Shortness of breath, sudden lack of air, and a sudden feeling of suffocation, followed by a need for air to compensate, are common symptoms of anxiety, including anxiety symptoms and panic attacks.
Many anxious and overstimulated people experience shortness of breath as a symptom.
This article explains the connection between gaseping for air and anxiety.
Shortness of Breath: Description of Common Anxiety Symptoms
- You need to catch your breath quickly because you feel suddenly short of breath.
- You feel short of breath suddenly, forcing you to catch your breath quickly.
- You may also feel like you have to take a deep breath for fear of suffocating.
- You may feel short of breath and need to catch your breath to compensate.
- You feel like you are lacking oxygen and need to catch your breath to avoid suffocating or fainting.
Shortness of breath may:
- Occur occasionally, frequently, or persistently;
- Precede, accompany, or follow an intensification of other anxiety symptoms, or occur alone;
- Precede, accompany, or follow a period of nervousness, anxiety, fear, or stress, or occur for no reason;
- The intensity ranges from mild to moderate or severe.
- It appears in waves, intense one moment and easing the next.
- It may occur temporarily, lessen, and then return for no reason.
- They can change from day to day, from moment to moment, or remain a constant throb while you struggle with your anxiety disorder.
This symptom may be most noticeable when you’re not distracted, resting, trying to sleep, or upon waking.
All of the combinations and variations mentioned above are common.
To determine if anxiety could be influencing your symptoms, assess your anxiety level with our free, instant 1-minute anxiety test, our anxiety disorder test, or our hyperarousal test.
The higher the score, the greater the likelihood that anxiety is contributing to or causing your anxiety symptoms, including feelings of impending doom
Causes
Medical Advice
Consult your doctor about any new, progressive, persistent, or recurring symptoms, as certain conditions and medications can cause anxiety symptoms.
Additional Medical Information
Anxiety can cause breathing difficulties in several ways. Here are some of the most common:
1.The Stress Response
Anxious behaviors, such as worry, activate the stress response, which releases stress hormones into the blood. These hormones travel to specific areas to immediately prepare the body for an emergency response: fight or flight. This instinctive survival response is often referred to as the “fight or flight response” [1][2].
See the article “Stress Response” to learn about its many effects on the body.
Changes related to the stress response include:
- Rapid conversion of the body’s energy stores into “fuel” (blood sugar) for an instant energy boost.
- Increased heart rate, respiration, and metabolism.
- Stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, which increases its activity for heightened sensitivity and response to danger.
Activation of most of the senses for heightened perception of danger. - It directs blood to parts of the body essential for survival, such as the brain, arms, legs, muscles, and vital organs, and away from less essential parts, such as the stomach, digestive system, and skin. This is achieved by constricting blood vessels in some parts of the body and dilating them in others.
- It contracts the muscles, especially the pectoral muscles, to increase the body’s resistance to injury.
- It uses the body’s energy and nutritional resources more intensively and rapidly than usual.
- It directs blood to parts of the body essential for survival, such as the brain, arms, legs, muscles, and vital organs, and away from less essential parts, such as the stomach, digestive system, and skin. This is achieved by constricting blood vessels in some parts of the body and dilating them in others.
- It inhibits digestion so that more of the body’s resources are available for emergency response.
To name just a few.
Many of these changes can affect breathing, causing shortness of breath and a feeling of breathlessness. For example, the stress response can cause:
- A sudden increase in heart rate causes a sudden increase in breathing, leading to a feeling of dyspnea and shortness of breath.
- An increase in metabolism, which requires more oxygen, causing sudden shortness of breath and shortness of breath.
- Constriction of the chest muscles, which restricts breathing and causes shortness of breath and shortness of breath. For example, many people report feeling a tightness in their chest when they are anxious or stressed. The contraction of the chest and rib cage muscles causes a feeling of breathlessness.
- A sudden increase in energy, which increases metabolism, heart rate, and breathing, causing shortness of breath and shortness of breath to compensate.
- Sudden digestive disorders affect breathing, causing shortness of breath and shortness of breath.
The more severe the stress response, the more pronounced the stress-related changes and symptoms, including shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
An overactive stress response is a common cause of acute shortness of breath
2.Hyperventilation and Hypoventilation
Some people breathe too much (hyperventilate) when they are anxious. This hyperventilation can cause a feeling of shortness of breath, resulting in dyspnea.
Some people hold or “calm” their breathing (hypoventilation) when they are anxious. Hypoventilation can cause dyspnea, which also leads to shortness of breath.
Many anxious people are unaware of their coping style. As a result, they don’t recognize when they are holding their breath, as it feels “normal.” Only when they breathe do they realize their “breathing problem.”
Furthermore, some anxious people haven’t made the connection between not breathing enough and holding their breath. When they notice they are breathing regularly, they may become alarmed and assume something more serious could be causing their dyspnea. This worry generates anxiety, which triggers further stress responses, thus worsening the dyspnea.
