Taking a deep breath isn't satisfying - what on earth is this?

[Offloadontome]

This is probably going to sound really weird, but here goes. Normally if you take a nice deep breath, or sigh / exhale for air, you feel satisfied with the air you've got - I can't think of any other way to describe it.
Well lately, now and again I feel the need to take a deep breath, but I don't get that sharp, satisfying feeling of getting enough air, and then feel like I need to take another one.
Sometimes is does feel satisfying like I've got enough air, so it's not every time. But it almost feels like my chest can't quite expand enough right at the end sometimes. I've then made my chest hurt a bit from trying to take deeper breaths and feeling unable to!

I wondered if anyone has ever had the same thing, and knows what might be causing this?
I have (likely) ADHD and initially wondered if it could just be a sensory thing.
I also wondered if it's triggered somehow by anxiety or worry - as once it's happened I then worry about it - but not until after it's already started happening!
But then also I don't want to ignore this if it's actually something I should be worried about!

Can anyone help? Has anyone had anything similar? Any idea what this is? Sorry I know this sounds so odd and it's really hard to describe. The feeling is as if I've not got enough air for whatever reason like I've been sat down and taking small breaths for ages, and usually that's resolved with a deep breath, but now for some reason it's not?

I have this ‘air hunger’ when my ferritin is low. Could that be your issue?

Yes that’s the most common cause it’s known as air hunger or dyspnea - can be caused by lots of things but it’s most likely anaemia.
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/16942-dyspnea

I get that quite often at night; I used to get it while I was eating years ago. I find the best way to deal with it is to relax and not try to force it, because it never works. Just keep taking unsatisfying breaths, and don't panic, you're still getting oxygen. Eventually it sorts itself out.

I'm not sure. I am susceptible to anaemia, and last time I had blood tests my iron stores were low (this is what ferritin is right?). I was put on iron tablets for a bit, then they just stopped them. I think this was about a year ago, maybe more. I do now buy spatone sachets and try to take them daily with some orange juice but I don't always take it every day. Do you think it's worth seeing the GP again about it?
I do feel absolutely exhausted today.

I've just checked my last blood results on the NHS app and my ferritin was 10 in May 2024, then went up to 15 in Nov 2025 so they took me off the iron tablets then I think, and I haven't had them done since then.
I'll try upload a pic of the scale but its right at the low end - but I'd have thought the spatone helps with that?

That’s the acceptable level but not the optimal level!
id go back and ask for retesting or say you’re struggling and also with tiredness.
from what I can remember Spatone doesn’t have a lot, try Solgar gentle iron tabs and I cook with an iron fish

I've also had this with low ferritin, and mine wasn't even as low as yours. My GP would be giving me iron supplements until my level was over 50. Spatone doesn't have that much iron in - I think you can get much stronger iron supplements over the counter. I used to use ferrous fumarate.

Thanks, that's good to know. It's so reassuring to see some people have had the same and there could actually be a feasible reason!
I honestly thought it was just me being weird!
Tbh I've lost a lot of faith in the NHS recently (and I work there myself). Everything is only actioned now if you're on deaths door, so I don't particularly trust they will be bothered if it's not "optimal". I had no idea the levels were literally borderline. Who stops the supplements for someone who's right at the very low end? Surely you'd carry on until it was more reasonable. NIH literally says 15-30 is still very low when I've just had a search. Anyway, moan over.
I might just buy some better iron supplements and get a private blood test. I've seen Nutrition geeks do a years supply of tablets for £7.99 so might just do that!

@Offloadontome for comparison your ferritin level needs to be at 70 for healthy hair growth so your 10 is awful! No wonder you are feeling fatigued with air hunger. Wouldn't be surprised if you started having palpitations soon. Spatone won't get you up to a decent level fast enough and is used more for a bad diet or heavy bleeds.

Is this like being unable to yawn properly? (Missing the yawngasm bit?)

