god I get this all the time, I actaully had to call an Ambulance last month because I thought I couldnt breathe and was going to die

I experience quite a few of the same things people have mentioned above. I'm 21 and for the past I'd say about two months I've been having weird breathing troubles. The description people gave of not being able to get a deep enough breath, happens to me constantly. Mine is also more at night. I notice it during the day a lot too, but I'm usually busy doing something and I can forget about it by concentrating on something else. But trying to go to sleep is the worst. I start focusing on my breathing and I can't stop. I feel like I'm breathing abnormally, which just makes it worse. I also concentrate on my heart beat, that usually happens when I'm actually laying down and I can feel it. I'll start thinking it's too fast or just not right and that freaks me out, so that on top of feeling like I'm not getting enough breath drives me insane. This isn't an every night thing, but it is getting more and more frequent. Even if I don't have extreme trouble falling asleep (I'm talking like a few hours of restless light sleeping, and waking, etc., getting up and freaking out, and so on) I still don't fall asleep fast, or normally like I used to. Another thing is I'll feel like I'm having some sort of chest pains that go along with the not breathing properly. That freaks me out even more. And my left arm will hurt, or feel weird or cold and I honestly think I'm having/going to have a heart attack or something of that nature. And let me tell you, that makes the breathing thing a million times worse. Now, logically do I think I'm going to have a heart attack or something, no. But, mentally, when I feel like that, I believe it 110%. It is terrifying, and I don't know what to do about it, I call and wake my mom up and she talks to me while I ramble on about how weird I feel and why on earth do I feel like this blah blah. So that's my two cents (well more like five, I talk a lot, haha) on the situation. Does anyone else have the chest/arm pain or funny feelings, and feel like they could die when all that is going on? That has absolutely all got to be mental and anxiety related. I'm getting a doctor's appointment to get fully checked out before the breathing and non sleeping thing puts me over the stress edge.

I actually just made a post about this in this forum (without reading further down the topic list - *oops*).

I'm 20 and I've had the same thing happening to me for the last six months. I need to take very deep breaths to feel as though I have been satiated in terms of breathing - sometimes I need to yawn a few times to achieve this. I've had asthma testing and a CAT scan of the lungs and have thus ruled out asthma and blood clots (both tests showed normal results).

My doctor is suggesting anxiety, but I am not too inclined to believe him because when I said I may have asthma, he didn't even refer me to a specialist or order me any testing - just stuck me on albuterol and told me to pretty much OD on it for two weeks.

I have not ruled out heart problems, but it seems really unlikely because, after doing research, I have nothing going on health-wise that would cause heart problems and my only symptom now is a mild but constant shortness of breath that does not worsen from things like exercise, walking, allergens, etc.

Maybe I have anxiety, maybe I don't (no past history of mental problems). I don't have any advice to offer you, unfortunately, but just one of those who's piping up to let you know you aren't alone. I've also had chonric tension-type headaches for over a year (they aren't painful enough to warrant popping of aspirin, so it's not too bad).

At the risk of sounding like a teenager, I am so totally not anxious about things. I used to freak out about my headaches, but when I realized that it hasn't killed me after a year nor has it worsened, it's not a big deal. How can I have anxiety if I'm not anxious? And would medication make the shortness of breath stop?

I'm just new to the possibility of anxiety, so I'm doing a lot of thinking out loud.

Oh buddy, I an new to the possibility of anxiety too. It's what my mom thinks it is, and mom knows best right. I know anxiety is related to depression, but I'm in no way depressed. School is really stressful, it's my senior year of college, and I am about in embark on student teaching, and yes I know that is stressful, but is is stressful enough to cause me anxiety which makes me feel as if I can not breath? I mean come on, it doesn't seem likely.

As for medication making the shortness of breath stop, let's say I sure hope so. Because if my doc is like hey you should pop these pills, it'll make you breathe better (or "better" if its all mental) then I'll be like hey buddy, thhhhhhhhanks.

So I don't know, but I just want some answers.

i feel the smae way does this stuff goaway

iliveinsalemslot,

I also get the arm pain in my left arm, but to me it's more like a light tingling or pressure, like my arm is going to fall asleep but never actually does. And it's more in my shoulder than anything. It's very weird - my doctor suggested it might be a pulled muscle, which, in my case, may be true because my arms end up twisted into very odd positions when I sleep (it's the only way I can sleep).

