Many people have the same problem. It's really quite common.

I had it myself at age 5 due to anemia. And I still get it occasionally now, which I put down to stress.

However, if i'm correct, pleurisy can cause inability to take a deep breath so I would say it is due to this.

I'm sure it will clear up eventually, but if you are worried, go back to your doc for some medical advice and reassurance

Omg! I am so glad I have found someone who has done the exact same thing! The first time it happened I was early into a pregnancy and the Dr. Could only think because my uteris was tilted it was pushing everything under my lungs. It was so bad I felt like I couldnt breathe. I would set up crying because it made my nerves so bad.That was 2 yrs ago.
Well I found your question because I was looking it up because i'm doing it again. But I am having pregnancy symptoms, so if I am then that is my answer to why I do this, but if I am not , I dont know what to do either about it because it is very frustrating.

OMG i have this same problem. it just started sunday and is still going on. the more i cant the more i try and the more nervous i get. then after a long time i may get a deep breath in to try and yawn all over again. this has happened to me before and it lasts about a week but i obsess over it and tyr and try... anyone know how to fix this or what i can do?? i was around second hand smoke sat night and i feel like that is why. HELP

I also have the same problem. The only way for me to take a deep breath at times is by forcing myself to yawn. I noticed when im around smoke at a bar or something, i feel really horrible the next day. My sinus's irritate me and i have trouble breathing. i also find that when i get a stuffy nose i tend to have problems breathing as well, maybe its all in my head.

It could be mild asthma. I get like that too sometimes and was diagnosed asthmatic last July at 26yrs old.

sitting around thew cig smoke could be what triggered it. If you still have probs taking a deep breath after a week, then see a doc.

I had this same problem. I eventually saw a pulmonologist and had some tests and it turns out.. strange symptoms but it's asthma. A rescue inhaler worked wonders and now I'm on Advair and it works and I don't have this problem anymore. Strange feeling to breathe when you thought you were breathing all along and turns out... you weren't. Good luck. I would go to a pulmo dr.

i have the same thing right now, i keep telling everyone that i cant breathe, i thought it was cause i was stressed out over moving house and my job because i read it was called air hunger, but a month on now and its really really getting to me, i have upper back pain on my right side and i constantly paranoid about my posture, could this all be down to asthma!! im 23 and its never been in my family, im not allergic to anything and i used to play alot of sport but recently my physical activity is very low! i feel like crap!!! and want to breath!!!!!

Shortness of breath can be caused by a lot of things. Birth control pills can cause some problems but with shortness of breath it would probably be a blood clot and unless you've been really inactive or just recently had surgery then I wouldn't think that would be it. Could be stress causing it...low iron will cause fatigue and shortness of breath as well. I'd go back to the doctor or another doctor and keep going until they find out what's going on.

I do the same, I take deep breaths alomst like i'm sighing. Sometime it feels as tho I'm not getting enough air inside Then other times it feels like the air gets in my lungs and feel good! I yarn alot lol, but I noticed that when i'm busy it goes, but then it comes back after. I was in NYC last month for a week, and I did not have the problem! mind needs to be busy perhaps, so maybe its mental. I should go back to my GP Soon .

I have had this problem basically my whole life. It comes and goes. Saw a doctor years ago, who blamed the weather, didn't think it was Asthma. Now that I am pregnant I am concerned about the baby getting enough oxygen. Haven't been able to breath for 3 days, especially at night. I have to sit up to b able to take a deep breath. I am amazed though how many of you have the same problem not knowing what's going on. Does anybody know what it is if not Asthma??

Thank you guys for posting your comments...I don't feel like I'm the only one with this. I don't know what to do. It seems to only happen when I'm sitting down. I've also noticed that caffeine makes it worse. Inhalers don't seem to do anything for me. I just want it to go away! I hope you all are getting better. Thanks.

Dude, this is EXACTLY what I am experiencing. I started working out regularly a week or two ago and I think this breathing thing started then. It's like I'm yawning all the time...with every 8th or 9th breath being a deep breath, but even then it's a short breath. This is so annoying and really scary. I don't want to go to the doc because I know it'll cost me a fortune for all the tests he will want to run.

Also, it's been crazy hot here lately and I'm wondering if that's a factor to my breathing issue.

