Okay, ...

So it does seem that there are a few things in common among everyone (yes, I know, not always):

1. Stress
2. Some kind of acid reflux something
3. Potential smoking and/or living in a high-pollution area (big cities)
4. Otherwise, young and healthy
5. We're all nervous about this, but truly believe it is NOT anxiety as the cause.

So I ask:

1. What does everyone's eating habits look like? Do you eat all day or more during the nights?
2. Do you live near pollution or smoke or work around chemicals or anything like that?
3. Do you find anything that helps you feel better? I stopped eating most foods (just kept to bananas and toast and white rice only) and things got noticeably better on day two and three (not perfect, can still tell it's there, but it's really helped).
4. Do you feel this problem is strengthened by being outdoors somehow? Like there may be something outside that sets off a bad reaction that takes days to heal? (odd, and not likely, I know)
5. Do you get tired (like blood sugar tired) before you feel the periods of really bad breathing?

Let's start there...

also, I can't post my email (it changed my email address to "pm" for some reason on my last post). . . but PLEASE post here if you have any clues or found anything out from doctors.

About 6 years ago I had this problem and now it is back.

I will be going back to the doctor soon as it is becoming a real pain. The funny part is that, when I exercise, it doesn't bother me.

When it first started happening my doctor wanted to put me on anti-depressants. Hey, I'm no doctor but I knew I didn't need to be medicated. He looked into another couple of things before my sister, a respiratory therapist, suggested it might be sleep apnea.

I went for a sleep study and they told me that I had it bad. They put me on that CPAP machine and it helped but I hated that thing. Luckily I had surgery to correct it. Surgery isn't always a cure but it was for me.

I never had the problem again until two weeks ago. I hope the apnea hasn't returned (the recovery from that surgery was the two most painful weeks of my life.)

But anyone experiencing these symptoms should ask their doctor about Apnea. This is especially true if you are overweight because that makes it worse. Sometimes just losing weight can make it stop (not that that is so easy.)

Good luck!

im totally freaked out..im 14 yrs old and im a young lady. this breathing problem happened to me once before like two months ago.. and it came back...

i did see a doctor 2 months ago and he said i don't have anything serious no asthma.. or anything just some kind of virus in my throat and allergies. All the sickness and saliva are clogged up in my throat and nose is causing me to have a hard time..he gave me medicine and it didn't really work and came back..

im thinking and hoping it's just the heat or something nothing serious.


sometimes when i breathe i don't feel it breathing all the way or correctly so i try to YAWN it out... but sometimes it's not a satisfying yawn and doesn't come out all the way.. it's frustrating and i really don't think it's asthma because i'm a very athletic person and everythings fine .

i really don't know what i have and i want to go see a doctor but i'm still waiting for my medication to be approved because we just applied for it...

i think when im doing things and moving around i tend not to have thee problem until like i sit down or try to relax or something it comes and i feel it in my chest and throat. and i have buggars alot and saliva..


thee other day i threw up about ten times and everything i ate came out.. i forced my tooth brush to make myself puke to get everything out...

and i just can't breathe al the way sometimes..

right now im sitting in a tall posture and it seems to work..

help please it's not cool at all..

I'm having similar problems as some of the posters here. I can't seem to get a deep, solid breath out from time to time, and it's been happening for years now. My doctors have attributed it to anxiety and panic attacks, but I think it's something else, because this lasts for days. For instance, I've had trouble with my breathing since last Monday (9/22) and it's now Tuesday (9/30). I've been given xanax but all that does is make me sleepy, and once it wears off, I'm having the same breathing issues. It's hard to explain, but it's as if I can't get a solid breath out, and when I try long enough, my chest starts to hurt. Once in a blue I do manage a breath, but it's so annoying how long it takes!! Also, I can't get that solid breath when I yawn either. I have a huge test on Saturday which determined if I get into law school or not, for which I need to be focused on studying for, and I can't even focus becuase of this damn problem. Can someone help me here? Thanks...