3.Overstimulation
When stress responses are infrequent, the body recovers relatively quickly from changes. However, frequently triggered stress responses, such as excessive anxious behavior, can prevent the body from fully recovering. Incomplete recovery can leave the body in a state of semi-preparation for stress, referred to as “stress response overstimulation,” as stress hormones are potent stimulants.
Overstimulation is also known as “hyperarousal,” “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction,” or “nervous system dysregulation” [3][4][5][6].
Read our article “Hyperstimulation” to learn more about the many effects of hyperstimulation on the body and our emotions.
Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing are common symptoms of hyperstimulation, especially in cases of:
- Nervous system arousal and dysregulation: A chronically stimulated nervous system can react erratically and cause various nervous, somatic, skeletal, muscular, and respiratory disorders, such as shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
- Homeostatic dysfunction: Homeostasis is the body’s ability to automatically maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in the external environment. Hyperstimulation can cause homeostatic dysfunction, leading to disturbances in internal regulation that can affect the nervous, circulatory, skeletal, muscular, somatic, and respiratory systems, resulting in shortness of breath disorders.
- Hormonal changes: Hormones play a crucial role in homeostasis and many bodily functions, which can affect the nervous, sensory, and vestibular systems. Because stress hormones affect other hormones, overstimulation can cause nervous, circulatory, skeletal, muscular, somatic, and respiratory disorders, such as difficulty breathing. Sleep disorders and fatigue: Overstimulation can disrupt sleep and demand the body’s energy resources more intensely and rapidly than usual.
- Sleep disorders and fatigue can affect the nervous, circulatory, skeletal, muscular, somatic, and respiratory systems, causing difficulty breathing
Additionally, overstimulation (chronic stress) can create an interesting paradox. The body can become fatigued due to chronic stress, while high levels of stress hormones can simultaneously overstimulate it. The result is a “tired but overstimulated” body.
Feeling tired and overstimulated can leave you tired, exhausted, and depleted, making it difficult to rest. A tired body yearns to rest, but when you try to rest, overstimulation accelerates breathing, making it feel forced, labored, and unusually difficult, resulting in gasping to compensate for the lack of air.
Jim Folk often experienced shortness of breath and difficulty breathing when he suffered from anxiety disorders. I remember being exhausted and overstimulated, which made me feel as if I had to manually force myself to breathe because otherwise, I thought it would stop.
Luckily, there is no such thing as shortness of breath. Shortness of breath caused by anxiety and stress does not cause respiratory arrest. Breathing only stops if you deliberately hold your breath.
However, even if you hold your breath, your body will automatically shut down to regulate your breathing while you’re unconscious. Fainting is the body’s way of controlling its poor breathing habits.
If the body believes its breathing is interrupted, it will automatically take over. Therefore, there’s no reason to fear respiratory arrest or death from anxiety or stress.
In elementary school, one of our easy pleasures was holding our breath while a friend held us until we lost consciousness. The body then took control of our breathing, and we only remained unconscious for a few moments. We thought it was fun.
Although the feeling of shortness of breath and can be disconcerting, it’s not dangerous. Breathing is an automatic bodily function that you don’t have to worry about.
Although you may sometimes find it difficult to breathe due to anxiety and stress, you will always receive enough oxygen to breathe.
Overstimulation is a common cause of gaseping
4.Other factors
Other factors can cause stress and trigger anxiety symptoms, or even worsen existing anxiety symptoms, including:
- Medications
- Recreational drugs
- Stimulants
- Hypoglycemia
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Dehydration
- Hormonal changes
- Pain
When other factors cause or worsen this anxiety symptom, addressing the specific cause can reduce and eliminate shortness of breath.
Treatment
When an active stress response causes shortness of breath, stopping it will relieve this acute anxiety symptom.
Keep in mind that it can take up to 20 minutes or more for the body to recover from a severe stress response. However, this is normal and should not be a cause for concern.
When overstimulation (chronic stress) causes shortness of breath, eliminating it will eliminate this anxiety symptom.
You can eliminate overstimulation by:
- Reducing stress;
- Continuing to engage in anxious behaviors (since anxiety is a source of stress);
- Practicing deep relaxation regularly;
- Avoiding stimulants;
- Engaging in regular, light to moderate physical activity;
- Eating a healthy diet based on whole, natural foods;
- Passively accepting the symptoms until they subside;
- Be patient while your body recovers.
See our article “60 Natural Ways to Reduce Stress” for additional solutions.
Recovery Support Program members can refer to chapters 5, 6, 7, 14, and beyond for more detailed information on recovery from overarousal and anxiety disorders.
When the body recovers from overarousal, it stops experiencing symptoms, including this one.
