Why do you feel like you're short of air when you inhale?

Many people know what it means when there is not enough air when breathing: the reasons can be different. Those people who have experienced a lack of oxygen at least once in their lives, in most cases, do not know which doctor to contact.

Lack of air in medicine is called shortness of breath and the first symptoms are noticeable not only to the doctor, but also to the patient himself.

Introduction

As a rule, people get used to putting up with most of the symptoms and attribute them to the characteristics of the body, poor health in general. But sometimes difficulties arise that cause serious anxiety and acute attacks. To a greater extent, they are associated with problems of the heart, blood vessels and respiratory tract.

Lack of air during VSD is a common and quite typical situation. The first thing you should focus on is fixability. The fear of asphyxia and heart attack is caused more by the psychological factor of losing control over the natural processes of one's own body than by a real physical threat.

Other reasons

The reason may be more trivial and lie in a herniated intervertebral disc or intercostal neuralgia.

Many people, when the first signs of bad breathing appear, try to find validol as soon as possible, thinking that it is a heart attack or a more serious illness.

Osteochondrosis also entails a feeling of pain in the thoracic region, which gradually intensifies when exhaling or inhaling.

Destrition is the most harmless reason compared to others, since it occurs with a sharp increase in physical activity. If a person has never done strength training or athletics, the heart begins to work actively and pump blood. Such phenomena are considered normal and require constant training.

Shortness of breath will gradually go away if you take a lying position. This is the main reason why people who spend more of their lives at home and in offices where there is not enough air are more susceptible to sudden shortness of breath than those who regularly visit the pool or fitness center.

Expectant mothers almost all the time complain of a lack of air, even with the slightest exertion, since the uterus, constantly growing during pregnancy, puts pressure on the walls of the diaphragm, making breathing difficult.

In any case, a pregnant woman is advised to see a doctor and identify or rule out serious pathological processes in the body due to lack of air.

All cases associated with difficulty in breathing and complaints of lack of air should be examined in detail by a doctor, and the patient is recommended to apply for medical tests and undergo a comprehensive examination.

General information

The feeling of lack of air during VSD can be due to various reasons. Shortness of breath may be caused by dystonia itself, but it may simply be a contributing factor. In both cases, an accurate medical diagnosis of the cause is extremely important.

In a situation where interruptions in breathing stem from real problems and illnesses (for example, coronary heart disease or bronchial asthma), using classic psychotherapy for VSD will simply be irrational - no more reasonable than applying plantain where plaster is required.

The opposite situation is also unsafe - when the symptoms are confused by the initial self-diagnosis, difficulty breathing is a consequence of autonomic disorders due to developing neurosis, and the patient is diligently treating fictitious asthmatic complications... Advanced VSD also leads to more serious complications than compression in the chest and difficulty breathing under stress.

Possible reasons

If you are interested in the question “Why is it difficult to breathe?”, then various factors may be to blame. We will look at the main ones:

• the result of serious physical activity;
• pulmonary diseases;
• Unhealthy Lifestyle;
• psychosomatic disorders;
• chest injury;
• cardiac pathology;
• overweight, obesity;
• anemia;
• endocrine disorders;
• being in a poorly ventilated area;
• shortness of breath may occur in heavy smokers (the lungs suffer);
• difficulty breathing often occurs in people who abuse alcohol, since alcohol has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system;
• difficulty breathing can be the result of physical activity in an unprepared person;
• consequence of an allergic reaction;
• shortness of breath that occurs due to stress.

It is important to know that if you find it difficult to breathe and the heaviness in your chest does not leave you alone, and your breathing becomes noisy and rapid, then you should definitely consult a doctor, as serious pathologies of the cardiovascular or respiratory system may occur.

Psychogenic factors

Severe anxiety and stress can cause difficulty breathing

A person who experiences difficulty breathing due to psychological trauma may have psychogenic asthma. It is characterized by the following features:

• anxiety;
• suppressed aggression;
• feeling of uncertainty;
• emotional abstinence;
• fear of being judged;
• gullibility;
• dependence on other people's opinions;
• suspicion;
• hypersensitivity to bad odors.

It's hard to breathe when:

• discord in relationships;
• there are neuroses in life;
• have phobias;
• mental disorders;
• recent death of a loved one;
• difficult moments;
• conflicts at work, in the family or in relationships;
• situations that threaten health or life.