Cambion,

Yeah mine is the sort of pain where it feels like it could fall assleep but doesn't, but it is almost more of an ache type thing, I don't know. You can only sleep when your arms are twisted in a weird position? Interesting. Yeah, yours does seem like it could be from a pulled muscle, I've never had the pain in my shoulder. It's always in my forearm/elbow area.

Has anyone had other tests run? I had to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours and my heart rate ranged from 60 to 174 beats per minute with lots of palputations. Now I have to go for a CAT scan. My chest x-ray showed something in both lungs that they are thinking might be scar tissue from something else. I am having a hard time accepting the fact that it might be stress b/c I do not necessarily feel that much different then before. I know that I want it to be over. The palputations are very heacy and really get my attention. I am tired of the extremes that you have to go to just to get a good breath (the yawning, stretching twisting or leaning, most of which I feel like an fool doing in public). What about eating? Particularly a heavy meal, this always make it worse especially during the meal. What about caffiene? If I lay off, it helps some but not entirely? And when I am having an episode going up stairs or any activity makes my heart go crazy and I do not seem to be getting the best sleep. Any comments? Have I just described what you all are feeling too?

Cassiem,

Yeah, my sypmtoms go along the lines of yours as far as you mentioened also. I haven't had any tests run, I just went to the doctor due to the sleeping aspect of it. It has gotten very, veery hard for me to fall assleep with the breathing, and heavy, rapid heart beat. The sleep deprevation had gotten so bad, that I tossed and turned from 9:45 one night, until 5 am, when I finnally fell asleep, and my alarm went off an hour later. It was horrible. So he suggested that I drink milk before bed, it's supposed to help you sleep, and I don't know if it's in my head, or if it has really helped, but I've gotten more sleep since I started the milk before bed about 4 nights ago. I am being sent to and ear, nose, and throat doctor to get my air ways checked, and then my doctor wants to look into getting me sleep tested if nothing comes from the ear nose, and throat doctor. So that's where I am not. I hope you find out more about your chest xray.

I am interested to see what your doctors visit brings. Please keep us posted. I am not sure if it is affecting my sleep or not, I know that I feel tired but I think that may be because I am not getting the oxygen that I need when who knows! I know that I am really tired of it all. In researching other sites I am seeing everything from GERD and asthma to anxiety. I didn't want to believe that it is anxiety because that makes me feel week or out of control or unstable in some way but at the same time I am ready to move on. I think that after my next test if they do not see anything I m ready to accept the anxiety thing or at least try the treatment for it to see if it helps. I don't know about anyone else but the palputations are a bit unbearble and the breathing thing (I have seen it called "air hunger") and the racing heart is getting on my last nerve. Sometimes I can feel my heart beat in my neck and it is such a heavy pounding that I swear I can hear it. It is making me look and feel older than I should. There is some comfort in knowing that there are others going through the same thing. I thought that I would be handed an inhaler to open my breathing and sent on my way but it has been over 2 months and a million tests later I am no further along. The ear, nose and throat visit has not been recommended so I am interested in seeing what they say. Good luck!

"all of a sudden or once in a while find it hard to breath and have to yawn to catch your breath, it feels like when I take a breath it doesnt go down all the way and I dont gety the oxygen"

I had those exact symptoms. I strongly recommend you try Charles Linden's method.
(edited to remove commercial link)

wow this is crazy I have this thing too and I can't breathe

Hi all,

Search for "air hunger" on Google and you will find literally thousands of people all with identical symptoms to this (it's nice to be able to put a name to what you have and to know you're not alone)

I really don't believe it's anxiety or stress!

Best,
Neil

There are many reasons that can cause your anxiety to act up. I'm married, two children 2 girls, 6 month and 6 years. I live with my father inlaw after my mother inlaw past away from Lukemia There has been a lot of stress on me especially with two kids one being an infant. I hardly sleep, I'd say from 3am or 4am to 8am. My wife always tells me "your body is trying to tell you something." Apparently we're doing something that's causing this. There's no reason for medication to fix this. Use your mind, it's all mental.

We all have the same symptoms and yet we're still here alive and healthy. Here is a good plan you can try.

1. Schedule appointment with your doctor, get a physical and blood work done.
2. Wait patiently for the results and hopefully it'll be good.
3. If there is nothing wrong with you and your perfectly healthy...dont worry about anxiety.

One way or another it will come and you will have to laught at it and know that your healthy and your time has not come. It's your stupid mind playing ticks on you.

