Do you feel short of breath? Do you often worry that you’renot taking in enough air? Do you fear that you’re going tostop breathing and faint, or even die from feelings ofsuffocation?
You’re not alone. Concerns about breathing are commonamong anxiety sufferers. When you’re feeling anxious, it’seasy to believe that your shortness of breath means thatyou’re in grave physical danger, when in reality you’re not.
There are several things you can do to overcome concernsabout breathing. First, consult your doctor to determine ifasthma, allergies, emphysema, obesity, or another illnessmay be causing the symptom and seek appropriatemedical treatment as needed.
Once you’ve completed a medical examination and haveconfirmed that no other ailment is involved, educateyourself. Finding out the reasons for your feelings canhelp alleviate your breathing concerns and reduce youranxiety.
Here are some breathing myths and realities that willhelp you breathe easier (no pun intended).
Myth:”If I feel like I’m short of breath, that means I’ll die fromsuffocation.”
Fact:Feeling short of breath and suffocating are twocompletely different things. When the fight or flightresponse is triggered, the neck and chest muscles tighten,which can make it feel difficult to breathe. This hasnothing to do with suffocation. No matter how difficultit feels to breathe, it’s impossible for your chestmuscles to be so tight that you suffocate. Even thoughfeeling this way is unpleasant, it’s not dangerous.
Myth:”If I feel like it’s difficult to breathe, that means I’m notgetting enough oxygen.”
Fact:If you feel like it’s difficult to breathe, it’s likely that youare overbreathing, also known as hyperventilationsyndrome. Your symptoms are caused by breathingtoo frequently, not from a lack of oxygen.
Overbreathing is an excessive rate of breathing thatcauses a loss of carbon dioxide. This loss of carbondioxide results in intense physical symptoms such asfeelings of choking, gasping, being smothered, panic,trembling, and feeling like you’re dying. This patternof breathing feeds on itself because the more youoverbreathe, the lower your carbon dioxide levels get,and the more intense the symptoms become. It’s avicious cycle.
Hyperventilation syndrome is a common problem that is estimated to affect about 10% of the population.It is not dangerous, and is easily alleviated bydeep breathing. Deep breathing involves deliberatelylearning to slow your breathing rate and breathe fromthe diaphragm (a muscle in the lower abdomen).
Myth:”If I was hyperventilating, I’d know it.”
Fact:You may take shallow, frequent breaths and not even realizeit. Hyperventilation does not necessarily mean that you arebreathing loudly or visibly gasping for air. Some peopletend to overbreathe when they are in an anxiety-producing situation only. Others overbreathe all of thetime.
Take a breath and observe yourself. If your chest orshoulders move when you breathe, you’re probablybreathing from your chest, which can lead to hyperventilation.
If you take more than 15-17 breaths per minutewhile resting, this can also signal overbreathing.
Myth:”Feeling short of breath (like I’m suffocating, choking,etc.) is dangerous.”
Fact:These feelings can be scary and may feel uncomfortable,but they are NOT dangerous (assuming you’ve had aclear medical exam). What’s important to realize is thatif you feel short of breath or tend to overbreathe, youcan learn to change it. YOU are in control. Train yourbody to react more calmly using deep breathing andrelaxation techniques.
Myth:”If I faint or stop breathing for a few moments, I’ll die.”
Fact:Our bodies are hard-wired to breathe. If you stopbreathing your body’s built-in reflex mechanism willnaturally kick in. You’ll gasp for air and automaticallystart breathing again. When you faint, your autonomicresponses kick in and you start breathing automaticallytoo! So you see, although feeling short of breath isuncomfortable, it is NOT dangerous or life-threatening.
Myth:”If I feel short of breath, I need to breathe faster to getmore air.”
Fact:Some people think that when they feel short of breath theyneed to breathe more often. The opposite is true. The moreyou overbreathe, the lower your carbon dioxide levelbecomes and the more intense your symptoms get.
Myth:”To get a deep breath, I should breathe from my chest.”
Fact:Chest breathing creates shallow breaths, not deep ones. Toget a deep, restorative breath, learn how to breathe fromthe diaphragm.
Myth:”I need to constantly worry about and monitor myself tomake sure I keep breathing.”
Fact:As we discussed earlier, the body is hard-wired to breathe.Stop watching yourself to make sure you continue breathing.You will! After all, your body can’t help but breathe. It’s aprocess that even babies do naturally, without thinking orworrying about it.
Concerns about breathing fuel anxiety and make it MOREdifficult to breathe. Instead of worrying and constantlymonitoring yourself, channel your thoughts and energy intoa productive solution. Learn deep breathing techniques. Practice them daily until they become second-nature to you.
When you think about your breathing, think thoughts thatreflect the type of breathing you want to create. Insteadof worrying that you’re choking, for example, say toyourself: “My breathing is slow, deep, and restful. Mythroat feels open and it’ easy to breathe.”
Myth:”I’m the only one that feels this way. I should keep myconcerns about my breathing secret.”
Fact:Millions of people feel the way you do. You are not alone.Whenever you are confronted with a fear about breathingor feel short of breath, remind yourself of the reality -you are NOT in danger. By naming your fears aboutbreathing and bringing them out into the open, they losetheir power over you.
It’s important to realize that most causes of breathingdifficulty can be easily corrected. In addition to learningdeep breathing techniques, challenging your fears withreality can help you breathe more easily.
