Shortness of breath can be a consequence of multiple causes. Sometimes it can appear after physical exertion, being exposed to external agents such as cigarette smoke or dealing with extreme temperatures. However, in others, it can be an alarm sign as it is a symptom of a disease of greater severity, the most frequent being those affecting the lungs or heart and disorders of anxiety. In Psychology-Online, we are going to answer the question of I'm short of breath, what can it be? in order to identify all the possible causes and thus know when it is necessary to put ourselves in the hands of a medical specialist to help us start the best treatment in each case.
Index
- Feeling short of breath or dyspnea
- Shortness of breath from anxiety
- Feeling short of breath when sleeping
- Lung diseases that cause shortness of breath
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Infectious diseases
Feeling of shortness of breath or dyspnea.
The difficulty breathing manifesting as a feeling of shortness of breath in the lungs is medically referred to as
Dyspnea can occur both in a resting situation and when performing any activity, however, factors such as exercise Severe temperatures, extreme temperatures or high elevations can cause momentary shortness of breath which is not, in this case, a problem with Health. Now, if dyspnea occurs at unexpected times and occurs repeatedly, it can be a pathological symptom and appear as a consequence of some type of condition or disease. Next, we will explain in detail what are the possible causes of dyspnea.
Shortness of breath from anxiety.
Both the shortness of breath as the feeling of suffocation or suffocation are among the symptoms of anxiety. A person with anxiety may feel as if their chest will not open enough to hold all the air, which you have lost control of your breathing or your nose is blocked and therefore you cannot breathe normally. Although this can be experienced in specific moments of greater tension, when anxiety leads to a chronic disorder, these sensations can be experienced even during the entire day.
The hyperventilation (rapid or deep breathing) that occurs as a result of shortness of breath or shortness of breath causes a reduction of carbon dioxide and calcium in the blood, which leads to the blood vessels in the brain becoming constricted, leading to symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, fainting, numbness, rapid heartbeat, pain in the chest, etc.
Feeling of shortness of breath when sleeping.
Many people report feeling short of breath while lying down and, in this case, respiratory distress is called paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. When it is suffered, the affected person sees his sleep interrupted due to sudden nocturnal episodes of shortness of breath.
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea is a frequent condition in patients with lung or heart problems. Your treatment must be focused on addressing the cause that originates it, so it is very important to put yourself in the hands of a specialist. Some people find that they suffer from this type of respiratory distress when they have to sleep with their head elevated high by cushions or even in a semi-sitting position.
Lung diseases that cause shortness of breath.
Shortness of breath and shortness of breath are one of the main symptoms of many lung diseases. Next, we list the most frequent:
- Asthma: Chronic inflammatory disease that causes the airways to become inflamed and narrow. It leads to shortness of breath, a feeling of shortness of breath especially in the morning, at night and after exertion, constant coughing, pressure in the chest and wheezing.
- Bronchitis: inflammation of the bronchial tubes, which causes coughing up mucus, difficult breathing, wheezing, and pressure in the chest. It can be acute if it disappears in 2 or 3 weeks or chronic if it is suffered permanently. The latter is usually caused by smoking.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): lung condition that causes respiratory distress and is mainly caused by smoking. Its two main forms are chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema, which cause significant long-term damage to the lungs.
- Pneumonia: inflammation of the lung tissue occurs due to an infectious agent. The alveoli fill with fluid and pus, causing difficult breathing and limited oxygen absorption.
- Pulmonary fibrosis: lung tissue heals, becoming hard and thick. This leads to shortness of breath, a hacking and dry cough, fatigue, weight loss, and muscle and / or joint pain.
- Pulmonary edema: refers to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, which causes difficulties in breathing normally because the normal movement of oxygen is diminished.
- Lung tumor: feeling short of breath or wheezing are some of the common symptoms of lung cancer when it begins to manifest. Others may be: incessant coughing, constant chest pain, coughing up blood, hoarseness, weight loss, tiredness, and repeated pneumonia or bronchitis.
- Pulmonary embolism: occurs when a pulmonary artery is normally blocked due to the formation of a clot in the leg (deep vein thrombosis), which travels through the bloodstream to the lung.
- Pneumotorax: It happens when the air escapes from the lung and there is an accumulation of it outside the lung, which causes it to not be able to expand as it normally does at the moment of inspiration.
Cardiovascular diseases.
On the other hand, there are a number of diseases that affect heart health They can also cause shortness of breath and a feeling of shortness of breath when breathing. These are the following:
- Heart failure: the heart does not pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently as it used to. Although it can occur suddenly, it is usually a chronic condition. It usually causes respiratory distress, especially during times of activity or after lying down.
- Cardiomyopathy: refers to diseases that affect the heart muscle, which cause the heart to enlarge or become stiffer or thicker than normal.
- Arrhythmia: alteration of the heart rate, which may be too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia).
- Heart attack: It happens when blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked. Shortness of breath, chest pains and upper body discomfort are its main symptoms.
- Myocarditis: the heart muscle becomes inflamed and is usually caused by some type of bacterial or viral infection.
- Pericarditis: It is the inflammation of the pericardium, a membrane that covers the heart. Although in many cases the cause is unknown, in others it is the result of a bacterial, viral or fungal infection.
Infectious diseases.
Other of the causes of shortness of breath it could be some infection caused by bacteriaor virus that affect the health of the respiratory tract and lungs. Among them are the following:
- Flu
- Cold
- Whooping cough
- Diphtheria
- Tuberculosis
- Bronchiolitis
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to I am short of air when I breathe: what can it be?, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
