You yawn for the fifth time in 5 minutes and finally get that feeling of a full, deep breath into your lungs.
You bask in this feeling, as if you have been underwater and have finally come up for air.
But…
Anxiety is already creeping back in, reminding you that you’re going to need to yawn again soon for your next breath.
If you’re in a social situation, you try desperately to hide your constant yawns, worried that you appear bored or uninterested.
The reality, however, is that you genuinely feel like you can’t breathe properly and are trying hard not to panic.
Holding a conversation is the trickiest because you try to stifle the yawns that come up, but dizziness washes over you and you wonder if you are about to pass out or even drop dead right in the midst of it.
If this sounds familiar then you may be dealing with a classic case of anxiety-related shortness of breath aka air hunger!
It’s an awful, awful symptom to deal with, one that I have dealt with since the young age of just 6, however, even now, at 35 years old, this symptom still scares me.
In fact, when I had Covid, my anxiety flared and this was a symptom I dealt with.
It didn’t just scare me, it terrified me.
I couldn’t figure out if it was related to the virus or my anxiety peaking.
The way I figured out that it was linked to anxiety was that when I was able to calm myself down, my breathing got better.
Health anxiety and physical symptoms, like air hunger, are a terrible mix.
You live in your head analyzing, assessing and obsessing to the point of madness.
Sometimes I would yawn to try and breathe, other times I’d literally have my hands on my knees, bent over, gasping like a fish on dry land; oh what a lovely vision indeed.
Seriously though, if you go through it then you know what I mean.
We are constantly chasing the next full breath, only to feel relieved for a short white before we are seeking the next one.
Our addiction is a full, deep breath.
If only it could last longer than a few moments though.
It’s especially hard when out in public, as we try to hide it.
What does shortness of breath from anxiety feel like?
When you’re struggling for breathe, I’d bet one of the first things you do is try desperately to yawn, over and over again just to catch a breath!
So, once again, this is proof of how amazing our body actually is, and how its goal is to always try and help us.
Yawning is our body’s way of trying to encourage our body to breathe deeper, as anxiety tends to make us take in super shallow breaths.
In fact, constantly yawning to try and breathe can be a good indication that you are more than likely dealing with anxiety.
However, as I mentioned before, I didn’t always yawn to try and breathe, sometimes I’d just be gasping for air or attempting deep breathing exercises (in through my nose and out through my mouth), but they just never seemed to work for me.
An amazing doctor I had back in South Africa told me to not yawn to get a breath, but to just force myself to breathe slowly in and out through my nose to start regulating my breathing again.
He said that even if I felt like passing out, to push through it and stick with long, slow, deep breaths. Even if you still feel like you need to get more air, the long slow breathing in and out through your nose definitely can help sometimes.
Our brain is telling us that we are not getting enough oxygen, but we are, it’s just that feeling that we aren’t.
Can anxiety cause chest pain and shortness of breath?
Okay, so this is where things can get even scarier than they already are.
It’s bad enough when it feels like you just aren’t getting enough oxygen into your lungs, without the added stress of other gad symptoms piled on top of it.
Chest tightness, chest pressure not to mention pain… suddenly you aren’t sure if you should be worrying more about your lungs or your heart!
Why does anxiety make my chest so tight?
When your body thinks it is in real danger it will tense up your chest muscles to ensure your internal organs are protected against any kind of threat.
This tightening of the chest muscles can cause a feeling of pressure in the chest and quite significant chest pain.
You may experience sharp, stabbing pains or a constant ache. It may stick to one area or move around the chest. You may even notice other strange chest sensations like twitching and spasms or a burning, tight feeling.
Of course this very real physical pain makes it hard for us to not go into complete panic over a possible heart attack or some other medical emergency.
It’s hard to believe, but once again, our body proves that it is trying to help us, not hurt us.
Pain in your chest, and that scary pressure feeling from anxiety, is a result of your muscles constricting to act as a barrier between what it thinks is a threat and your vulnerable internal organs.
