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shortness of breath associated with yawning

hi all!
I have prob. of shortness of breath with yawinig.
It happend with me suddnely before 2 yrs. when I was moving inside my college campus , I fell SOB and immediately contacted Doctors, but they told no symptoms of asthema/else.
It is with me from 2 yrs. and cause is unknown.
It is with me only at SLEEPING TIMES! Whenever I want to sleep,
in day/neight I fell short of breath within 5 minutes and have to yawn then fell relax. Again the process continues ie. SOB and yawn and if I dont want to yawn then alternative is to try to take very deep breath . It sometimes work but I have to yawn several times utill I goes to deep sleep. Also I am suffering form Deviated nasal septum prob.(left side ) from 6 yrs , but uptill 4 yrs. I was not having breathing problem. Now I am in confusion that whether it is associated with nasal septum or with lung or with heart?? I did my cheakup with several specialist doctors in India doing PFT, ECG but all things are clear. In accordance with Doctors it is anxiety but truely I don't think it is. Sleeping in Midafternoon is really challening job for me! Please do help and also list me specialist doctors available in India if someone knows.
---waiting for answer
---Tnx
shruby

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Avatar universal
I am Also experiencing these same symptoms. In fact I'm trying to sleep now yet finding it impossible because of my shallow breathing. I do start to panic a little when I have to suddenly sit up to take a breath, but as far as I am aware I do not suffer from anxiety. This has been going on for a little over 2 weeks now and isn't showing any signs of going away. I am constantly yawning trying to catch my breath and i feel a massive sense of relief afterwards, but the shortness of breath comes back within 5 seconds. I am worried as I am on medication for epilepsy Witch may have some effect. All I know is this is driving me insane with my lack of sleep.
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Avatar universal
This problem is brought on by anxiety.  You may not be aware of anxiety, but this is a true classic sign.  That is why with all the testing you are having done, you are not finding anything wrong.  I am suffering from anxiety, and I am taking a very low dose med for it, but lately the med has stopped working, and my "breathing attacks" have started again. It was brought on from worrying about finances.  All I need to do is win lottery, and my problem will be gone...LOL :o)             I find myself struggling to take a deep breath, and yawning doesn't always work either....I hope everyone out there suffering from this, can learn to breath and relax...once we do, we can begin to breath normal again...
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Avatar universal
I just started suffering from this as well and my father told me he has had these symptoms for as long as he can remember.  I am a 30yo very healthy female who runs (when I'm not symptomatic) 18-24 miles a week.  I am extremely active.  My symptoms started in 2/2009.  I got a bunch of testing and came with a normal chest xray, blood work, pulmonary function testing, and echocardiogram.  My primary, who I had a great relationship, suggested anxiety and tried to give me a script for xanax.  I know it's not anxiety.  I work in the mental health field and I am fully aware of the symptoms of anxiety.  The SOB and yawning lasted for about 6-8 weeks.  I finally went to another Primary doctor and he suggested it was allergies or acid reflux.  He instructed me to take Protonix.  I did and the symptoms stopped days later.  

Unfortunately, the symptoms have now returned.  They started back 11/20/09, and the protonix did not help this time.  I went to a GI specialist and I am scheduled for an upper endoscopy for 1/14/2010.  I am feeling really desperate and I am sick of the doctors telling me it's anxiety simply because they don't know what's wrong with me.  It's really makes me feel alone because the people who can help have given up on me.  Thank god this doctor is looking further.  

Maybe the protonix will help for some of you- I hope.  
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Avatar universal
I have had SOB and the need to yawn to get a refreshing breath of air for the past 20 years.  Fortunately, the condition is only periodic.  However, when it arrives, I do suffer badly.  I can go a few years without any incurrence of SOB, and all of a sudden it starts happening again and generally lasts for several weeks and as long as a couple months.  Over the years, I have attributed 4 possible causes for my cases of SOB, as follows:  (1) over-eating over the course of days or weeks that causes my stomach to balloon and puts pressure on my diaphragm, a muscle between the stomach and chest.  The pressure makes the diaphragm less effective and inhibits breathing; (2) restricted breathing due to nasal congestion and swollen nasal passages, often related to the flare up of one or more of my allergies; (3) stress and anxiety that causes shallow more rapid breathing and less oxygen into my lungs; and (4) the smell of certain perfumes, colognes, cleaners and floral air fresheners that apparently which causes my nasal passages to swell -- I cannot tell if this is related to #2 allergies so I included it separately.

To focus on the first cause, my theory is that when I eat and drink more than my average consumption over an extended period of time, the expansion of the stomach walls pressures my diaphragm and results in my breathing more shallow from my chest rather than from my stomach/diaphragm.  When this occurs, I believe my body is signaling to me that I have reached a tipping point where any further weight gain would be increasingly detrimental to my health.  This tipping point can be measured by either percentage increase in weight or waist size as compared with one's most recent steady-state or normal weight or size.  Thus, it does not matter if the person with SOB is slim or heavy since the factor at work here is the percentage weight or waist line increase from steady-state during the expansion period.

