During my worst anxiety years, I would often be out somewhere when suddenly I’d feel like I couldn’t get a proper breath!
I’d have to hunch over, sometimes putting my hands on my knees, and take these really deep, exaggerated breaths just to try to feel like I was getting enough air.
It must have looked so weird to people walking or driving by me!
Here I was, seemingly healthy, suddenly bent over gasping for air like I’d just run a marathon.
But that’s exactly what it felt like… this desperate need to find just ONE satisfying breath.
That suffocating feeling became my constant companion throughout my worst anxiety years.
Some days I felt like I was drowning in air, surrounded by it but unable to access it properly.
Other days it felt like there was a weight on my chest preventing me from breathing normally.
If you’re reading this because you’re experiencing that horrible sensation where anxiety makes you feel like you’re not breathing properly, I want you to know something important right away: You are getting enough air.
Even when it feels like you’re suffocating, even when it feels like you’re not getting a full breath, your body is actually doing exactly what it needs to do to keep you alive.
But I also know that telling you this doesn’t make the feeling any less terrifying or uncomfortable.
So let’s dive into exactly why anxiety messes with your breathing, what’s really happening in your body, and most importantly, what you can do about it.
The Suffocating Feeling of Anxiety
The feeling that anxiety creates around breathing is unlike anything else.
It’s not just being short of breath like when you climb stairs too quickly. It’s more complex and much more frightening.
You might recognize some of these sensations:
That “air hunger” feeling where no matter how deeply you breathe, it feels like you’re not getting enough oxygen. You feel compelled to take bigger and bigger breaths, but somehow none of them feel satisfying or complete.
The inability to take a full, deep breath. It’s like there’s an invisible barrier preventing your lungs from fully expanding. You try to fill your lungs completely, but it feels like they stop at about 70% capacity.
Breathing feels manual instead of automatic. Suddenly you’re aware of every single breath you take, and it feels like if you don’t consciously control your breathing, you might stop breathing altogether.
That tight, constricted feeling in your chest that feels like a squeezing sensation around your ribcage and a feeling like you are never getting enough air. Most of the time this squeezing sensation is due to tensing up our muscles, so finding ways to consciously unclench tight muscles can be really helpful.
Feeling like you need to yawn to get a “good” breath. You find yourself constantly trying to yawn or sighing deeply in an attempt to feel like you’ve gotten a satisfying breath.
The panic that comes with all of this. Because breathing feels so wrong, your brain starts sending alarm signals that something is seriously wrong, which only makes the breathing problems worse.
I remember there were days when I would spend hours obsessing over my breathing, analyzing every inhale and exhale, convinced that I was going to stop breathing if I didn’t pay attention. It was exhausting and terrifying.
How Anxiety Changes Your Breathing Patterns
When you understand what’s actually happening to your breathing during anxiety, it becomes a lot less scary.
Here’s the science behind why anxiety makes you feel like you’re not breathing properly:
The Stress Response Changes Everything
When your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, your breathing naturally changes to prepare you for action.
Your respiratory rate increases, and you start taking shallower, more rapid breaths. This is completely normal and exactly what your body is supposed to do when it perceives danger, according to research on anxiety and the stress response.
The problem is that with anxiety, your body thinks there’s danger even when you’re sitting safely at home.
So you end up with this altered breathing pattern that feels wrong because it IS different from your normal breathing.
You Start Breathing into the Wrong Places
During anxiety, most people start breathing into the top of their chest instead of deep into their belly.
This is called “chest breathing” or “shallow breathing,” and while it gets oxygen into your system, it doesn’t feel satisfying because you’re not using your full lung capacity.
Breathing is shallow in the middle of panic so the immediate thing you can focus on are long, slow, deep breaths.
When we are panicked, we tend to gulp air. This means we are actually taking in too much air and most of it is very shallow, meaning we are taking all this air into the top of our chest and not deep into our belly.
You Actually Get Too Much Oxygen
This might sound counterintuitive, but one of the main reasons anxiety makes you feel like you’re not breathing properly is because you’re actually getting too much oxygen, not too little.
When you start taking rapid, shallow breaths, you can develop something called respiratory alkalosis.