This is my second post here. I've still found nothing out. This is rediculous! I will try to answer the questions posted my DIRECTWALKER. My sister and I both have this issue of not getting a full breath. It gets worse when I'm sitting, and I found that putting a cotton ball dabbed with eucalyptis oil, tea tree oil, and/or mint under my nose helps. I also try sleeping on my stomach with a pillow under my chest (because laying on my back is the worst aside from sitting) Both these tactics seem to help, but not rid me of the symptoms. My sister tried the doctor approach, and yes, you guessed it.. they either think it's alergy-anxiety induced asthma. The adviar did not help her.. I tried it as well, did not help me. I dont think it's asthma, because I can excersize no problem. I did dust my ceiling fan yesterday.. and I'm having problems today. First flair up in 2 months.
For years now, I've had it.. and I always felt like it was because I was overweight (which I am really not, I'm 5'3" and 128lbs and in good shape. I can easily run 2-3 miles.) But I always just assumed it was extra weight pressing on my ribcage. If I had to guess out of all the posts I've read here... it feels most like perhaps my ribcage is posistioned wrong (maybe from sleeping on my side) and it's not allowing my lungs to expand to their full capacity. I think when I get a few extra $$ in my account, I will got to a chiropracter duringmy next flair up.
My sister and I have flairups that last weeks... but then it subsides for long periods of time. Contrary to what i've heard here, excercise definately does not aggrivate or cause it. We have identical symptoms and very similar lifestyles. I think this is an importaint point, that my sister and I both have it. We have 4 other sisters, who do not have it. Its helping us find a common cause and a common solution.

We think indoors cause it more than outdoors.

I sit next to a laser printer at work, so does my sister.. just a thought. I've heard toner from these printers can cause breathing problems?? Anyone else hear anything about this?

our diets are high in carbs. and heavier eating in the evening. However, we are life long yo-yo dieters and we change our diet and exercise habits constantly.

We're both side sleepers

Where we live is not and issue because we both grew up in the burbs (no pollution) she's still there and I moved to the city (higher pollution) and both of our symptoms are the same. Again, none of our sisters have this issue... if it were mold, our other sisters would have some sort of symptoms as well.

We both have that really fatigued feeling.. but haven't noticed if it's just before a flair up. and yes, we're both young and healthy otherwise.

Until anyone gets a better answer, try the cotton ball with essential oils I mentioned, and the laying postition (my sister says that laying on her back on the floor , no pillow, with arms stretched up above her head helps her.) Again, I prefer on my bed on my stomach with a pillow under my ribcage. I will let you all know if I make it to the chiropracter

1- does anyone else sleep on their side only? (rib cage problem?)
2- is everyone here high on the carb eating end? (maybe a gluten related issue?)

I was so glad to see there were people like me. I have periods when I can't take a full breat deep into the bottom of my lungs. I have anxiety and my mom insists that is it. I must admit it seems to subside if I take a xanax. On the other hand the doc's seem to think it is asthma. I have never had a full blown asthma attack. I don't have a wheeze or a cough, no family history. I keep repeating PFT tests and they are all normal. I recently took a methacholine challange test and I passed. The doc's are still saying it is asthma! I'm going to repeatr the test on Friday. I have albuterol inhalers, they make it worse!!! Anyone else have that problem? I don't know what is wrong with me. I am getting so annoyed at the entire thing. I don't know if I have asthma or if I'm crazy, or if it is something else entirely. Anyone get a real, logical diagnosis? I'd love to hear about it.

Have this problem for almost two years now. Many, many sleepless nights because of this.
I think I am close to find the answer to my problem. I want to ask you something jen1213? Do you have any stomach problems, like heartburn or acid going all the way up to your mouth? Actually this question is for everybody who have this problem. I am really curios how many of the people who posted here have an stomach acid problem.

Hello all, i have the same problem as most of you guys.... i was on asmanex helped me for the first year then stopped working, then i went on advair and that failed. i can only take a deep breathe during exercise or in the morning. I need help:( doctors tell me its asthma but nothing works...

I am 60 years old and started having this breathing problem within the last 10 years. It started happening in late fall and early winter. I thought I might be allergic to the blanket that we used on our bed so changed blankets. It helped for a while but started back up again. Sometimes I can get a good breath and other times I cannot get a good satisfying deep breath. I was afraid it was pleurisy but looked up the symptoms and do not think that is the problem (thank goodness). I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia about the same time but don't see the connection.

I found this thread as many others have.

About me.