Through conscious efforts, I can induce a desparately needed yawn, although sometimes not as soon as I would like.  I can shift my breathing from my chest to my stomach, but must be wearing loose pants or shorts.  I breathe out for as long as possible, and then take a slow, long breath in to the point that I hold my breath when my lungs are full, and then let the air out very slowly all the way so I am actually pushing the last bit of air through my nose/mouth to the point I momentarily stop breathing.  Then repeat this cycle while continually thinking or saying to yourself "I am safe.....I am warm."  To spur deeper breathing, I will do excercise such as running, crunches or sit-ups.  I use nasal spray to shrink swollen nasal membranes.  I start eating less fattening foods and less quantity.  I try to avoid perfumes and other fragrances that cause an impairment to my breathing.  Finally, it might be worth noting that my incurrences of SOB tend to happen in October, November and December, probably due to the presence of certain allergans in the air (e.g., mold spores).  However, I truly believe my cases have had one or more of the 4 causes.  I tend to know which are the suspects in a given SOB case of mine.  At the moment, I have been experiencing SOB for the past 4 weeks and believe it was triggered by recent weight gain over my prior norm as well as stress due to an extreme workload at the office.

Fish
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Avatar universal
hello, iam writing this ti every body that is suffering from this painfull experience, i know how hard it fell, it  only happens to me before sleep time and i fell that my head is heavier than a metal ball and keep yawining all night , i guess that is a cause of anxiety attack that you might not notice, because it started with me on the first day my university finals....its very weird
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Avatar universal
check for Pulmonary Hypertension....this can be looked at via heart echocardiography
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Avatar universal
check for chronic hyperventilation syndrome



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Avatar universal
Ok..I am 17 years old going on 18 in March. During my summer, I started having inhaling-yawning problems where when I feel the need to yawn, I can't. I, sometimes, start to panic and I guess I get axiety attacks. I try to yawn big but nothing hardly exhales  out. But my mom is booking me an appointment to figure what's going on with me! But could you help me figure what is happening before I go to the doctor?
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Avatar universal
Hi Shruby,
I have the same problem. I'm 30 years old and I'm constantly short of breath. I had a ECG, chest xrays, and a CT Scan.  All normal. Yet I'm always flighting for breath, day and night. Yawning sometimes helps, but only for a few minutes then I feel SOB again.

Are you still suffering from this?
Randy
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Avatar universal
hi hawa,
Tnx for advice
I will try for it

regards
shruby
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180749 tn?1443595232
The brain is in two halves and is starved of oxygen.You need to breathe from both nostrils. Even if one nostril is half blocked, you have to make it breathe for however long it can.Try the following breathing.Drink a glass of water before doing it.
- Deep Breath-in through left nostril keeping right nostril closed
then - Breath-out through right nostril keeping left nostril closed
then -Deep Breath-in through right nostril keeping left nostril closed
then - Breath-out through left nostril keeping right nostril closed
and repeat this cycle for upto 20  minutes twice a day(maximum 60 min/day).

You will notice improvement in days.
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Avatar universal
Shruby your welcome.
I have reread your posts a couple more times and suggest you perhaps consider the following then :-)
Do you suffer from panic or anxiety attacks? Shortness of breath is one of the symptoms, made worse when laying down.
Deep breathing is prescribed for anxiety....remember the saying, "take a few deep breaths."
I can't comment on why yawning works for you, except when you think about it there are two ways to yawn. One is taking a deep breath just before and as you yawn (which would explain it) and the other is just to do a mouth yawn without inhaling much air at all (which wouldn't explain it).
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Avatar universal
Thanks heartstart for quick reply.
I am not sufferer of panic attacks.
For last 7 months I was working on my job, and have'nt remembered any day my problem ( but still those days problem was with me). Means it is not related with anxiety. Even before 2 yrs when problem started, as I am very careless person about health, I totally ignored problem thinking that it is small issue and will get cured itself. But now thinking seriously about it.
And I yawn truely ie inhale and exhale completely for one cycle. As you stated I will do oximetry. In between I any one in your contact do have same problem, then pls let me know through this forum.

Thank you again

shruby
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Avatar universal
Thank u heartstart,
I will cheak my blood oxygen level with oximeter. But my problem is still unsolved. As I got Deviated nasal septum (DNS) on middle turbinate ( left side ) before 6 yrs. And afterwords uptill 4 yrs. ie. from yr.2000-2004, I have no problems of SOB while sleeping on either rt side or lt side. And more interstingly I do remember that I don't have any habit of yawning throught my life uptill yr.2004. I can say uptill 2004 I have yawned but very rarely.The breathing problem and associated yawning came instantly midafternoon one day of  nov.2004. That day suddenly I felt that I was unable to breath and tried hard to breath. Thus from that neight my problem of SOB continued and still I am facing the same problem. If I do have prob. of SOB b'cas of DNS then why it was not with me uptill 4 yrs. before?? Now condition is that I am really confused what to do next. I dont think my problem is b'cas of DNS, otherwise it could be with me from 6 yrs. So doing nose surgery will not be helpful to me ( I think so ). Also I dont have any problem while running or exercising or talking with friends and have no allergies of dust too. I am really very healthy in all respect. But what is my prob. is at SLEEPING TIMES in day/neight I have to yawn contineously still I fell very sleepy otherwise If I dont yawn then it fells like I am not getting ANY AIR inside. Please do advice if you can.
I am really scared by this situation.
I am very thankful to you  for such immediate reply.
Tnx  
Shruby
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Avatar universal
Maybe you are shallow breathing because you have found that taking a few deep breaths helps the problem.(Yawning also increases oxygen to brain). A pulse oximeter that reads saturated oxygen in the blood will confirm your oxygen level and if you do shallow breathe then your oxygen level will drop below normal.(You can watch the level rise as you take deep breaths). It is a long shot, but having your septum straightened 'may' help, as you won't be labouring for air as much and your breathing will be more normal.
Hope you can find good doctor to sort it out for you.
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