This causes symptoms like:
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Tingling in your hands, feet, or face
- Feeling like you can’t get enough air (even though you’re getting plenty)
- A sense that your breathing is “wrong”
Your Body Becomes Hyperaware
Anxiety makes you hypervigilant about bodily sensations, including breathing.
Normally, breathing is an automatic process that your brain handles without your conscious awareness. But when you’re anxious, suddenly you’re paying attention to every breath, and conscious breathing always feels different from automatic breathing.
It’s like when someone tells you to think about how your tongue sits in your mouth, suddenly it feels weird and uncomfortable even though nothing has actually changed.
Air Hunger vs Actual Breathing Problems
One of the most frightening aspects of anxiety-related breathing issues is something called “air hunger”, that feeling that no matter how much you breathe, you’re not getting enough air.
Air hunger was one of my most persistent and scary anxiety symptoms.
I’ve dealt with shortness of breath since I was just 6 years old and even though I have had it so many times it still scares me to this day.
What Air Hunger Feels Like
Air hunger doesn’t feel like being out of breath from exercise. It feels like:
- An unsatisfying quality to your breaths
- Constantly feeling like you need to take a deeper breath
- The urge to yawn or sigh frequently
- Feeling like the air isn’t “hitting the spot”
- A sense that your breathing is ineffective
How It’s Different from Real Breathing Problems
Real breathing problems from medical conditions usually come with other symptoms like:
- Blue lips or fingernails
- Wheezing or crackling sounds
- Chest pain that worsens with deep breaths
- Coughing up blood
- Rapid heartbeat combined with severe shortness of breath
The Cleveland Clinic notes that with anxiety-related air hunger, your oxygen levels are actually normal. If you’ve ever had your oxygen saturation checked during an anxiety episode, it likely read 98-100%, which is perfect.
The feeling of not getting enough air is real, but it’s not because you’re actually lacking oxygen. It’s because anxiety has changed your breathing pattern and made you hyperaware of the process.
Why Air Hunger Persists
Air hunger can stick around for weeks or even months because:
- You’ve developed a habit of breathing incorrectly
- You’re constantly monitoring your breathing, which keeps you anxious about it
- The more you focus on it, the more “wrong” it feels
- You might be unconsciously holding tension in your respiratory muscles
My Experience with Chronic Air Hunger
During my worst anxiety period, air hunger was my constant companion for months.
I remember waking up every morning and within minutes, becoming aware that my breathing felt “off.”
I would spend entire days trying to get one satisfying breath.
I’d take deep breath after deep breath, but none of them felt like enough. The harder I tried to breathe “correctly,” the worse it got.
I became obsessed with my breathing!
I would sit and analyze each breath, comparing it to how I thought breathing should feel. I convinced myself that if I stopped paying attention to my breathing, I would forget how to do it and just stop breathing altogether.
Shortness of breath/air hunger is another awful anxiety symptom, especially when paired with that squeezing around the ribs!
The worst part was that well-meaning people would say things like “just breathe normally” or “stop thinking about it.” But when you’re in the thick of air hunger, breathing doesn’t feel normal, and trying not to think about it feels impossible when every breath feels wrong.
I spent countless hours researching breathing techniques, convinced that if I could just find the right method, I could fix my breathing and my anxiety would disappear.
While breathing techniques did help, the real breakthrough came when I understood that my breathing wasn’t actually broken, my relationship with my breathing was just temporarily disrupted by anxiety.
There were nights when I would lie in bed, taking breath after breath, trying to find that one satisfying breath that would allow me to relax and fall asleep.
Add globus sensation into the mix (that lump in the throat sensation) and suddenly you start worrying that your airways are obstructed or that you are having a severe allergic reaction to something.
When I experienced this during a cold or flu, I would worry about my lungs, and when I had Covid, it only brought all these fears up for me again and I actually had a bad panic attack one evening as a result.
The turning point came when I stopped trying to “fix” my breathing and started accepting that this was just how breathing felt during anxiety. Once I stopped fighting it and monitoring it constantly, it gradually returned to normal.
