Struggling to get enough air

[TExxx]

The last couple of weeks I feel like I've been struggling to get enough air in, I have been taking deep breaths but nothing seems to help. I just feel like I can't breathe a lot of the time. I'm wondering if anyone has had anything similar, I know online it mentions anxiety etc but I'm definitely not anxious at the moment.
Can't get into GP for another week so just wondering if anyone has any advice?

Could be asthma? You need to see a GP though.

Sounds like asthma. Make an apt with your GP.

Chest infection? Asthma?

Are you able to use 111 where you are? If so give them a ring and they can arrange an OOH appointment.

Could be many things - I had this recently and it turned out to be low folate. A few daily supplements later and I'm all good again 😅 get onto your GP for a blood test

This happened to me earlier on in the year and turned out I was severely anaemic and needed iron infusions

It could be a number of things, I have heart issues which can give me breathing problems when I get stressed the symptoms very much like asthma.

try treating it like croup, breath in steam, it opens the airway and taking gentle counted breaths stops you stressing over the fact you can’t fill your lungs.

you really need it checked though

Air hunger?

Honestly, go to a pharmacy and ask them to check your oxygen sats. If they are low, you need to call 111 and be triaged.

I had it. It was low folate and was easily fixed by some tablets. Get a GP appointment and ask for a blood test.

Taking big breaths can be a vicious cycle. Defo rule out anything medical and try and increase your tolerance to carbon dioxide. It is this that causes the urge to breath. You can try popping your hands on sides on bottom ribs and breath lightly into your hands so ribs expand and you use your diaphragm for breathing. This is the most effective way of breathing. Aim is to slow everything down. Big gulps of air tend to make you need more big gulps. Do you nose breath at night?

I was going to suggest this...I have this regularly and have to make myself yawn, or take several rapid, shallow breaths to fill the 'oxygen need'.

Ffs…. There are so many reasons why this woman may be feeling this way. Some are genuine medical emergencies. This is really easily established with a pulse oximeter. They pop it on her finger in the pharmacy and call an ambulance if she needs it.

I've been to the GP today he said all my observations are normal and that was it no information or anything, I'm not sure where to go from here as really struggling with my breathing

Aerophagia

Ask for a full blood count, I'm anaemic and get this when my iron is low.

I have low ferratin and I so had low vitamin D and I must air I'm aing time anxiety sufferer. I often get this and I call it "air hunger". I always feel the need to take deep breaths and force a yawn because I feel like I can't get enough air. It's horrible. Sometimes I get it when I'm not even anxious too. I've had it years and years and coming and going and I'm still here. GP a never said anything just that it was probably mixture of the things mentioned above.

I had this a lot as a teenager and my 20s. It was especially bad if I’d had sat in a stuffy room eg winter, heating on. My GP said it was like a mild form of asthma, not bad enough (for me) to need any treatment.

I now make a point of not eating too much at night and not having a too warm house, it helps a lot.

I know it’s cool these days, but would ventilating the house more help? It seems a simple solution but it really helped me.

@TExxx
This is so strange, I've had exactly this for a few months! I even called an ambulance twice, visited the urgent treatment centre too. All sats are normal, I've had a chest xray, lung function, ecg's and countless blood tests. I was found to have low iron but not anemic, prescribed iron tablets. I was also prescribed 2 inhalers, one I take every morning and I've never had cause to use the other one. I still have the feeling of not being able to get that deep breath but it's nowhere near as bad as it was. It's very frightening when it happens. I'll just say that when I had blood tests in hospital my iron levels were fine, it was only when I had some done privately that it showed up.
I have posted on another thread about someone with the same issue too, I hope you get sorted!

Sounds exactly like the kind of anxiety I get. I get no other symptoms, just the breathing thing.

Lie on a flat surface on your back and breathe in through your nose, then put through your mouth for twice as
long as it took to breathe in. Do this at least ten times. It will allow you to fill your lungs. It’s the only thing that works for me.

were your oxygen sats measured?
exg offered?

are you’re breathless laying down?

I got something like this earlier in the year. I was fairly convinced it was stress related, so possibly different in that respect. I saw my GP just to rule out anything urgent. It went away after a couple of weeks.

@TExxx I know this post is old but did you ever get to the bottom of what this was and how are you feeling now? I am having the same problem