It is important to know that a psychosomatic illness can develop both immediately after an event that has a traumatic effect, and after years. For example, in a situation where the trauma was inflicted in childhood, but manifested itself in an adult, childhood psychotrauma occurs.

The cause of difficulty breathing and a lump in the throat can be prolonged anxiety, when the intensity of lung function increases, a panic attack begins. It is accompanied by the following signs:

• resentment;
• devaluation of oneself;
• fear of failure;
• uncertainty;
• unpleasant personal experience;
• inability to express one's own opinion;
• internal resistance.

Respiratory neurosis. The following symptoms may indicate it:

• heaviness in the chest, feeling of compression;
• lump in the throat;
• rib pain;
• dry continuous cough;
• frequent yawning.

Why suffocation causes fear

Even in the initial stages of VSD development, when crises are not so acute and other symptoms of the disease are not pronounced, breathing difficulties can frighten the patient. Accompanied by sudden sharp pain in the sternum, they resemble signs of heart failure. Occurring unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, in a state of anxiety or emotional fluctuations, the slightest changes in breathing can lead to panic attacks. Fear of suffocation blocks adequate perception of reality and leads to the development of real phobias.

Most often, in the presence of dystonia (one of its types), the patient is diagnosed with hyperventilation syndrome. But this is not the only form that a violation of oxygen metabolism in the body takes on with autonomic disorders of the nervous system.

What are the dangers of shortness of breath?

Shortness of breath in most cases indicates a certain lack of oxygen in organs and tissues. And this condition threatens the development of hypoxia of various organs, and, first of all, the brain. Dyspnea in adults impairs quality of life. If you have difficulty breathing, it is impossible to get proper sleep, exercise, or communicate with other people. Therefore, it is necessary to treat shortness of breath, or more precisely, to treat the diseases that cause it.

Hypoxia is a state of lack of oxygen in the body. Hypoxemia should be separated from its special case - hypoxemia. This is the name given to the lack of this substance in the blood. Hypoxemia always entails hypoxia, but hypoxia is not always accompanied by hypoxemia.

Among the main types of hypoxia, it should be noted:

• respiratory,
• circulatory,
• anemic,
• toxic,
• fabric,
• reloading

With hypoxia caused by breathing problems, there is a certain decrease in the amount of O2 entering the blood from the lungs. The condition of respiratory hypoxia can occur either due to a lack of gas in the air or due to impaired lung function. The causes of circulatory hypoxia are circulatory disorders.

Anemic hypoxia occurs when there is a lack of blood in the body, or the blood cannot perform its respiratory function. Toxic hypoxia is a condition caused by impaired delivery of O2 to tissues due to the presence of toxic substances in the body. With overload hypoxia, the body is unable to increase O2 supplies under conditions of increased load. Tissue hypoxia is caused by the inability of organs to absorb oxygen. This situation is typical, for example, for poisoning.

With mixed type hypoxia, its different varieties can be observed simultaneously.

First of all, such an important organ as the brain suffers from a lack of O2. Signs indicating this:

• drowsiness,
• dull pain in the head
• slow thinking,
• dizziness,
• frequent yawning,
• irritability.

If oxygen enters the organs in insufficient quantities, this condition not only affects breathing, but also forces the body to use mechanisms to save precious gas. So, for example, instead of aerobic glycolysis, another type of metabolism may be observed - anaerobic glycolysis. This leads to a buildup of lactic acid and can cause acidosis.

Severe hypoxia can lead to irreversible consequences such as damage to various organs and death of neurons in the brain, which, in turn, threatens coma, cerebral edema and death.

I forgot how to breathe

An absurd but frequent recognition of people suffering from apnea (short-term involuntary cessation of breathing). This happens to many people in their sleep: a person wakes up with the feeling that the lungs have stopped working, and oxygen has not entered the body for a long time.

Shortness of breath during VSD is associated with fear and exaggeration of the catastrophic nature of the situation: the person sits up abruptly in bed, begins to breathe shallowly and rapidly. The pressure rises, the heart beats faster, trying to quickly fill the lack of oxygen in cells and tissues. Interruptions in pressure do not relieve difficulty breathing. On the contrary, dizziness, darkening of the eyes, and a feeling of hopelessness are added to them.