Can't believe I have finally found everybody. I feel like I am suffocating. I am on anxiety meds, but it keeps returning. I can get on a tread mill for 50 minutes with no problem and it helps me get a good breath. I've been researching and don't think I have asthma. If it is anxiety, then I need something stronger. This is wearing on me. i also worry it could be my heart, but I have had this off and on for years. I also have reflux and just read there could be a connection. I am not anemic, either. I'm 59, a school teacher and do have lots of stress. I hope we all can find an answer to this torture.
what do we all have in common?

ME TOO!!! I try to force myself to yawn, because that's the only time I feel like I'm oxygen-satisfied. It's worse when I'm sitting down (and I'm in grad school so I have to sit in class for hours), and better on days that I've exercised. I'm 33, a single mom with one child, I'm in school for nursing, I have a horrible ex-husband, an amazing boyfriend, and I'm living with my parents for two more months until I'm finished with school. Basically I'm saying I have a high level of anxiety. Maybe that's the cause. Or maybe it's asthma (I've never been diagnosed, and I don't wheeze, but I do have constant sinus inflammation due to indoor allergies (dust and cats, and my parents have lots of both). I'm also REALLY sensitive to the stimulant effect of chocolate, and I have been eating it, so maybe I'll cut back on that. Good luck everyone, and when I go to the doc, I'll let you know the diagnosis.

I am soon giving up, I find many people with the same problem but not answers. I thought for a period that it had something to do with my running because I get it most after I have started a running season. I don't know, maybe it's best to visit the doctor...

same situation here. all i ever see are forums and forums and forums of people wondering what is causing this awful feeling. for me it feels like everyone has described, except i would like to add that it feels like my lungs just can't expand far enough to fill up the needed amount...the only way i ever get a full breath is to force myself to essentially hyperventilate...and that just looks really dumb in public....
there are never any answers it seems....well, here's my specs (for whatever it's worth):
i have been on wellbutrin for 6 years; i smoked a lot from age 16-21, then cut back over the last 5 (maybe one pack a week-- been "trying to quit" for quite some time now); was diagnosed with food allergies (really just food sensitivities), at age 8; have been diagnosed with airborne allergies to dust, molds, cats (and i have two cats), and random environmental irritants; i do not take birth control; i'm not pregnant; i exercise at least 3x a week (30 min cardio & 30 min weights); i eat very healthy (lots of raw veggies, fruits, whole grains, low dairy intake...but i do drink a little heavy on the weekends..oops)...any patterns, anyone?

i hope we can all figure this out, because it really is quite irritating. i've sat up crying over it, before, too. no bueno.

I've suffered from this on and off since I was 19. Definitely seems to be anxiety-driven, yet the symptoms are so physical they are hard to dismiss as just stress-related. But that's what I'm leaning towards, and I think that's what we may all have in common--a deep, underlying anxiety.

My breathing issues go away when I am living a structured lifestyle, living up to my standards of health and well-being, etc.

I also suffer from major heart palpitations, chest pains, GERD, IBS, tingling and pain in my arms and fingers, pressure in my jaw, and feeling light-headed. And I wonder if it's ALL just anxiety.

By the way, no doctor has ever given me more than ten minutes of their time regarding all this--and I have seen plenty.

I thought of another potential cause-- maybe it has to do with the fact that modern life surrounds us with a lot of electronic energy. Maybe that's just my inner flower-child talking, but perhaps not. Maybe the frequencies and electronic pollution are screwing with our systems. Or not. I'm not a scientist, but it's something to consider for someone who may be.

Okay, I started having trouble breathing on August 15th of this year. I was told I have Asthma and put on meds for it, but they do nothing. I found that I could also have VCD, which is vocal cord dysfunction. I'm going to the ENT tomorrow about this, which is cured by simple breathing exercises. I also found that being unable to yawn completely can be Hyperventilation Syndrome and you can also cure yourself of this after breathing exercises. Everyone should know all of these things; Asthma, VCD and HS can not only be worsened by stress/anxiety, but even caused. Cognative Behavior Therapy will help with anxiety. Anti-anxiety meds should only be take SHORT TERM until the anxiety is controlled by therapy. Stress and anxiety make all medical conditions worse and I am certain my breathing issues are stress/anxiety related and I have not been treated for anxiety yet. If you are short of breath and don't have asthma see your ENT ask about VCD, it's more common than you think and curable!