Another thing I read from you guys about going to sleep and having short of breath. Make sure to sleep early at least 8hrs of sleep. Your body needs it to survive the sanity. 8hrs doesn't mean 4am to 12pm. It actually doesn't work and you'll still feel tired. Hit the sack before midnight that usually almost always works. Cut back on smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. Normally if you drink coffee close to bedtime or smoke cigarettes right before bedtime, you will get anxiety attacks.

Acid reflux the problem? This could be an answer for you. Sometimes you'll eat an amazing meal and all of a sudden you feel as though your having a heart attack. Sharp pains in the arm, chest, back and upper neck. It's actually gas/heartburn and your body goes into a state of shock. This is where anxiety knocks on your door.

Remember, it's all in your head. I'm 31 years old, I've been dealing with this problem since 22. It comes when im stress and leaves when I'm happy.

Funny story before I end this.

At the age of 22 I was at walgreens waiting in line to pay. All of a sudden I felt like I was having a heartattack. I told the cashier, please call the ambulance I'm having a heart attack. She ignored me and kept on with her business. Someone there took out their cell phone and dialed 911. When the ambulance came and checked me out, that is when I first found out I had anxiety. After that day I felt soo stupid that everytime I have an anxiety I laugh at it.

Cheer up, you're all fine unless your doctor and blood test tells you otherwise.

=)

I have been having the sleeping awkwardly issue for about 3 years now. I go to bed and I'm fine until I get into bed and turn the light off, then I start hoping that I'll sleep fine (and this isn't every night but it happens at least once a week) and as I try to sleep I get more and more nervous about the possibility of having the whole not being able to breathe issue again. As I start to think about it it gets worse, I hear my heart beating a little harder and it begins to pound in my head, then it gets hard to breathe, to make things worse I start thinking of about 1 millions different scenarios and they all end up with me dead of asphyxiation or heart attack. That just makes it worse, so I have been doing the breathing exercises because I am high anxiety and have stress issue, I have been prescribed clonzopam 10mgs, but after 6 months on my Doctor told me that I should learn to live without the drugs, and I think that is a load of crap. Taking the anti-anxiety pills allowed me to sleep a full night and my body would accept sleep and wouldn't fight the cycle. However I've been off the drugs for 4 months now and the restless, anxious panic attacks and night terror have started back up again. I try not to think at all when this happens - as the more you think about it, the worse it gets - but I can't help it. Sometimes I feel like I am at the verge of sleep and my dreams are almost mixing with the real world, like the buffer is down while I'm having the panic attacks and that makes it all a whole lot worse. I have been doing everything right, I am eating well, I am exercising 5 days a week and I am not drinking at all. I have malox on hand because I also bloat at night when I start to get the anxious.

In the end, I am going back to my Doctor to get more clonzapam and admit defeat, my body can't resist this on its own.

hiya, im the same. iv had it for days, it hurts a little when i breath in too hard, i have bad panic attacks, i feel better when i yawn. i just breath in slowly, when i think about it i find it harder to breath, just try relax, dont think about it if you can, does any one else feel the same as i do too?

i first noticed i had this problem a couple of months ago, i dont quite remember when but i kind of ignored it until this past week i felt it again and i cant stop thinking about it, whenever i want to take a deep breath i cant, i have to struggle until i get one to go through. its really frustrating. im 20y/o now and i been smoking since i was 17y/o, but i would smoke here and there maybe during the weekends i would smoke black and milds....i started smoking marijuana around september 2007 but i quit on april 2008. lately i have been running/jogging in the mornings and im wondering if that is what is causing this????

I've had this problem for years now, but it's gotten progressively worse this past year. I have a couple of questions for those posters who say that this problem is caused by anxiety/stress:
1. Why does this wake me from a sound, peaceful sleep and happen when I have no stress?
2. Why don't anxiety meds alleviate the symptoms?

I am convinced that this is NOT caused by anxiety, although it is exacerbated by it. When I take Xanax or other anti-anxiety meds I just get sleepy, but I still can't breathe right. I've noticed that stretching my arms back at certain angles seems to open up my breathing somewhat. Also, lying on my back with a pillow under my neck ALWAYS fixes it. If it were anxiety I don't think assuming that position would work every time. If anyone figures out what the heck is going on here PLEASE post it!! This condition has stolen my career and quality of life from me.

im sorry to hear that, but i just started feeling this way a couple of months ago and i havent even seen a doctor yet because after the first few days it either went away or i ignored it but now it came back with a vengeance and its bothering me too

reading this forum really helped me understand, not to mention took the words right out of my mouth...i am finding it hard to breath as well and i am aware that it is from anxiety you can't help but think that something is wrong with you when you feel what we feel thanks soo much