I am 27 years old., healthy, do not smoke, drink nor do drugs.

I am trying to get big. I used to weigh in june at about 130lbs being 6'2". Now at the present state I am 186lbs.

I just recently have had trouble breathing and I attriubted it to working out at the gym two tuesdays ago by doing dips with a 45lb weight around my waist... That night I had trouble taking a deep breath...

The very next day my chest was hurting so bad it felt like someone hit me with a 2x4 and I could NOT take deep breaths in at all... after researching online I THOUGHT this was because I was doing dips so low and deep that it put extra stress on my chest...

It started getting better 3-4 days later... then I did dips again and started working out intesly as I normally do next couple days I was short of breath..etc

It got so bad this last saturday (12-6-0 8 ) that I went to the emergency room..

They did all the tests as mentioned... I was blowing out over 120% air compacity for my height/weight.... but I still couldn't get that deep breathe.
They gave me an inhaler and some medice there Albuteral.. which works a little but not what I wanted...

I just got a prescription for an acid reflux as I told them that I currently feel something in the bottom of my throat like something is stuck... right below my adams apple...

So I just took acid reflux pull about 1 hr ago and now I can completely take in deep breathes...
I have NO clue if it's related but I can tell you that I started feeling like something was coming up my throat whether that be my food or multivitiams after taking them shortly after and right around that time is when I am having trouble taking these deep breaths..

All I know is this sucks so f'ing bad. I want to figure out what the hell is going on because I have NEVER had a shortness of breath ... and ONLY time I have felt like this is when I used to go swimming when I was younger and take the HUGE deep breaths and then go under the water and swim... I would do this for 3-5 hours and that night I couldn't take a deep breath in but I knew it was because I was getting such large amounts of air and then going under the water...etc.

At first I thought it was my cardio just sucking but then realized that nothing changed about my work out other than me doing more intese stuff as far as lifting more weight via deadlifts..etc.

This blows. I hate it and honestly I can't have this be a problem in my life because it will hinder my goals of working out...etc.


Forgot to add:

I have NO Stress and NO Aniexeity...
I do worry about my weight so that MIGHT? have something to do about it but I worry about the weight as far as it not going up...but other than that I don't stress about life, work, money, etc... I am very well off for my age and have a lot of things that make me happy... actually extremely happy.

-Nigel

Not being able to take a deep breath is a chronic condition for me. My symptoms cause me to force a yawn, which is NEVER satisfying because I can't breath in deep enough. Yes, I have asthma but this feeling is not like asthma nor is it controlled with Advair or relieved with my emergency inhaler, Maxair authhaler. Between the use of Advair, and allergy medication and my rescue inhaler (Maxair Autohaler), I feel my asthma is controlled, but the feeling of never being able to take in enough breath does not go away....not even with my rescue inhaler!! Sometimes I try so hard to breath deep I cause pain in my muscles around my chest, neck, and face. I wish I knew how to fix this because it is not only painful it is depressing, embarrasing, and troubling. My doctors tell me it is asthma, but I doubt it as Advair has not reduced occurances at all and b/c my rescue inhaler has no effect on it. Does anyone else experience this?

Just an update.

WE found mold in our damn basement... RIGHT beside the air furnance....

Looks like it's been there for at LEAST 2 months... but now that the heat is on I suspect it's blowing the spores everywhere... I since shut the furnace off, bleeched the walls where there is mold and having people come in to clean the basement..etc.

I have two air purifiers in my room and I am starting to breathe better...

Might not be related to anyone but honestly if this is something that just happened to you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check for MOLD!!!!

I just want to breathe like I used to ... I feel I will but it might take time.

-Nigel

I am so glad I'm not the only one who wants to get a deep breath, but has a hard time. THanks for all the info! I hope we can all find the answers we are looking for!

Has anyone considered the microwave popcorn angle? Seriously. There was a case a while back in which a man had suffered some serious lung dysfunction because he'd been eating so much microwave popcorn (and was taking deep sniffs of the vapors whenever he'd open a hot bag). Factory workers at those popcorn plants were said to also suffer from lung ailments. Anyway, I used to eat microwave popcorn, and I gave it up a couple of years ago. And coincidentally (or not), the breathing condition hasn't bothered me since. Everything else about my lifestyle is the same as when I had the problem -- I run, have pets, same job, same city... The only obvious difference is the popcorn.