All of the above fits perfectly into the classification of both panic attacks and classic apnea. But why does the patient lose his breath at a time when the body should be as relaxed as possible?

Breathing difficulties with osteochondrosis

The most common symptom of osteochondrosis is shortness of breath. She requires special attention. Shortness of breath in this case is a consequence of the disease, and it is pointless to treat it. The disease carries a much greater danger than all its manifestations. A visit to a doctor is absolutely necessary for osteochondrosis.

The main symptoms of shortness of breath with osteochondrosis or how to identify it

With this disease, pain in the head or neck may occur, as well as completely unexpected numbness in the limbs.

If a diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis is made, then shortness of breath looks like an inability to breathe deeply. The patient also complains of muscle spasms and body aches.

In this case, shortness of breath is expressed in a violation of the breathing rhythm. In this case, severe or mild lack of oxygen can lead to discomfort.

With osteochondrosis, the symptoms of shortness of breath are supplemented by the following phenomena:

• the appearance of constant drowsiness;
• it is impossible to breathe normally;
• hard breath;
• yawn;
• constant feeling of fatigue;
• dizziness;
• the appearance of clouding in the head;
• pain in the chest or neck when taking a deep breath;
• inability to yawn fully.

Also, if a person has a diseased spine, deterioration in memory or mental activity can sometimes be observed. This is due to the lack of the required amount of oxygen in certain areas of the brain.

Is it possible to “forget” how to breathe?

The fact is that both the somatic and autonomic nervous systems are responsible for the regulation of respiratory processes. In other words, it happens both consciously and uncontrollably. We can, of our own free will, hold our breath, make inhalations and exhalations deeper or shallower, and regulate the muscular movement of the chest, thus influencing the process of gas exchange. But when we are distracted, focused on extraneous tasks, in deep sleep or in a stressful situation, unable to pay attention to the breathing process, it is the autonomic nervous system that controls the depth and frequency of breaths, heart rate and other related factors.

When the autonomic system begins to malfunction and not function as it should (vegetative dysfunction), everything that was previously controlled by it also goes into discord. The body's reactions cease to correspond to external stimuli, tachycardia and panic occur without actual danger, shortness of breath - without physical exertion, eating disorders and allergies - without real poisoning and allergens, and so on.

Symptoms

Dyspnea is characterized by general and specific symptoms. The latter are caused by pathology, which results in difficulty breathing.

Shortness of breath and lack of air have the following clinical picture (in both sick and healthy people):

• pain and pressure in the chest;
• unusual sounds during inhalation and exhalation (wheezing, whistling);
• problems with swallowing;
• feeling of a lump and constriction in the throat;
• breathing through the mouth;
• high blood pressure;
• cough;
• yawn.

Choking, most people begin to panic, so fear, nervous tremors, and inappropriate behavior are added to the main symptoms.

Shortness of breath in sick people is accompanied by symptoms specific to a particular pathology.

Breathing disorders due to heart disease

Shortness of breath and lack of air are accompanied by pain in the chest and behind the shoulder blade. Cyanosis of the skin and swelling of the lower extremities are observed. The patient does not have enough air when inhaling, and shortness of breath at rest is a common occurrence. In severe cases of the disease, a feeling of lack of air may occur in a lying position (at night while sleeping).

Breathing disorders due to diseases of the lungs and airways

Cough and shortness of breath in a person indicate a violation of the respiratory system.

The patient lacks air to the same extent when inhaling and exhaling. In the first stages of the disease, rapid breathing appears only during physical exertion, then shortness of breath occurs when walking and minimal movements.

When the disease reaches an extreme or irreversible stage, chronic bad breathing is recorded.

Shortness of breath with bronchial asthma is a familiar phenomenon for almost 10% of the world's population. It is accompanied by attacks of suffocation, which most often occur in the morning or at night. The patient experiences a feeling of lack of air, accompanied by chest pain, arrhythmia, and enlarged veins in the neck.

