn't recommend, it felt helpful at the time, but not so much with sleep or the following day.

@ChristmasFluff thank you so much 🙏 I have messaged you.

I would really recommend what @LondonWolf suggested about going somewhere like the seafront or on a woodland walk. If I'm feeling totally overwhelmed with my anxiety, I sit on the beach and watch the sea, whether it be sunny, cold or raining, and I always feel better. I know it can be difficult to find the motivation to get out the house when you are feeling this way, but ultimately it really helps.

I used to get this a lot. It’s quite comforting to know that it’s so common! Some really interesting information here.
I also wonder about keeping an eye on diet and caffeine? I’m sure some things I was eating made it worse, like soya for example. Getting a good night’s sleep helps I think too.

I have random periods of shortness of breath, that annoying sensation that i'm not getting enough oxygene. It happens maybe every few months and it lasts for days. First time i had it I went and got my lungs X rayed. All clean.

Now, whenever it happens i just tell myself "oh, it's anxiety. I've been here before" and i try and awknoledge it for what it is and not give it any more thought. "It's just anxiety, you wait it out and then it eventually disappears". I just tell myself that over and over when i feel it's about to spiral out. Seems to work.