So anyone posting here should at least consider this. Even if you don't inhale the vapors or even eat microwave popcorn, you could feel an effect just being around it. I wouldn't be surprised if a small percentage of the population has an extreme sensitivity to whatever chemical is in that stuff. And, judging from the general response from doctors to our problem, we are indeed a small percentage of the population.

I realize that not all kinds of microwave popcorn have the same ingredients. But as you research your own diet you shouldn't be placated by a manufacturer's claim, even if they have a soothing logo on their website or if it happens to be a brand that you trust. And don't forget to consider the "rogue" fumes you might be exposed to in the lunchroom.

Please comment on this theory in your posts -- I'd like to see if it has any merit.

"i've noticed with my problems is my position when sleeping, if I lay on my back or left side, they seem to kick in with a vengance, if I lay on my right side, I can at least fall asleep."

OMG that is the same as happens to me! When i sleep on my right i can get that deep breath.
I have got anxiety attacks before, and the 'not being able to get that deep forefilling breath is the first sign of an attack, even though an attack does not follow. Im constantly worried one will come on when this happens.
Usually, i cant get that breath when im driving, so to combat it, i sit up straight (as usually when you slouch, its hard to get that breath anyway), and make sure my posture is ok. In association with that, i sometimes rub and push around my stomach area, just at the middle bottom of the ribs. I find that it releases tension from that area allowing me to get that extra deep breath.

"i've noticed with my problems is my position when sleeping, if I lay on my back or left side, they seem to kick in with a vengance, if I lay on my right side, I can at least fall asleep."

OMG that is the same as happens to me! When i sleep on my right i can get that deep breath.
I have got anxiety attacks before, and the 'not being able to get that deep forefilling breath is the first sign of an attack, even though an attack does not follow. Im constantly worried one will come on when this happens.
Usually, i cant get that breath when im driving, so to combat it, i sit up straight (as usually when you slouch, its hard to get that breath anyway), and make sure my posture is ok. In association with that, i sometimes rub and push around my stomach area, just at the middle bottom of the ribs. I find that it releases tension from that area allowing me to get that extra deep breath.

"i've noticed with my problems is my position when sleeping, if I lay on my back or left side, they seem to kick in with a vengance, if I lay on my right side, I can at least fall asleep."

OMG that is the same as happens to me! When i sleep on my right i can get that deep breath.
I have got anxiety attacks before, and the 'not being able to get that deep forefilling breath is the first sign of an attack, even though an attack does not follow. Im constantly worried one will come on when this happens.
Usually, i cant get that breath when im driving, so to combat it, i sit up straight (as usually when you slouch, its hard to get that breath anyway), and make sure my posture is ok. In association with that, i sometimes rub and push around my stomach area, just at the middle bottom of the ribs. I find that it releases tension from that area allowing me to get that extra deep breath.

Breating excercises help alot, try meditation using the breath.
Also, when you DO get that nice deep breath, hold it in for a few seconds, work those lung muscles a bit.

Come to think about it, even though i do train at the gym, and eat healthy, my place is next to a main road, maybe the pollution we cant see is playing havoc on our breathing.
I have noticed that when i get out of the city and drive about three hours out of the city, on my return as im on the outskirts of the populated areas there is a huge change in air quality, my throat starts getting irritated, and i might cough, but then after a while, i cant notice the bad air cause i get used to it.
Everyone says smoking is detrimental to your health, so what about the pollution you cant see?
Maybe an air purifier would be a good investment....

I've been having exact symptoms for several months now. I had a bunch of tests and nothing showed. A few years ago I was misdiagnosed with asthma and now I am diagnosed with anxiety attacks.
I recognized a common thing between my first attack and my second one(which is now persistent with yawning and deep breaths) a few years later. I believe there's a thing that cause this....it is an extreme stressful situation or a period of stressful time that cause nerves to respond by making you yawn or unable to take a deep breath..
I tried Buteiko method( google it) and it was helping me while I was practicing his method (after two weeks you should feel better). I strongly encourage you guys to try it and do it consistently at least for a month and you will see improvement. I will also try yoga as my doc recommended.
Good Luck to you all Best of Health!!