Symptoms

Shortness of breath caused by VSD manifests itself in different ways. Patients complain about:

• Heaviness in the sternum, a feeling of constriction in the chest.
• Sharp stabbing pain when inhaling.
• Heavy breathing and shortness of breath that occurs during light exertion, when singing or talking, or during emotional experiences.
• Feeling of lack of oxygen when breathing.
• It is difficult to inhale and exhale; the process of breathing itself seems like an effort that causes shortness of breath.
• Waking up from deep sleep with the feeling that breathing has stopped.

The last point causes particular concern for those suffering from dystonia, and after it - possible insomnia.

What to do to treat shortness of breath with osteochondrosis

With wandering osteochondrosis, the patient often finds it difficult to breathe. In this case, you should not fight this symptom with the help of various medications recommended by your doctor. After curing the disease, the problem of shortness of breath will completely disappear.

Treatment may take 1 - 3 months. In advanced cases of cervical, thoracic or lumbar osteochondrosis, surgery is prescribed. It will take approximately one year for the patient to recover.

Ways to combat shortness of breath without surgery:

• physiotherapy helps relieve pain and quickly restore the body after surgery;
• Massage for osteochondrosis improves blood circulation and saturates tissues with oxygen. As a result, the symptom of heavy breathing is eliminated;
• Physical therapy helps create the necessary load on certain areas of the body. With the help of such exercises, muscles are strengthened and displaced blocks are aligned. Thus, a person will be able to exhale and breathe deeply.

To eliminate breathing dissatisfaction, the doctor may prescribe medication, manual therapy, reflex therapy and traction, that is, traction of the spine. The measures taken lead to relief, shortness of breath is eliminated and the general condition of the body improves significantly.

Dream

Why do night attacks frighten patients so much? The formulation “I forget to breathe in my sleep” is illogical, as we have already discussed, primarily because memory is not involved in the breathing process while the brain is immersed in the sleepy phase.

What really happens to those who say, “I feel suffocated at night”? In medical terms, their body experiences apnea - cessation of pulmonary ventilation due to weakening of the muscle tone and soft tissues of the throat. When falling asleep, the muscles seem to “sag,” blocking the airways. Classic apnea lasts up to 10 seconds, hypopnea takes 10 seconds or longer. This time is enough to awaken the brain and send an SOS signal about the problem.

“I wake up because I can’t breathe” is a reason for an examination, but in no case for momentary panic. By getting out of a lying position and consciously doing a series of breathing exercises, you can bring the nighttime incident under control and prevent a panic attack.

Types of shortness of breath

Often the type of this phenomenon indicates the nature of the pathology that is observed in the patient. The normal breathing rate of an adult is about 18 times per second. Increased breathing is called tachypne. With rapid breathing, this process occurs more than 20 times per second. The pathological form of tachypnea is characteristic of anemia, blood diseases and fever. The highest frequency of chest movement is determined during hysteria - 60-80 times per second.

The decrease in breathing is called bradypnoe (less than 12 respiratory movements per second). Bradypnea is typical for:

• damage to the brain and meninges,
• acidosis,
• severe hypoxia,
• diabetic coma.

Hyperventilation is sometimes called hyperpnea. And breathing disorders in general are called dyspnea (translated from Greek as “interruption of breathing”). A type of shortness of breath that occurs only in a horizontal position is orthopnea.

Sometimes any tachypnea is called dyspnea. But that's not true. Many people may experience a lack of oxygen even when their breathing rate is normal. And increased breathing does not always have a pathological nature. The defining characteristic of dyspnea is a feeling of discomfort, lack of air, and difficulty in inhaling or exhaling. With rapid breathing and hyperpnea, there is often no discomfort; they may simply not be felt.

According to the common classification, shortness of breath can be:

• normal, occurring under heavy load;
• psychogenic, observed in hypochondriacal patients who suspect they have lung and heart diseases;
• somatic, caused by objective pathological processes in organs.

Classification of the severity of shortness of breath depending on physical activity

Severity of shortness of breath	conditions
no shortness of breath	shortness of breath occurs after heavy exercise (sports, running, swimming, lifting weights up stairs), then breathing quickly returns to normal
slight shortness of breath	occurs during intense exercise, fast walking, climbing stairs
moderate shortness of breath	appears when walking, the patient is forced to stop to catch his breath
severe shortness of breath	the patient stops every 100 meters when walking to catch his breath
very severe shortness of breath	appears at rest or with the slightest movement

In this classification, shortness of breath should attract attention, starting from moderate; mild shortness of breath is most likely a sign of detraining of the body.