Breathing Exercises That Actually Work
Practicing Breathing Exercises
Harvard Health research confirms that breathing exercises can be incredibly effective for managing anxiety symptoms.
After years of trying different breathing techniques, I’ve found that some work much better than others for anxiety-related breathing issues.
Here are the ones that have made the biggest difference for me and countless others I’ve worked with:
Alternate Nostril Breathing
This is hands down my favorite breathing technique, and I recommend doing a few rounds before you even leave to go out anywhere that might trigger anxiety.
How to do it:
- Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril
- Close your left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through your right nostril
- Inhale through your right nostril
- Close your right nostril and exhale through your left nostril
- Repeat at least 5 times
I love this technique because it forces you to slow down your breathing and gives your mind something specific to focus on instead of analyzing how your breathing feels.
Straw Breathing (Using Anxiety Breathing Necklaces)
This involves breathing out through pursed lips as if you are breathing out through a straw. Straw breathing helps to drastically slow your exhale versus your inhale, which is so helpful for calming a frazzled nervous system.
For this technique, I highly recommend using anxiety breathing necklaces, which are specially designed tools that help you practice this type of controlled breathing.
You can learn more about these helpful tools and how to use them in my detailed guide about anxiety breathing necklaces.
How to do it:
- Inhale normally through your nose
- Use your anxiety breathing necklace or purse your lips as if you’re drinking through a straw
- Exhale slowly and completely through the necklace or your pursed lips
- Make your exhale twice as long as your inhale
This technique helps because it naturally slows down your breathing and activates your parasympathetic nervous system (your body’s relaxation response).
Nose-Only Breathing
Breathing in and out through your nose can help to streamline the air going in and out of your body so it’s easier to take in deeper breaths. This is especially helpful when you feel like you’re gulping air or taking in too much oxygen at once.
When symptoms strike, focus on breathing only through your nose for several minutes. This naturally regulates the amount of air you’re taking in and helps prevent that “too much oxygen” feeling.
Box Breathing
This technique helps regulate your breathing pattern:
- Inhale for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
- Exhale for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
- Repeat 8-10 times
What NOT to Do
While these techniques help, there are some common mistakes that can make anxiety breathing worse:
Don’t try to take huge, deep breaths. This often backfires and can make you feel more breathless. Focus on steady, regular breaths instead.
Don’t hold your breath for long periods. Some people think holding their breath will help “reset” their breathing, but this usually increases anxiety.
Don’t breathe faster to try to get more air. This leads to hyperventilation and makes everything worse.
Don’t constantly check if your breathing feels “right.” The more you monitor it, the weirder it will feel.
When to Practice
The key with breathing exercises is to practice them when you’re NOT anxious so they become automatic when you need them. I recommend:
- Practicing alternate nostril breathing every morning
- Using straw breathing whenever you notice your breathing feeling off
- Doing box breathing as part of your bedtime routine
- Using nose-only breathing throughout the day as a preventive measure
Additional Ways to Improve Anxiety Breathing
Beyond breathing exercises, there are several other strategies that can help resolve anxiety-related breathing issues:
Address Physical Tension
Much of the “can’t breathe properly” feeling comes from muscle tension around your ribs, shoulders, and neck. When you’re constantly tensing up without even realizing it, these tight muscles can make breathing feel restricted.
Magnesium glycinate has been a lifesaver for me. Magnesium helps relax tense muscles that may be contributing to breathing difficulties. I take 150-200 mg in the morning and 300-400mg before bed.
Gentle yoga, especially poses that open the chest and stretch the intercostal muscles (the muscles between your ribs), can provide significant relief.
Improve Your Posture
Poor posture, especially slouching or hunching forward, compresses your lungs and makes proper breathing more difficult.
Make a conscious effort to:
- Keep your shoulders back and down
- Lift your chest slightly
- Avoid slouching when sitting
- Take breaks from hunching over computers or phones
Stay Hydrated with Electrolytes
Sipping on natural electrolyte water can help with breathing symptoms, especially if you’re dealing with the dizziness and lightheadedness that often accompany air hunger.
