• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Discomfort with taking deep breaths?

Messages
92
Hi, everyone,

A symptom I have intermittently--maybe linked to crashes, although I'm not sure--is what I call "chest strain." I don't have difficulty with normal breathing, but my lungs are resistant to taking a deep breath (like I would for a doctor or when singing a long phrase.) I can do it, and there's no pain, but just a resistance that normally isn't there.

I don't have any allergy-symptoms when this is occurring, except my chronic congestion.

Does anyone know what might be causing this?

Thanks!
 

halcyon

Senior Member
Messages
2,482
I have this too. I believe it is a sign of bronchoconstriction but I don't know why it happens.
 

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
I have that and it's one of my more annoying symptoms. I feel like I'm only using the top 1" of my lungs. Also at times I feel like someone took a vacuum and sucked the air out of my lungs. I can't figure it out but it seems better when my viruses are under control and when I've slept better.
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
air hunger is an effect of candida overgrowth.
It was for me pre-CFS. Also now... sort of... usually. :)

As of today I go 100% no sugar.

But something new this past 1-2 years: I cannot take a very hard fast breath without coughing - usually, but it's okay today (maybe from plant anti-inflammatories). I have also had cold-induced asthma once - which might have killed me, literally.

The nightmare with lungs would be remodeling - which maybe takes years.
 
Messages
92
Thanks, everyone!

@Sherlock @GracieJ : interesting, my naturopath has got me on a no-candida diet. Every day, I want to go no sugar (Good for you, Sherlock!) It's hard, but maybe today will be the day, with you to inspire me.

@Gondwanaland : How do you know when your urine is acidic?

@minkeygirl : I don't think I have viruses right now, but it's hard to tell--I think either the illness or my supplements repress normal viral symptoms. Love your narcissism tag!
 

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
@Singout I'm not completely convinced it's viral but they seem to help. I had huge relief when I started acyclovir even though I wasn't feeling 'virally'. Who knows. Thanks re: my tag
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
@Sherlock @GracieJ : interesting, my naturopath has got me on a no-candida diet. Every day, I want to go no sugar (Good for you, Sherlock!) It's hard, but maybe today will be the day, with you to inspire me.
Antimicrobials usually help to keep a sugar-caused candida flareup to be lessened: clove powder and iodine tablets especially. Good luck :)
 

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
I just read that beta blockers can cause bronchospasms. I take 30 mgs pm.

I don't know how long it takes to get out of the body or if it would cause spasms throughout the day. Half life is about 5 hours.

So something to look into for sure.
 

sillysocks84

Senior Member
Messages
445
Hi, I'm new to this. I have had breathing issues since last thanksgiving. Feels like I can either breathe with my stomach OR just the top part of my chest. Is that what everyone else experiences? Also sometimes my throat feels small. It is pretty constant. It just varies from there but tolerable to real bad. I'm glad to be a part of your community, thank you!
 

oceiv

Senior Member
Messages
259
I have this symptom. For me, what causes it is misalignment of the spine, neck and head. The head gets locked into a forward position. The spine (mostly in the neck) would would be misaligned. There is a cascade effect downwards and all the way to the ribcage. The ribcage gets "locked" in a position, which makes it very hard to breathe deeply.

The reason I found out what was causing it was that I would notice that in PT sessions, at a certain point, I would always take a deep breath. From that point on in the appointment, deep-breathing would be easy. The locked pattern would recur at home. Then at the next appointment, once unlocked and aligned, a deep breath would naturally occur and then again, deep-breathing would be easy.

This treatment was the only treatment to dramatically help my ME/CFS symptoms, overall. But a congressional bill passed and made it impossible to get continued treatment, even out-of-pocket. :( After I had to stop treatment, I crashed hard, my illness became severe and I haven't recovered. But I would recommend PT/gentle adjustments/gentle myofascial massage to other patients with this breathing problem. The treatment needs to be gentle, otherwise the body resists and then "boomerangs" back into the locked position.

Edit: The forward/locked position I'm describing is described well in this article by Peter Rowe.

@sillysocks84 Yes, what you describe is how I experience this symptom too.

@Singout Just realized that this thread is from January.
 
Last edited:

Rand56

Senior Member
Messages
675
Location
Myrtle Beach, SC
Hi, everyone,

A symptom I have intermittently--maybe linked to crashes, although I'm not sure--is what I call "chest strain." I don't have difficulty with normal breathing, but my lungs are resistant to taking a deep breath (like I would for a doctor or when singing a long phrase.) I can do it, and there's no pain, but just a resistance that normally isn't there.

I don't have any allergy-symptoms when this is occurring, except my chronic congestion.

Does anyone know what might be causing this?

Thanks!

Do you have depression? One of my physical manifestations of depression is that I feel like I don't have enough air in my balloon so to speak. If you haven't done it, bag breathing can help to bring some relief, albeit just short temporary relief.
 
Messages
15,786
Do you have depression? One of my physical manifestations of depression is that I feel like I don't have enough air in my balloon so to speak.
Are you sure it's a symptom of depression? I can't say I've ever heard of trouble taking deep breaths indicating a mood disorder. Seems rather unlikely, really.
 

Rand56

Senior Member
Messages
675
Location
Myrtle Beach, SC
Are you sure it's a symptom of depression? I can't say I've ever heard of trouble taking deep breaths indicating a mood disorder. Seems rather unlikely, really.

It's a symptom of my depression. I'm not making a blanket statement that everyone who has depression will have this symptom.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
In my case it was either too much or too little serotonin. It is a metabolic roadblock (high ammonia?) which caused me depression. It was not a symprom from depression.
 

Rand56

Senior Member
Messages
675
Location
Myrtle Beach, SC
@Valentijn with all due respect, how can you really say it seems rather unlikely? How bout you transforming yourself into my body to find out..haha. I've dealt with chronic depression for years so I feel I know my symptoms rather well, much better than you for sure. One time when I was totally depression free, all my air was back in my balloon. Sorry if you cannot accept or understand this.