Anxiety can cause shortness of breath. There are medications, breathing techniques, and mindfulness practices that can help.
Shortness of breath is a common symptom of anxiety. You may feel like you can’t catch your breath, tightness in your chest, or like you’re suffocating or hungry for air.
Studies
Other symptoms that can occur during this response and as a result of anxiety
- faster breathing (hyperventilation)
- chest tightness
- breathlessness or a feeling of suffocation
- feeling like you have a lump in your throat
- muscle tension
- heart palpitations (feels like a stronger, faster heartbeat)
- feeling faint, dizzy, or unsteady
- nausea or stomach discomfort
- restlessness, irritability, or feeling on edge
With anxiety, you may not be running for your life. But your body
You experience chest tightening, shortness of breath, and faster breathing because your body is trying to get more oxygen to your muscles, preparing you to run. Your heart rate increases and you may feel hot as more blood pumps into your muscles, preparing you to fight.
You probably aren’t running or fighting for your life, but your body still reacts to the crowded grocery store, your work presentation, and other anxiety-provoking events as if you were.
By focusing on your breathing, you can get it under control and deliver the right amount of oxygen to your lungs when you’re experiencing shortness of breath from an anxiety attack.
Experts
When you’re experiencing shortness of breath, you’re generally breathing from your mouth or chest. But diaphragmatic breathing can:
- slow your breathing rate
- decrease your demand for oxygen
- use less effort and energy to breathe
How to practice diaphragmatic breathing
- Sit up comfortably in a chair or lie back on a flat surface with your head supported.
- Place one hand on your upper chest and the other below your rib cage. This will allow you to better feel your diaphragm as you breathe.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose so your stomach moves out against your hand.
- Tighten your stomach muscles. Let them fall inward as you exhale through your nose or your mouth (depending on what’s easier for you).
- Continue to take deep breaths in and out, feeling your stomach rise in and out.
It’s normal to feel like it’s a lot of effort when you first begin this breathing practice. With more practice, this breathing technique will become automatic and easy.
If you notice shortness of breath before experiencing a full-blown panic attack, learn to recognize it and don’t ignore it. Start focusing on your breathing before the anxiety escalates.
The main way to prevent shortness of breath and other physical symptoms of anxiety is to practice techniques and learn your triggers when you’re not experiencing them.
One preventive technique is a thought log, in which you write down the thoughts you had in your last moment of anxiety or panic. This can help you discover triggers and reflect on your anxiety in a calmer state.
You can also write down the sensations you’re experiencing while you’re experiencing them. This can help your doctor understand what’s going on.
These automatic thought records are generally completed during cognitive behavioral therapy with a trained therapist. While you can do this on your own, you may get the most benefit out of this exercise by working with a therapist.
A therapist can help you better understand the point of the thought record, explore its implications, and hold you accountable for completing it.
How to make a thought log
There are several types of thought logs, such as this one focusing on dysfunctional thinking or general anxiety.
You can even make your own by recording:
- the date
- the specific trigger (the situation or physical symptom, such as shortness of breath)
- the automatic thought (what you think will happen due to this physical symptom or situation)
- how strongly you believe this thought (1 to 100 percent)
Numerous studies have shown that meditation and yoga
You can also try:
- Grounding techniques. One type of grounding technique (progressive muscle relaxation) involves clenching muscles and slowly releasing them. Focus entirely on these sensations.
- Mindful distractions. To help you calm down, find something to distract your mind from panicking. Try describing things around you to keep your focus on something else. What color is your couch? What is its texture?
- Talk with yourself. Now that you know these symptoms are a part of your body’s automatic response, remind yourself of this. In the moment of panic or anxiety, tell yourself “I can’t breathe because my body is trying to get more oxygen” or “I’ve been evaluated and my heart is fine.” Talking with yourself rationally can pull you out of the anxiety.
- Exercise. It may seem strange to exercise in the midst of an anxiety attack, but going for a quick run or expending some of that built-up energy may actually work for you.
- Self-care. You can practice self-care in simple ways. Drink herbal tea (but avoid caffeinated tea, as it can increase anxiety). Light candles with a pleasant aroma. Write down your feelings. Turn on some soothing music.
- Shock yourself. Shocking your system by dipping your face in a bowl of ice water can help pull you out of a thought spiral.
Consider working with a mental health professional. They can help you work out negative thought processes that occur when you’re experiencing anxiety, especially if this anxiety is severe or causing you great distress. They may also recommend medications.
It’s important to remember that anxiety attacks can’t kill you. You won’t suffocate, won’t stop breathing, and won’t die from an anxiety attack. An anxiety or panic attack won’t turn into a heart attack, either.
If you’re worried about your physical health, get checked out. Once you’ve been cleared of any physical reasons for your shortness of breath, hold onto that clean bill of health as a reminder when you’re back in an anxious moment.
See a mental health professional for further help and assistance with coping techniques.