blocked nose and bloated feeling

[vonnhelsing]

Does anyone else get a blocked or stuffy nose with anxiety?
Its a nuisance because ive been breathing through my nose for 6 years and whenever this happens it becomes so difficult to breathe cause I have to keep reminding myself to breathe through my mouth..
And its almost always combined with a very bloated stomach feeling and chest tightness. Horrid combination.

[raggamuffin]

How often does it happen? Quit common for people to get sinus issues around winter anyway. When you have anxiety as well then it can make each and every symptom seem ten times worse and then you might add more and more worries until you just feel utterly overwhelmed.

Stomach and chest issues are very common with anxiety. If it's trapped wind related have a hot bath it can help, another way I find invaluable is to get on your hands and knees, extend your arms forwards and practice breathing calmly with ytour stomach expanding and contracting with each breath. In this position, with your bum up in the air it helps your fart. Sounds silly or gross I know, but if the bloating is causing pain and it's trapped wind related what's needed is to get rid of the trapped gases. When i first read about this online I thought it was ridiculous but then tried it and it helped with stomach discomfort caused by such bloating.

People often think bloating or gas can be embaressing but in reality it can be very painful. Peppermint or chamomile tea is good for settling the stomach too. As for chest tightness, it's all about keeping busy and keeping your mind off the sytmptoms. it can be tricky to do and master but given practice you can get so involved in tasks that the symptoms and more importantly; the worrying about symptoms will be put back in terms of priorities.

I myself find drawing, video games or photography really engage my mind and keep any worries about symptoms at bay. Also keep reminding yoruself that as uncomfortable as symptoms can be they're not going to harm you anymore than they can make your ache or hurt. They come about due to excess fear and worry, so adding more worry onto things caused by worry will only make it last longer.

Hope you feel better soon.

Ed

[AliasEQ]

Does anyone else get a blocked or stuffy nose with anxiety?
Its a nuisance because ive been breathing through my nose for 6 years and whenever this happens it becomes so difficult to breathe cause I have to keep reminding myself to breathe through my mouth..
And its almost always combined with a very bloated stomach feeling and chest tightness. Horrid combination.

I had this + a pulled back muscle. Now that's a horrible combination, I could barely breathe. However, I get this "blocked nose" feeling at least 3 times a day. I don't know if it's the anxiety or if it's because it's winter.

[vonnhelsing]

It does go away with distraction.
I think it happens to me when im really tired. I yawn a lot when it comes and today I was running around at work for literally 8 hours straight without a single break nor did I eat any food and had only a few sips of water.
At home now had lots of water and lots of food. Am lying down relaxing and its gone away.
Anxiety gets worse with exhaustion..

[Gar]

Have you tried using a neti pot? I just started having sinus problems and was recommended to use a neti pot to clean out my sinuses. They are pretty cheep and you can find them at walgreens or CVS. It wasn't my favorite thing to do but it worked wonders for me. If you try it make sure you use distilled water and only use 1/2 the recommended rinse solution until you get use to it. I guess it makes sense because our nasal cavity is a filter and it has to be cleaned once in a wile:). I hope this helps and if you try it let me know how it goes..