Hi. I have experienced that..Not only at night..But during the day also. Are you thinking of anything when this happens or are you completely relaxed? When I felt like that I also thought it was my heart or lungs. I cancelled out heart because I also had chest pains and my doc. Did an ekg, (heart monitor) and checked my cholesterol levels which were very good. As far as lungs, I do get a lil scared when I think it could be my lungs but then again I am a nonsmoker, not even a second hander. What is weird is that I would feel tightness...Alot of tightness when I would breath during excercising. One day I stretched the heck out of my back and arms while it was hurting and when I relaxed the pain that I had was gone! I ahveno idea why...

I always feel like I cant breathe, sometimes I get so scared that I start to freak out and have a panic attack. Mostly when this happens I feel like my heart is racing 50 miles an hour.

Anxiety can cause breathing problems in some cases it stops the chest muscles from expanding properly, ask doc to check your chest expansion also to check for asthma

That makes sense. That's exactly what it feels like, my chest muscles wont expand when I breath

It was interesting to read this thread as i too cant really breath properly!!

Iv suffered from anxiety for a while and been to see a counsellor and on a low dose of citalopram and to be honest im nearly there!! Im a hell of a lot better and coping well, HOWEVER! I have days of not being able to breath properly, its feel sweird in my nose as if im holding my breath, i cant concentrate and it increasingly becomes laboured and weird when i breath. This feeling doesnt seem to pass and it lasts hours, days! I am very over aware of this now and i cant concentrate on anything else in my life!

what is this and will it go away!??

breathing issues, or feeling like you can't, are a HUGE anxiety symptom. That's why breathing techniques don't work for me, I don't like anything that makes me conscious of my breathing! All of this is classic. That's why they tell people to breathe into a paper bag when they are panicking, to make you breathe regularly.

The thing is, i dont really feel panicky or anxious when it happens. Its just there, annoying me while i struggling to breath. It just feels laboured and shallow and im very very aware of it constantly. I never panick about it but it does get me down as it takes a while to pass.
Is this still anxiety?? or maybe something pysical??? Or is this just yet another trypical anxiety symptom??

I also have that shallow breathing feeling sometimes. Im also very aware of it and it isnt when im having a panic attack. Mine is usually at night... I'm a total hypochondriac and i've had some other health problems lately.. I had an MRI today so i'll let you know if there is anything wrong with my lungs

I have the EXACT same symptoms as you. It's when i'm not feeling anxious/panicky that the struggle to breath comes in. I will feel pretty relaxed and normal except that i am conscience of my breathing the whole time. It makes it really hard to concentrate on other things.

i dont get it every night but maybe if im tired....and tonight i have it

i can feel every breathe and its frightening
i just want it to go away



i have to get out out bed and go into the front room

i also get it if i drink coca cola or if i am tired
this is why im here on this forum because i have it now

it sometimes makes me feel really sick


what can i do please help

i am so tired and just want to sleep but i cant because of this

I also have this problem. I used to have anxiety a lot and panic attacks before i new what was happening. Now i rarely get panic attacks but this constant feeling of not being able to breath, like there is a rope tied to tight around my chest. I do my best to ignore it but it never goes away ...never...never..never..
its been almost 5 years now and im still not dead... there are plenty of days where i wish i was. I go to bed at night and hope i don't wake up. But i do so i deal with it one more day. Im NOT suicidal. I feel the same pain as all of you. I have been told by doctors that its just anxiety, and i want to believe that but its hard to throw aside a physical feeling like this and call it all in my head.
It is F#@$ing stupid. I will say that stretching my shoulders and back do seem to give my a tiny bit of relief. So give that a try. I tried pills many different kinds. I cant honestly say they helped at all... But its worth a try i guess. Alcohol helps but then you feel 3 times as bad the next day so its a bad habit to get into. I was drinking 1 liter a night for a long time. I am faced with the reality that i may have this problem for the rest of my life..

I have been suffering from the same problem that all you have been describing.

I find that the tight chest and awareness of every breath is often triggered by something first such as anxiety over going somewhere or doing something but then even when i am totally relaxed it is still there and can sometimes last for months.

It is often worse at night also but i think that this is becuase i am in bed alone with my thoughts so focus more on my breathing thus tightening up etc etc creating a vicious circle. I dread going to bed for this reason so havent been sleeping well.
I am aware it is all anxiety based as i have been suffering with this on and off for at least five years and im still alive and in perfectly good health everywhere else.
I, like a few of you have said often have serious panic attacks due to this feeling and awareness of my every breath and it has made me deeply depressed and put alot of pressure on my relationship.

