Can Phobias Make You Get Out of Breath Easier When Exercising?

[JamesAA]

Sometimes when I play tennis or basketball I seem to get out of breath much quicker/easier than I should be getting.  I am a phobic person and a lot of times I worry about over exerting causing a heart attack (and I have no history of heart problems..it's just a phobia).  

But can being nervous cause me to feel out of breath easier?  I sort of think there's a connection, but I'm not sure and I'm not sure why that would even be.

[JamesAA]

Mammo, it's like you know me too well.  That is exactly spot on.  When I get short of breath (from normal heavy exercising) I get nervous like I'm going to have a cardiac arrest.  

Thank you for your reply.  It was very helpful!!!

[mammo]

Since you know you are healthy I would say "yes" there is a connection.  When we're anxious we tend to breathe more shallow anyway, and without realizing it you may be holding back while exercising and trying to not let your body do what is needed during exercise.  Our heart beats faster, and we breathe heavier which allows us to do what we're doing at the time.  If you're worried about your heart you may be trying not to do these things and it makes you short of breath.  I'm assuming that these are activities that you've always done, otherwise you want to start out slowly and build up your endurance.  It's great that you are so active, it's very good for anxiety!  I hope this helps!