Symptoms of chronic stress improve as the body returns to normal health, free from overarousal.
However, eliminating overarousal can take much longer than expected, which can cause symptoms to persist longer than expected.
Whenever the body is even slightly overstimulated, it can experience symptoms of any type, number, intensity, duration, frequency, and at any time, including this one.
However, since shortness of breath is a common symptom of stress, including that caused by anxiety, it is harmless and should not be a cause for concern. It will disappear once the harmful stress is removed and the body has had time to recover. Therefore, there is no cause for concern.
Anxiety symptoms often persist because:
- The body is still stressed (from stressful circumstances or anxious behavior).
- The stress has not subsided sufficiently or has not lasted long enough.
- The body has not completed its recovery process
Treating the cause of persistent symptoms will allow the body to recover.
Often, persistent anxiety symptoms persist only for the reasons mentioned above. They are NOT a sign of a medical problem. This is especially true if your doctor has evaluated your symptoms and attributed them solely to anxiety or stress.
Chronic anxiety symptoms, such as shortness of breath, improve when overstimulation is eliminated. As the body heals and stabilizes, all chronic anxiety symptoms gradually improve and eventually disappear.
Worry and frustration related to anxiety symptoms stress the body and can hinder recovery.
Passively accepting your symptoms (allowing them to persist without reacting, resisting, worrying, or fighting them) while you continue your recovery process will eventually lead to their disappearance.
Acceptance, practice, and patience are essential for recovery.
Remember that recovery from overstimulation can take a long time. It’s best to work persistently on your recovery despite the lack of apparent progress.
However, if you persevere in your recovery process, you will succeed.
You must also begin your recovery before your body can recover. The cumulative effects of your recovery will bear fruit in the long run. And the stimulation to your body must decrease before your symptoms disappear.
- Reduce stress.
- Increase rest.
- Practice your recovery strategies.
- Passively accept your symptoms.
- Curb anxious behaviors.
- Be patient.
These strategies will bear fruit over time.
If you’re doing the right thing, your body should recover
Short-Term Strategies
While eliminating overstimulation can eliminate symptoms of chronic anxiety, such as shortness of breath, some people have found the following strategies helpful.
However, keep in mind that each person may experience unique symptoms, as each person is unique physically, chemically, psychologically, and emotionally. What works for one person may not work for another.
- Improve Your Rest and Sleep: Rest and sleep can speed the healing process. They can also eliminate symptoms of fatigue and anxiety. Regularly practicing a deep relaxation technique can be especially helpful for anxiety-related breathing symptoms.
- Deep, relaxed breathing, as well as slow, deep breaths, can minimize the negative effects of this symptom. However, this generally does not produce lasting results if the body is overstimulated. For lasting relief, it is necessary to reduce the level of stimulation before returning to normal breathing.
- Avoid Stimulants: Consuming stimulants can worsen this symptom when the body is already
- overstimulated. Regular, light to moderate exercise: Staying fit can minimize respiratory symptoms
Therapy
Unidentified and untreated underlying factors are the root of anxiety problems. Therefore, they are the main reason anxiety symptoms persist.
Address your underlying factors (Level 2 Recovery) for lasting success.
Level 2 Recovery can help you:
- Contain anxious behaviors.
- Stop fearing anxiety symptoms and intense feelings of anxiety.
- Put an end to anxiety symptoms.
- Effectively address the underlying factors that so often cause anxiety problems.
- Put an end to what can feel like uncontrollable worry.
All of the anxiety therapists we recommend have suffered from and overcome anxiety disorders. Their personal experience with anxiety disorders and their mastery (and advanced professional training) give them an understanding that other therapists lack.
If you want lasting success with your anxiety disorder, any of our recommended therapists is a good choice.
Working with a therapist experienced in anxiety disorders is the most effective way to treat this disorder, especially if you have persistent symptoms and difficulty controlling anxious behaviors, such as worry.[7][8][9]
In many cases, working with an experienced therapist is the only way to overcome persistent anxiety.
Research has shown that therapy is the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders, and that distance therapy (via telephone or online) is just as effective, or even more so, than in-person therapy.[10][11][12]
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anxiety cause shortness of breath due to a sudden feeling of shortness of breath?
Yes, anxiety can cause sudden shortness of breath. There are many reasons, as explained above. However, shortness of breath is a very common symptom of anxiety.
Can shortness of breath and difficulty breathing cause anxiety?
Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing can cause anxiety, both due to the anxiety associated with shortness of breath and the body’s automatic fear response to a lack of oxygen. Controlling anxiety and deliberately slowing down your breathing can stop the anxiety and the feeling of shortness of breath.
Is shortness of breath caused by anxiety dangerous?
No, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing caused by anxiety are not dangerous. They are common symptoms of an active stress response and overstimulation. Stopping the active stress response and eliminating overstimulation will help reduce shortness of breath.