It can be frustrating when we clearly know that we are safe, but our body needs some time to catch up.
Finding ways to consciously release your muscles throughout the day is important to help alleviate pain, not to mention it sends a signal to your brain that you are safe.
Your brain interprets tension as danger.
Yoga and stretching helps me a lot, as it allows me to be aware of areas I am holding onto tension so that I can consciously release those areas of tightness.
Lung and heart fears are top fears with health anxiety
There are specific fears that are especially up there on the list of health anxiety fears and these two are right at the top of the list.
So if you find yourself constantly obsessing over the health of your lungs and your heart, please know it’s not a sign and that you are not alone.
I share all of the top health anxiety fears and all of my health anxiety stories with you in my book, Health Anxiety is Ruining my Life!
3 other possible causes of shortness of breath
Apart from shallow breathing and tight chest muscles, here are some more contributing factors to air hunger:
Too much sugar 🍭
Every time I over-indulge in sugar, I find myself short of breath. The same with too much dairy or any other inflammatory, processed foods that increase inflammation, but sugar is an especially big one for me.
Sugar increases mucus production due to the fact that it increases inflammation. Anxiety and stress also increase inflammation, which means even more mucus.
When I feel like I am drowning in mucus and congested as a result, I tend to struggle to breathe properly.
I go deep into ways to reduce inflammation in my first book.
Hormonal changes 🩸
Always pay attention to where you are in your cycle, as shortness of breath can increase during ovulation, your period or other hormonal changes.
I used to, without fail, know that my period was close every month simply because of how short of breath I’d get.
Low iron 🥩
If you think you have low iron, consider a blood test to check your levels, as this can contribute to shortness of breath too.
I have always had low iron due to my heavy periods every month.
A B12 deficiency can actually lead to low iron, as B12 helps to produce red blood cells, which helps to carry oxygen through the body. Be sure that the B12 is in the more absorbable and natural methylcobalamin form and not the synthetic cyanocobalamin form.
I take 1000 mcg every morning. See exactly which B-vitamins I recommend along with my other daily anxiety supplements here.
My favourite breathing exercise for anxiety shortness of breath
You want to streamline your breathing, which will help to slow it down and encourage deeper breaths vs all that shallow air.
FYI, shallow breathing can also contribute to head pressure, tingling in the face, dizziness and chest pressure too!
Straw breathing can be really beneficial, where you breathe through pursed lips, as if you are breathing through a straw. You can breathe in slowly through your nose and then out through pursed lips.
I also love this breathing technique and was doing it constantly when I had Covid, as it’s great for panic!
How long does shortness of breath last?
Of course it is different for everyone, but I know that many people panic when they have a symptom that hangs around every day.
I will let you know that sometimes I will get a flare up of this symptom where it will last a few hours or a full day, whereas other times I have had it for weeks!
GAD can cause symptoms to linger to some extent 24/7.
If you are fed up with dealing with physical anxiety symptoms, always desperately seeking reassurance that is always short-lived, then consider my Anxiety A to Z Encyclopedia as a place you can find comfort daily, however I will never trigger you and I will also help you to actually find ways to move forward.
As always, I hope this post has brought you some comfort if this is a symptom you are currently struggling with, feeling scared and unsure of what to do next.
You truly are never alone here <3
What can you do next?
- Download a free breathing meditation I created for you
- Download my free PDF of over 100 GAD symptoms here
- Join me on Instagram, Tik Tok, or Pinterest for more
- Listen to my podcast as I delve deeper into these symptoms
- If you’re looking for a daily anxiety resource, where you will find everything in one place then check out my Anxiety A to Z Encyclopedia ebook you can start reading right away! Get a coupon by filling in the form below.
Disclaimer: We have different bodies and present a unique set of anxiety symptoms that may occur in varying intensities and duration. You do not have to have all of the symptoms discussed on this website to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. You should also not use the symptoms discussed to self-diagnose. Please consult with your doctor who can differentiate between the symptoms being solely anxiety-related and other medical conditions.
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