Did they do a potassium reading on your tests as well? I had symptoms which sound similar to yours and blood test results in the same range as yours for ferritin and potassium. Started supplementing potassium chloride and went back to normal.
Are you dieting? Do you drink a lot of water? Both of these things can affect your levels - dieting usually means consuming less and lots of water can flush through minerals before your body gets the chance to absorb them

I’ve had this as long as I can remember. It’s especially bad as soon as I’ve eaten chocolate for some reason! But I’ve found if I tilt my head right back, so my neck is dead straight, I can get a ‘deep’ breath. Can’t really keep doing it in public though 😀

ETA I went to the doctors in my teens about it and he called it Nervous Asthma

I had this with Covid both times I had it and for weeks after, and since having Covid I do now get it every so often.

I had this with anaemia. I left it for ages and it sort of felt like I was unable to breathe lying down and bc like there was a pressure on my chest. My ferritin was two at that point do I got an iron infusion on the NHS.

Sounds like air hunger, it’s a symptom of acid reflux (the silent reflux kind), but probably other things too. I’d see your GP.

Yeah sort of the same principle!

Yeah this is sort of how I feel, like I can't expand my chest enough for the deep breath to be satisfying.
I've ordered some better iron supplements and I think I'll ring the GP on Monday, but I'm going to do a private blood test if they are shit!

I have it when I’m stressed but I’m also a bit low on ferritin.

I am not anaemic but I get this when I'm stressed, like my chest muscles are too tight and tense to allow my ribcage to expand fully. I find 478 breathing helps - Google explains it far better than I can!

I had/have this. Turns out I have both asthma and COPD. The ashma likely from childhood but it has never presented in a dramatic, wheezy, sort of a way so I wasn't aware of any problem until my 40s when the dyspnea struck. I was the classic unsporty child who got very red and stressed at school games but that was just put down to idleness. If bloods etc do not yield sensible answers then see if you can get spirometry testing, or at the very least a peak flow meter in case that sheds light. The worst thing you can do when it happens is panic and allow breathing to get fast and shallow. The best thing you can do is breathe slowly as deeply as you can without really struggling, and pay attention to the exhale which should be at least as long as the inhale.

I think this is anxiety and I need to practice expanding my stomach not the chest when breathing in

When I have this it means I have low iron 🤷🏻‍♀️

I developed this after giving birth 18yrs ago. Always told it was anxiety.

At it's worst, my top lip and hands would go numb and tingly and my chest would hurt from over expanding.

GP told me to meditate and if it got really bad use a brown paper bag to breathe into.

It doesn't bother me any more. If I notice it happening I emphasise breathing into my diaphragm rather than shallow chest breathing.

I also get ectopic beats at the same time.

And like a pp, it's triggered by milk chocolate, not dark chocolate. I gave up caffeine which helped.

My DS has seen a paediatrician, had heart traces, and been given inhalers for this. I took him to a private yoga session, then paid a private respiratory physio. The physio was the most insightful. My DS has ADD and ADHD, and suffers massively with anxiety. The physio talked to him about his nervous system and explained that, due to anxiety, he was breathing with the wrong part of his body, his chest rather than his tummy. She said it was something to do with being in constant fight or flight whilst at school. He would be worse with it when relaxed, and the physio said this was because his brain was trying to look for things to panic about.
she gave him breathing exercises to do, which he didn’t do being a teenage boy! Since leaving school and not having that stress anymore, the breathing thing has settled. It does reappear in times of stress, but has improved.
it has been truly awful at times, the only relief he would get is if he could yawn.
I would suggest treating the anxiety.

So glad I saw this - I've had this the last few weeks along with very bad muscle pain in my back, neck and shoulders.

Was wondering if it was some kind of virus. Peaked for me after about two weeks and is now wearing off. Do you have any odd aches and pains with it?

I used to have this when I was a smoker. Also the pain towards the end of an exhale - especially in the morning so I would only breathe shallowly then and try not to yawn.

It gradually went away during the years after quitting, so I always attributed it to lung damage from cigarettes, but reading the thread makes me wonder if it was at least partly to do with iron, which I've also always struggled with.

Given your ferritin levels, id definitely start supplementing (do some googling on the best way to do this though, as it's easy to get wrong), but id also see a dr because of the pain aspect you describe.