With shortness of breath, patients can define their condition in different ways:

• like a state of suffocation,
• like a heaviness in the chest,
• like tiredness in my chest,
• like lack of air,
• as incomplete filling of the lungs with air,
• like a feeling of fullness in the chest.

When breathing is impaired, other manifestations of pathology are also important, for example, chest pain. In some diseases, pain appears during inhalation or exhalation, while in others, pain does not depend on respiratory movements.

Somatic dyspnea can be compensated or decompensated. In the first case, the lack of oxygen is compensated by rapid or increased breathing. With decompensated shortness of breath, the body can no longer use any compensatory mechanism, so signs of hypoxia are observed. Although outwardly shortness of breath in this case may not be so noticeable.

This type of shortness of breath is called inspiratory. Inspiratory dyspnea may be accompanied by pain when inhaling. A patient with such breathing feels as if he is not taking in enough air. Inspiratory dyspnea is often one of the manifestations of pulmonary diseases (pleurisy, fibrosis, tumors), diseases of the large bronchi and trachea. Shortness of breath with discomfort on inspiration occurs in heart failure and coronary heart disease.

Shortness of breath with discomfort or pain when exhaling is called expiratory. Exhalation with difficulty can be caused by a narrowing of the lumen of the small bronchi. A similar phenomenon may be caused by their spasm or the accumulation of secretions in them. Shortness of breath with difficulty in exhaling is often observed during attacks of bronchial asthma. Also, expiratory shortness of breath can be a symptom of some pulmonary pathologies, for example, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mixed dyspnea

This is the name of the most severe type of this condition, in which any type of movement of the chest is difficult - both inhalation and exhalation. Mixed shortness of breath often occurs if the patient has both bronchial asthma and heart failure, with panic attacks, anemia and anemia, or pulmonary embolism.

Classification of types of dyspnea

Types of dyspnea	Inhale, is there any difficulty?	Exhale, is there any difficulty?
Inspiratory view	There is	No
Expiratory view	No	There is
Mixed view	There is	There is

Shortness of breath can also be divided into subjective and objective. Subjective shortness of breath is characteristic of various neurosis-like conditions. At the same time, the lack of air exists from the patient’s point of view, but in fact he may not have any problems with breathing. The patient may not notice objective shortness of breath, and it may seem to him that he is breathing without difficulty.

Hangover

A healthy lifestyle as the main cure for VSD automatically includes giving up alcohol. After drinking alcohol, it is doubly difficult for the body to cope with autonomic dysfunction - the need to remove toxins from the blood, an imbalance in sugar and hemoglobin levels also affects the amount of oxygen supplied with blood flow to the lungs.

Why is it hard to breathe when you have a hangover? Yes, at least from the fact that the illusory feeling that during VSD there is not enough air, actually means an insufficient number of oxygen molecules entering the cells of the tissues of the internal organs.

Shortness of breath is provoked by any strong stress on the body, and the state of alcohol intoxication is quite one of them.

The first signs if a foreign body is stuck in the respiratory tract:

• Blue skin.
• Cough.
• Loss of consciousness.

If you forget and do not seek medical help and do not take action yourself when there is not enough air when breathing and do not help the child, ultimately the condition may reach cardiac arrest.

Thromboembolism is accompanied by difficulty breathing, lack of air and cough. It is difficult for the patient to inhale air and complete the process of exiting. This pathology occurs in people suffering from diseases associated with the vascular system, as well as those who experience problems with the pancreas. Thromboembolism is accompanied by bluish skin, sudden loss of breathing and cardiac arrest if medical assistance is not applied in time. Patients tell doctors that they have trouble breathing at night and often complain: “When I go to bed, my breathing becomes difficult.”

Treatment of the pathological process is carried out depending on the disease. If a foreign object causes a lack of air, then it is removed from the pulmonary tract as soon as possible. For asthma, the doctor prescribes antihistamines and glucocorticoid hormones to improve breathing. In case of asphyxia, conicotomy is performed.

Yawn

The feeling of lack of oxygen (not air in general, but an element in the body) is not always caused by physical exertion or physical breathing disorders.

