Difficulty breathing and excessive yawning

[jlong007]

Hello fellow peers,

Just want to ask if anyone here has had difficulty breathing and excessive yawning. I feel lately that I have to yawn to get a deep breath in.

[carl1023]

I get shortness of breath :(

[peaceandlove]

Me too.........

[dazza]

Original post is a little sparse in explanation.

When are you feeling out of breath? All the time? sometimes? when you've accidentally turned the cold tap full on when under the shower?

Anx' disorder can cause tightening of neck and chest wall muscles. This gives the sensation of breath shortness.

Been to docs to have it checked?

[jlong007]

Just recently I have not really a shortness of breath, it's just that I can't get a deep breath in and in order to get a deep breath is to yawn, therefore the excessive yawning.

I have been checked out from head to toe. Been to several cardiologist, endocrinologist, pulmologist, had lots of tests done including: VQ scan, at least 7 Chest X-rays, Echos, Ekgs, countless of blood work, carotid artery ultrasound, ct scan and even a cardiac catherization and the doctors can't find out what's wrong with me

[dazza]

Been checked for asthma? do you smoke?

Perhaps it is just anxiety chest wall / neck muscle phenomenons?

Maybe a change in weather / pollen count has an effect?

Thing is, if you've got a lung problem - you'd most likely feel dizzy and generally crap.

[jlong007]

I went to a pulmologist, which is a lung doctor, and all the test came back negative, so I have no lung problems

[jlong007]

I do not smoke

[Suzzy]

I dont know if its what you might have but i can tell you that shortness of breath and excessive yawning are both symptoms of chronic hyperventilation. Not a lot known about this but i have just been diagnosed by a neurologist and although i dont suffer with these symptoms (for me its severe dizziness), the neurologist said the classic symptoms of it are exactly what you describe! Maybe worth mentioning it next time you see your doctor.... although my doctor had to google it when i told him my diagnosis! :) I was his first case with it! Anyway, just wanted to put it out there as a possibility....

[ivanas757]

I have this same issue when my acid reflux acts up. do you also.burp?

[Suzzy]

Yes i do suffer with acid reflux quite a bit! And from what I have read/heard there is a link between poor breathing and acid reflux too so that would make sense i guess... Even though im not aware i have poor breathing because its a subconscious thing!

[dissdam0118]

Absolutley yes. I will yawn and contiue yawning for days to get that full deep breath. Ive found though that the more I think about it the worse I feel until I am conciously trying to control my breathing pattern rather than letting it happen naturally. My advice is to not think about it. Yawn if you need to deep breath if you need to but dont let the thought of getting that deep breath consume you. Also breathe slow if you feel that "need to take a deep breathe feeling " coming on breathe throug your nose even. Hope I helped.

[Suzzy]

Yeah i find that thinking about my breathing makes it worse too! In fact when i asked the neurologist if i should try and consciously breath more deeply/slowly, he said 'no, dont even think about your breathing because it will make it worse'. Its so true! If someone just asked you right now to breath normally, you wouldnt be able to because you will immediately over-think it! :)

[dazza]

Perhaps it's not even real then?

I.e. you THINK you're short of breath (because you've convinced yourself you are) therefore it feels that way even though it isn't.

As I suggested earlier, if you really weren't getting the oxygen in - you'd have passed out ages ago.

[Suzzy]

Yeah thsats exactly it... the reason you yawn and try and get in a big breath but cant is actually because you already have too much oxygen in your system! Its weird how it works but the more you try and get air in, the worse you will feel... better to try breathing into a paper bag which will get some CO2 back into your body. :)

[surfacing]

Something that really helped me recently was this: I kept being told that I needed to breathe with my diaphragm and not my chest, so i would try to breathe with my diaphragm and it would just feel really tight and I would end up feeling like I wasn't getting enough air and gulping/yawning again.

Then i read something that didn't say to ONLY use your diaphragm, but to start the breath FROM your diaphragm, so you fill up the very bottom of your lungs before then letting the breath sort of roll up to your chest. For me I imagine it as a wave. Expand your stomach, slowly, then your chest - letting it just roll smoothly from your stomach up to your chest. You may feel that because you have taken in more air into the bottom of your lungs, with your stomach, when you get to your chest you don't have to take quite such a big chest-breath. When you breathe out again, push your stomach in first and then let your chest relax.

This made me feel like what I had been feeling wasn't crazy, and I felt that I was able to control my breath if I wanted to which helped with some of the anxiety. I found it on an iphone app I have, Pranayama universal breathing. I still get a tight sensation in my chest when I am really nervous and still find it hard to control it, but I definitely feel like I understand how to breathe a bit better.

A paper bag can be quite helpful, too!

[Suzzy]

YES! Thats exactly what ive experienced... everyone says 'breath from the diaphragm'! I do breath from the diaphragm but dont find it comfortable... my GP said my chest shouldnt move at all when i breathe, so i try so hard to focus on not moving my chest that it all ends up feeling really forced and unnatural. I think that thinking of it as a wave is a much better way to do it.... more 'free and relaxed'. Ive tried a paperbag a few ties but that doesnt always seem to help me muh - but thats probably just me! Going to try and 'think like a wave' more from now on! :) Thanks for the tip!

[heyikr1]

Suzy that makes a lot of sense. On time during one my er visists I was watching my vitals and evwrytime I hit 100% o2 saturation I would yawn.

[Suzzy]

Yeah that'll be why! It is weird but it does make sense really... the couple of times that ive been to A&E they've done my O2 levels and they've said 'wow, you've got really good O2 levels, you're on 100&' blah blah blah! But i didnt feel that way at all. And yet i could see the evidence on the screen!!! Ive heard the best thing to do is to literally stifle your yawn or at least yawn with your mouth closed and swallow it down. :-) Sounds silly but it does help.... also be aware of how much you sigh and consciously try not to! Apparently 7 extra sighs/yawns a day is enough to make you hyperventilate (even if you're not aware of it)!

[surfacing]

I found it really difficult to believe it when my counsellor said I was taking in TOO MUCH oxygen rather than too little. Looks like everyone else feels the same!

Now you've just made me yawn... lol

[Lacie]

I have a question... Do you feel like it is hard for you to get a full breath in when you yawn?? I have been struggling with this issue since I was pregnant with my daughter and I was sent to a cardiologist and they said nothing was wrong that it was just the baby taking up space, but seeing as how she is 2 years old and I am still having issues and not pregnant I am wondering what the issue is...

[PanicCured]

Buteyko, Buteyko, Buteyko> Please research this!

Breathing out too much CO2 from over breathing, hyperventilating or breathing through your mouth, can offset the O2/CO2 balance. Breathing too much alone can cause anxiety symptoms. Too much CO2 breathed out, Oxygen can't go to your organs and brain because it needs carbon dioxide to be released. carbon dioxide is not a waste but a very important nutrient. Research Buteyko breathing and the philosophy behind it and many of you will find the answer to this breathing problem.