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Shortness of breath specific tips, anyone??

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Posted 7/27/2015 9:04 PM (GMT 0)
I've had shortness of breath due to anxiety to varying degrees for nearly 30 (!) years. I know it's "just" anxiety (I've had many doctors tell me this, and I'm a generally healthy person), but It's Driving Me Crazy!! I so often feel like I can't take a good, deep breath. I've become agoraphobic and have to force myself to do simple things like grocery shopping. My life is no fun at all, despite a loving family and a good standard of living. We don't go on vacations, or even out to dinner because of my breathing issue. At my daughter's graduation I ended up panicking and had to wait outside :(. I have tried so many types of therapy and medication I can't even list them all. What I'm looking for are some breathing techniques that people have successfully used to decrease (or, dare I hope, eliminate) shortness of breath. Specific instructions, or certain guided meditation-type things, or *anything* that has literally made you breathe easier would be appreciated. Please share things that have worked for you,
Lindy
Posted 7/27/2015 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Mersey,

So sorry this has continued to be a challenge for so long.:( It is difficult, I know.

Have you tried anything out of our Resources here?

I have a favorite breathing exercise called 'The Divided Breath'...would you like me to post it for you? I can't remember if I already have...but if not...let me know and I'll be happy to do so!

S.C.
Posted 7/27/2015 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Lindy!

I'm so sorry to hear that you're suffering with this. I've been dealing with it for almost a month and this board, as well as a few close friends, have been so resourceful for me so hopefully, you can find some relief.

Something simple that I've found to help me TREMENDOUSLY during the day is pop a mint in your mouth. When you're panicking, you need to remind yourself, "hey, I can breathe!" Through the production of saliva and sucking on them, you'll start to breathe in a better rhythm and then the swallowing comes naturally instead of feeling "stuck." They also have the added benefit of calming your stomach, which may be another anxiety symptom that plagues you.

Check out Jason Stephenson on YouTube for some great, long guided meditations/breathing exercises. I especially love that they're over an hour long. They give me plenty of time to focus on relaxing, which then helps the breathing, and then falling alseep peacefully!

If falling alseep is an issue for you, as it is for me, maybe you can try some essential oils to help you to relax. I can't speak to them for sure (yet!), but I have two different oils that I'm going to use in a bath tonight and see! A couple friends have had great success in easing their anxiety naturally with oils.

Hope these help! I'm sure there are some other great tips out there from other people on the forum. Good luck!

Elizabeth
Posted 7/28/2015 12:14 AM (GMT 0)
I started freaking out about my shortness of breath the other day. My husband said "You've been breathing fine for 40 years, there is nothing wrong with you!" So I started reading up on the problem. It's called being "air hungry."

I often have this problem when I breath through my mouth. When you breathe through your mouth, you don't inhale deeply from your stomach, but instead more shallowly, from your chest. Also, breathing through your mouth allows more air to get into your system than if you were breathing through your nose. Trying to breathe in/out too much air is the root of the problem. I typically get the most air hungry during anxious bouts of hyperventilation.

When you breathe in, your body is taking in oxygen. When you breathe out, you are releasing CO2. Your body regulates this automatically to keep a good balance between the two. When you start trying to manage your breathing, you may try to take a deep breath when your body doesn't need it (i.e. it already has enough oxygen), which is why you feel like you can't get a "satisfying breath" or "enough air."

Trust me, even though it's an uncomfortable feeling, your body has plenty of air... in fact, too much of it!

You could try doing the following:

1) Breathe through your nose whenever possible. (This is a tough one for me, because I am a mouth breather by nature.)
2) Even if you feel like you need that deep breath but you have already tried and failed, force yourself to breathe normally. You might feel like you are going to choke or suffocate but I promise you, you'll be fine. Your body is getting plenty of air. After a minute or two, your body will want that deep breath, and you may even find you breathe it in subconsciously.
3) If you are hyperventilating, try to breathe in deeply through your nose to limit the amount of air you're bringing into your system.

Also, watch this video -- it shows you how to breathe properly from your tummy, rather than from your chest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH7EmmgSZQE

I hope this helps!
-Cat
Posted 7/28/2015 12:40 AM (GMT 0)
Blue cat is bang on with the air hunger diagnosis. I had this for months after suffering a huge panic attack last year. There is a ton of information out there on this topic. I tried many breathing exercises and the only ones that even worked a little bit for me was the belly breathing and not breathing out of my mouth (that one helped the most).

I had this condition really bad for four months (along with agoraphobia). I did exposure therapy (along with traditional therapy) for months and months. When I started being able to go out in public, I started feeling better and gaining more confidence. Then I started not thinking about my breath as much. I still actually consider myself in recovery, though I do not have the agoraphobia anymore.
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