I think the reason the sensation and anxiety doesnt go away is becuase i always dwell on the worst case scenarios and assume this shallow breathing will kill me!! obviously it hasnt and wont but its so hard for the logical part of your brain to override the irrational part that says "panic panic your dying!!!"

I feel better knowing other people suffer from this and im not alone. i suggest we all just try and take it easy and remember we are all here alive and kicking so it ISNT SERIOUS OR LIFE THREATENING just very very very very unpleasant.

we can all beat it....just try to keep calm and tell yourself you are going to be ok.

good luck everyone.....breathe easy xxxx

I have experienced the trouble with getting a good deep breath and it was actually getting scary and I knew it wasnt anxiety. I had all normal test and no medication work. Come to find out I needed the chiropractor and a routine of doing fast short sprints to expand my lungs. Apparantly my rib cage and spine were just not being flexible enough and tightening up on nerves. When I see the chiropractor it usually takes a few days to notice a big difference and if I stay on a good workout program I feel so much better. It has made all the difference. I also have scoliosis which could contribute to this entire matter. I am 36, dont smoke and I am not overweight and otherwise perfectly healthy. It took me months to figure this out. I hope this helps someone.

I suffer from this too and its pissing me off, ive had it for a few months and im going for a sleep apnia test tomorrow i wake up in the middle of the night not breathing and its scaring me. I am so sick of having anxiety and there seems to be no cure in sight. Im 27 and feel as if i have lost my whole life to it, i am never relaxed or comfortable and i cant live this way any more. I have tryed pills and the breathing tecniques, and aromathapy and just about every test you could imagine is there any hope??

I seem to develope the same problem of shallow breathing after years of working near 60 hrs a week I havent been to a doctor about it yet since I dont have health insurance right now It had been the norm to drink a 2liter of diet mountain dew daily I always pushed myself to get more done at work,it doesnt pay off,drinking alot of water and stretching does help some its much more then in your head the muscles around my throat get very tight almost to the point if I yawn it feels like something might rip so it more-so stretch and drink more water lower your carbs might help some too

Ive also had this problem. Mine didnt start until I had my first anxiety attach a year ago. Ive went to the doctor numerous times and had ekgs and blood work done each time but they all come back normal. Mine usually happends all day and gets worse at night. I usually cant sleep so Im always exausted. Its really hard for me to yawn and breath when I sit still. My doctor told me I had an anxiety disorder and put me on zoloft and it made everything worse. I too am afraid I'll have this the rest of my life. Im only 19. Im pregnant and it seems like everything is worse. Im really tired of having this problem. My husband thinks it is all in my head. But its not its real. For anybody who has this problem you are not alone and may god be with you. It helps if yo hold your arms over your head to breath and drink less caffene. You may not have anxiety attacks you may have an anxety disorder. You can google it it helps me understand alot thats going on. Hope this helps.

Well I guess my problem is similar to this. A month ago I was driving and felt oddly strange and my heart was racing and I felt funny in my head. I was taken to the ER, I literally thought I was dying. It was anxiety or a panic attack. After that I had similar feeling at times out of nowhere but none to the effect of the one that day. So I went to my doctor, I was put on Paxil. That has seemed to help, being that I have only been on it almost a month. I still feel nervous and panic feeling at times, but I guess that will get better in time. But the past few weeks I have been really tight in my chest. I have not had any cough but I have had some wheezing. Back at the doctor, I was put on Asmanex and Xopenex-resuce inhaler. I know the Asmanex takes a little while. But I almost feel like its worse now and it feels like I pull from my stomach to breathe and it hurts around that area. I also have started back on Prilosec. So is this a combination of all these things? Will it go away? IS it asthma? Because it seems to last all day and it came out of nowhere seems like and I have not been exposed to anything new.!??! Help! I am only 20!

Wow. I just decided to google tbis. I can't believe it took me 6 years to do so. Same problem. I have a hard time getting a DEEP breathe. It is not all the time. WHen i force myself to yawn, i can get a breathe and open up my longs. It has been happening for 6 years. I have narrowed it down to two things, STRESS OR ALLERGIES. I pick STRESS however 6 years ago the doctor gave me an inhaler and told me basically to get out of his office. I know this is not life threatening but I know it can't be good for me. Oh well, live everyday to its fullest and remember to RELAX!