Stress leads to anxiety and did you know that chronic anxiety is not only dangerous to your health, but also to your mental and emotional wellness? Breathing is also an area that is usually not discussed in regard to anxiety. It has been found that anxiety breathing symptoms or abnormalities make panic and distress worse to form the cycle.
The ADAA reports that anxiety disorders impact over 40 million Americans annually, making it the most frequent mental health problem.
Breaking this loop requires recognizing anxiety-related breathing difficulties early. Anxiety breathing symptoms can drop 30% with targeted breathing exercises, indicating the need for early diagnosis.
Understanding these sensations and managing them can help you restore control and avoid anxiety from rising. This blog will discuss anxiety breathing symptoms and offer ways to manage and avoid them. Let’s Jump in!
What Are Anxiety Breathing Symptoms?
Anxiety breathing symptoms refer to changes in breathing patterns caused by anxiety, including rapid, shallow breaths, shortness of breath, or feeling like you can’t get enough air. These symptoms are often linked to the body’s “fight or flight” response, triggering an increase in heart rate and a sense of panic.
In some cases, anxiety breathing symptoms lead to hyperventilation, dizziness, or a feeling of tightness in the chest. Managing anxiety through relaxation techniques can help regulate breathing and reduce these symptoms.
Common anxiety breathing symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath or high rate of breathing more than 20 breaths per minute in children and 14 breaths per minute in adults.
- Shortness of breathing or a feeling of tightness in the chest.
- Dizziness or lightheadedness due to low levels of carbon dioxide.
- Suffocation or breathing difficulties that one feels like they can hardly breathe.
Physical Signs of Breath-Holding Anxiety
- Tightness in the chest
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Fatigue or tension headaches
- Heightened sense of panic.
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sense of unease or impending doom
7 Anxiety Breathing Symptoms and Treatments
1. Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath often feels like an inability to take a full breath or a tightness in the chest. This symptom is common during anxiety attacks and can be alarming. To avoid this, focus on diaphragmatic breathing by placing a hand on your stomach and ensuring it rises with each breath. Reducing caffeine intake and practicing relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation can also help prevent this symptom from escalating.
2. Hyperventilation
When you breathe too quickly or shallowly, you experience hyperventilation. This can make you feel dizzy, tingly, or lightheaded. One way to deal with this is to slow down your breathing. To do this, just breathe in fully through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, and slowly breathe out for six seconds. When things go wrong, breathing into a paper bag can help get your blood carbon dioxide levels back to normal.
3. Chest Tightness
In anxiety attacks, breathing becomes difficult because the chest feels constricted as if weighted down or squeezed. To correct this sit up with your arms out to the side and take a few slow breaths in and out. Self-management also involves the use of meditation and other mindfulness techniques that can also alleviate the sort of anxiety that otherwise cause this feeling.
4. Difficulty Swallowing
Anxiety can create a lump-in-the-throat sensation, making it feel difficult to swallow. This symptom, while harmless, can be distressing. To ease it, focus on relaxing the throat and taking small sips of water. Deep breathing exercises can also help calm the muscles in your throat and reduce the sensation over time.
5. Rapid Breathing
When you’re anxious, you breathe quickly or feel like you’re gasping for air. To deal with this, try consciously slowing down your breathing. Take a big breath in through your nose and let your stomach expand. Then, slowly let out your breath through pursed lips. Regularly learning slow breathing can help you avoid breathing quickly when you’re under a lot of stress.
6. Yawning or Sighing Frequently
When you’re anxious, your body may sigh or yawn a lot as it tries to balance the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Most of the time, this isn’t dangerous, but it can be annoying. Focus on steady, regular breathing rhythms and make sure you take deep breaths throughout the day, especially when you’re feeling stressed.
7. Feeling Suffocated
A sensation of suffocation, where you feel like there’s not enough air, is a distressing anxiety symptom. To prevent this, practice grounding techniques such as focusing on an object in the room or counting backward slowly. Combining this with deep, measured breathing can help reassure your mind and body that you are safe and in control.
Closing Thoughts!
Breath holding, short breaths, and breathing awareness are common forms of anxiety-related breathing. Anxiety breathing symptoms, such as these, often occur when you’re anxious and your breathing becomes constricted. You can break this cycle by practicing diaphragmatic breathing, being mindful, and doing things that help you ground yourself.
These issues must be solved intentionally if one aims to maintain optimum health in the long-run. You might be able to breathe again and decrease stress, as well as get help.
If the reader or any of his / her family members experience breathing troubles due to anxiety, seek help. BrightPoint extends peculiar support. Start living calmer and more balanced today!
