Breathing difficulties can be caused by many factors, including strenuous exercise, high altitude and obesity. But it’s important to know that breathing difficulties can also be a symptom of a serious illness.
If you are experiencing breathlessness for a long period of time, see your doctor right away. Breathlessness could be a sign of a chronic disease such as asthma, emphysema or COPD.
1. Rapid breathing
Rapid breathing, also called tachypnea, is the most common sign of breathing difficulties. It’s often caused by a temporary condition, such as a cold or exercising too hard Simple Breathing Exercises. It can also be a side effect of some medications, such as asthma inhalers or steroids. In some cases, rapid breaths may be a sign of an infection or injury to the lungs.
Some signs of severe shortness of breath include a bluish color around the mouth, lips or fingernails (cyanosis), rapid heartbeat (heart palpitations), and grunting sound with each breath. Other signs that a person is struggling to breathe include a retraction of the chest wall, which happens when the muscles that support the lung expand and contract.
Breathing difficulties can be a sign of some serious health problems, including sepsis and diabetes. When people are experiencing frequent episodes of extreme shortness of breath, or breathing difficulty even when they are resting, it’s important to see a doctor immediately. The doctor will evaluate the underlying cause and determine whether or not the symptoms are urgent. If they are, the patient will need to go to the emergency room. However, most of the time, these signs can be treated at home if the underlying cause is addressed quickly enough.
2. Increased heart rate
Breathing difficulty often stems from either a problem with the lungs or heart. Symptoms of shortness of breath can range from mild to severe and can affect your quality of life. Generally, you can treat breathing difficulties with medication and other home remedies, but severe or persistent symptoms may require treatment at a hospital.
You may notice that your heart rate increases with difficulty breathing, especially if it is due to an underlying condition like asthma, COPD or emphysema. You can also experience a fast heart rate with anxiety or panic attacks, but this will usually settle down when you relax. Concentrating on slow, deep breathing or breathing through a paper bag can help you calm down.
If you have a condition that causes temporary breathing problems, your symptoms should resolve when the cold or chest infection clears up, you stop exercising or returning to lower altitudes. You can prevent long-term breathing issues by avoiding exposure to allergens, quitting smoking and reducing stress levels.
If your breathing difficulty is accompanied by chest pain or pressure, fainting, nausea or blue skin, lips or nails, seek immediate medical attention. This could be a sign of a serious medical emergency, such as a heart attack or lung problem related to cancer, blood clots or pneumonia.
3. Gasping for breath
If a person is gasping for breath, it’s important to seek emergency care. It could be a sign of a heart attack, lung condition or other medical emergency.
Breathing difficulty may also be accompanied by a bluish color around the lips, mouth or fingernails. It could be a sign of an obstructed airway, pneumonia or pulmonary embolism — a blood clot in the lungs. Other signs include a grunting sound when breathing or the nose opening and closing while breathing, which indicates that the body is working harder to breathe.
Feeling short of breath is known by healthcare providers as dyspnea. It can be caused by a number of conditions, including acid reflux (when the sphincter muscle at the lower end of the esophagus relaxes at the wrong time, causing stomach acid to back up into the throat), hypnic jerks (sudden involuntary muscle contractions that occur as people are falling asleep) and sighing dyspnea (when you involuntarily sigh to relieve the feeling of not getting enough oxygen). Breathing difficulty also can be triggered by intense exercise or a cold.