Feel like I can't get a full breath of air

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Feel like I can't get a full breath of air and feeling slight lightheaded. I do suffer from anxiety, could it just be that before I call Gp.

I get like this occasionally.
I have terrible anxiety, specifically health anxiety.
During these episodes I always find myself yawning a lot and can't sit still.
Have you had such an episode before?

I often get anxious without a cause and can be feeling 'normal' before this starts.

This is called dyspnea. It can be a sign of anxiety but also of anaemia. Might be worth getting your bloods checked to see if you’re low in iron.

Yes, it can.

You could get yourself an
Oximeter (cheap as chips online) that would reassure you that you are getting enough oxygen. It's been a blessing during COVID when I've felt 'short of breath'

Could you go into the garden or just stand at the door if you don't have a garden? It helps to calm me...

Was going to say check for anemia. And B12 anemia. I get breathless (they call it air hunger!) when mine is low.

I had this a few times. The symptoms look like a heart attack when I get it really bad.

I bought an oximeter online to reassure me my levels were fine and I need to calm down. Easier said then done I know.

Focus on calming yourself down and try to put your focus elsewhere even if it's on the tv or phone. If it is anxiety it will pass just take deep breaths and focus on something else.

Thank you for replies, I think it is just anxiety as I have had it before and it just comes out of the blue. I had my bloods checked at Gp just after Christmas and all was okay. I've had a walk around the garden and feel a bit better, just scary when it happens and the more I think about it the worse it seems

I get this sometimes with acid reflux.

Glad you're feeling better OP, it's always scary when it happens

Yes, I experience this when my anxiety is flaring up. I also find that the more I focus on trying to regulate my breathing the harder it becomes to get a full breath.
Sometimes I take spells of yawning to try and get more air in.
I know it's hard but try to distract yourself and if this and other anxiety symptoms are an ongoing problem for you maybe you should go to the GP.

I get this. GP said anxiety though I disputed it.

I found breathing through my nose and out through my mouth helps. Also count your breaths slowly in and out to 10 and then start again.

I do this in the bath - I like to add clary sage oil to the bath it helps the relaxation.

I should add if I've had any caffeine it can exacerbate it, so can white wine.

I’m having the exact same right now and it’s anxiety. My chest feels tight, my throat feels tight and I feel like I have to think about breathing. I find stretching out my chest helps and I try to relax but I’m constantly tense so the second I stop thinking about relaxing, I tense up again

This is air hunger, very common with anxiety. It happens to me a little. When it does I focus on lying on a big pillow or bolster and relaxing for 20 minutes and focussing on extending my breath slowly into the bottom of my diaphragm. You might find you are a 'top breather' dpoing a lot of your breath in your chedst. Try to focus on getting air into your belly. Reading up about the psoas muscle and Dyspnea is also useful. Your psoas is linked to your diaphragm and if it is tense will cause lots of issues.

Apologies for typos above!

You don't say how old you are but Dyspnea is also a menopause symptom if that could be relevant.

I've had this and I now recognise it as anxiety.

I get this when my iron levels are low.

Yep I've had this for many years - Anxiety

Interestingly it was triggered by feeling breathless in certain situations - turned out I was anaemic.

I feel tight chested and irritable, usually can't sit still. Having a walk in the garden, or a bath/shower usually helps.

Hope you find something that helps for you, Anxiety is the pits x

Do call the Dr anyway, at the very least they can reassure you.

But, I have had this for months - anxiety coupled with really bad rhinitis & post nasal drip - I feel like I'm suffocating but logically I know I'm not cos if I busy myself I forget about it.

Till I have time to remember, then suddenly I feel as you do & if I'm not careful it triggers more severe anxiety & I feel dizzy. Next step full panic attack. If I'm really focused on it I worry about talking in case I don't have enough breath! But that's literally never actually happened. Fear is a total bitch.

A really good distraction should help you (I play video games, do housework, work etc) to work out if it's in your head. I also find it helps me to occasionally count my breaths per minute so Logic Brain can remind Anxiety Brain that if I was suffocating it wouldn't be in the normal range.

But def Dr just to check bloods, then you can use the likely clear results as another reminder. If not clear & anaemic, low iron stores, vit D, b12 etc then that's sortable & treatment is a good de-anxietyier ;)

I don't know what's wrong with me. I am in my late forties. I feel short of breath often, sometimes daily. This started a couple of years ago, but has got much more frequent in the last couple of months. I am perimenopausal. I also have endometriosis and adenomyosis. I take the progesterone only pill to help my endometriosis.

Apart from this my iron level is 20, which is normal, but the lower end of normal, my B12 is also the lower end of normal at 220 (lower limit is 197). I had cardiology tests like holter monitor, Echocardiogram and stress Echocardiogram a couple of years ago when this shortness of breath started and everything came back normal, so I was discharged from Cardiology.

I do suffer from anxiety at times, but I am not sure if the shortness of breath is linked to that or something else as I have this symptom even when I am not particularly anxious about anything. I feel like I can't get enough air and keep having to yawn multiple times in order to breathe properly. It feels awful and makes me feel lightheaded.

I have also become sensitive to certain food. I can no longer tolerate spicy foods, raw onions or acidic foods. I used to be able to tolerate these, but cannot anymore as it would add to the shortness of breath, plus those foods can give me heartburn.

I am so worried about all of this. My other bloods came back normal, my chest x-ray was normal, sitting to standing blood pressure was also normal and oxygen saturation was also 99-100 per cent. What could this be? Without a definite diagnosis, I can't get the right treatment and I am stuck with his uncomfortable breathing pattern.If anyone has been through this or has some knowledge about this, please help. Many thanks in advance.

@min75 I have the same problem and it's been going on for 12 months now. Like you, all heart tests fine (had full cardiac work up), iron, ferritin, folate etc all normal. B12 350 so also normal.

I feel this daily but not at all times during the day and when that happens I feel completely normal. I feel it at rest too but sometimes I'd be on a brisk walk and won't notice it at all.

I have palpitations too which the Dr's say is due to peri (I'm 43).

I'm not anxious at all.

GP said it could be PoTs as heart rate increases when a lot when going from sitting to standing and bp is low around 110/65. Now waiting for that to be investigated further...

Sorry that you're feeling like this, it's so frustrating

@Min75 sorry to pester but have you had any updates?

@Min75 how are you feeling?

Hi Amberandgold, I've only just seen you messages. I am still stuck with the same symptoms and still awaiting further tests, but there are long waiting times on the NHS, so just feel stuck with my symptoms. I believe my symptoms could be due to anxiety, as I noticed my symptoms get worse in stressful situations. For example, my father recently passed away and my shortness of breath was quite severe at his funeral, so this shows that stress is definitely a factor.

Sorry to hear you are experiencing similar symptoms. I hope you find some answers soon.