Electrolytes help to increase energy, improve your mood and your sleep, as well as help with muscle twitching and spasms. I have personally even found them helpful for heart palpitations, which often go hand-in-hand with breathing issues.
Limit Caffeine
Caffeine can make anxiety breathing worse by:
- Increasing your overall anxiety level
- Making you more likely to breathe shallowly
- Causing muscle tension
- Triggering the fight-or-flight response
I no longer drink caffeine because I found it significantly worsened my breathing symptoms and heart palpitations.
Create a Calming Environment
Your environment can impact how your breathing feels. Consider:
- Using a humidifier if dry air makes breathing feel difficult
- Keeping your living space cool, as heat can make breathing feel more labored
- Removing strong scents that might trigger breathing awareness
- Playing calming music or nature sounds
Work on Your Overall Anxiety
Remember that breathing issues are a symptom of anxiety, not the root cause. Working on your overall anxiety through:
- Regular exercise (even gentle walking helps)
- Stress management techniques
- Proper nutrition
- Good sleep hygiene
- Professional support when needed
All of these will help improve your breathing naturally.
When to Seek Medical Help
While anxiety-related breathing issues are generally harmless, it’s important to rule out any underlying medical conditions, especially if:
- You’re experiencing breathing problems for the first time
- Your symptoms came on suddenly and severely
- You have chest pain along with breathing difficulties
- You’re coughing up blood or have blue lips/fingernails
- Your breathing problems are accompanied by a fever
- You have a history of asthma, heart problems, or other medical conditions
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a doctor can perform simple tests like checking your oxygen saturation, listening to your lungs, and doing an EKG to rule out any physical causes for your breathing symptoms.
Once you know that your breathing issues are anxiety-related, you can focus on anxiety management techniques with confidence.
The Path Forward
If anxiety is making you feel like you’re not breathing properly, please know that this is a very common symptom that gets better with time and the right approach.
Here’s what I want you to remember:
Your breathing is actually working fine.
Even when it feels wrong, your body is getting the oxygen it needs. Trust your body’s ability to breathe automatically.
The feeling is temporary.
Even though air hunger can persist for weeks or months, it will improve as your overall anxiety decreases and you stop monitoring your breathing constantly.
You’re not alone.
Countless people have experienced exactly what you’re going through and have found relief using the techniques I’ve shared.
Small improvements matter.
You don’t need to fix your breathing overnight. Even small improvements in how your breathing feels can make a big difference in your anxiety level.
It’s okay to have bad breathing days.
Some days your breathing will feel worse than others, and that’s completely normal. Don’t let one bad day convince you that you’re not making progress.
The most important thing I learned during my journey with anxiety breathing is that fighting against it only makes it worse. The more I tried to force my breathing to feel “normal,” the more anxious and abnormal it felt.
Relief came when I started accepting that this was just how breathing felt during anxiety, and that it would improve naturally as my overall anxiety decreased. I stopped constantly checking how my breathing felt and started trusting my body to handle this automatic function.
Slowing your breathing down can help and I highly recommend looking into nostril breathing, as well as alternate nostril breathing. You want to extend your exhale to help support your nervous system.
Be patient with yourself during this process.
Find Relief for All Your Breathing Symptoms
If you’re struggling with air hunger, breathing difficulties, or any other anxiety symptoms, you don’t have to figure this out alone. In my Anxiety A to Z Encyclopedia, I cover every possible anxiety symptom in detail, including comprehensive sections on breathing issues, air hunger, chest tightness, and all the breathing-related fears that come with anxiety.
This 600+ page resource includes:
- Detailed explanations of why each symptom happens
- Practical coping strategies you can use immediately
- Breathing techniques that actually work
- Supplement recommendations that support respiratory health
- Everything you need to avoid Google and find real relief
I wrote this as a healthy replacement for Google, still allowing you to look up anything you need but without triggering you. It can save you on medical costs if you’re constantly finding yourself at the doctors office or ER due to breathing fears.
Get your copy of the Anxiety A to Z Encyclopedia here and finally get the comprehensive guide to understanding and managing all your anxiety symptoms, including breathing issues.
Remember: You’re not broken, you’re not crazy, and you will breathe comfortably again.
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