Sometimes patients complain that they constantly yawn without an objective reason (lack of sleep, etc.). Yawning is also an indicator of oxygen deficiency in the body and manifests itself as a reflex.

The common belief that yawning is “contagious” is associated with the phenomenon of psychogenic shortness of breath and neurotic consequences, when the breathing disorder of others (for example, a family member) is unconsciously copied by a person. This situation is especially dangerous in infancy. There are cases where an absolutely healthy child reflexively repeated the intermittent, rapid breathing of the parent, which over time progressed into its own pathology.

Causes of a cerebral nature

Sometimes there is not enough air when breathing and there is difficulty during exhalation, which happens with diseases of the brain, especially when visiting the metro, in this case there is dizziness and shortness of breath. The brain sends signals for the functioning of the heart, lungs and other organs in the human body, but it is difficult for them to perform their functions due to a malfunction. A malfunction of the brain leads to further pathologies in the body and, as a result, shortness of breath.

The causes of disorders can be pathologies such as trauma, stroke, neoplasm or encephalitis.

Patients with severe brain damage cannot breathe on their own, so they are placed on a ventilator and oxygen. With a sharp disruption of brain activity, there is not enough air when breathing, and the symptoms are as follows: breathing can be both frequent and rare, with manifestations unusual for a person.

If the lack of air is caused by autonomic dysfunction or a nervous condition, then it is temporary. With this condition, there is yawning and discomfort in the lungs, as well as shortness of breath. This is one of the most harmless forms of lack of air associated with the activity of the brain due to the fact that breathing is lost due to nervous stress or hysteria. This goes away within a few hours after the shock. A similar condition can occur in adolescents during puberty.

If there is not enough air when breathing, treatment is carried out using sedatives, antipsychotics and artificial lung ventilation devices. If the cause is a brain tumor, then doctors decide to remove it.

Causes of difficulty breathing

Situations when a person has difficulty breathing with a hangover, after a cycle of exercise, or when waking up at night seem not as critical as the ragged breathing of a person at rest. When breathing is difficult in a lying old person or baby, in a healthy adult in the fresh air, in a teenager leading an active lifestyle - why is there not enough oxygen in such cases?

The causes of respiratory failure may lie in a number of congenital pathologies. Choking during VSD can be a reaction to neurotic attacks; hypoxia is sometimes a side effect of heart failure, a tendency to hypotension and coronary heart disease, problems with the lungs and even with the muscular frame of the chest.

Osteochondrosis and spinal problems can also affect breathing difficulties. The reasons, whatever they may be, should be carefully investigated by the attending physician.

Why does a child have difficulty breathing when coughing?

A severe cough in a child may occur due to laryngotracheitis (false croup). Most often it affects children from 2 months to 6 years. It starts out like a common cold. It manifests itself as a strong barking cough, wheezing inhalation, pronounced swelling of the larynx, and hoarseness of voice. The child has difficulty breathing at night and complains of lack of air.

In young children, the cause of heavy breathing lies in increased salivation and accumulation of snot in the nasopharynx. Dry, too warm air in the room worsens the symptoms.

When a baby has difficulty breathing, this may be a sign of adenoids, measles, diphtheria, otitis media, allergies and any respiratory diseases. The exact cause is determined by the pediatrician.

If, during a coughing attack, the baby develops wheezing, suffocation, or the nasolabial triangle turns blue, it is possible that a foreign object has gotten into the throat.

I choke when I'm nervous

It is important to remember that any symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia are closely related to the psycho-emotional sphere. Breathing under stress becomes shallow and constricted, muscles contract spasmodically and are in constant tension. Complaints of “suffocating in the morning” may be a consequence of a nervous habit developed to return to a nervous state as soon as the brain leaves the deep sleep phase.

It happens that it is impossible to take a deep breath when one (no matter whether positive or negative) bright emotion dominates, it is difficult to inhale after eating or sleeping, there is pressure in the sternum due to changes in internal pressure and external temperature. This can be associated with any change in the external situation or internal state - only the fact that the body malfunctions instead of harmoniously adapting to the situation is important.

Diagnostics

Regular sensations of suffocation are a reason to immediately consult a physician. He will prescribe a comprehensive examination to determine the true cause of the spasm and oxygen deficiency and refer you for a consultation to:

• ENT;
• cardiologist;
• pulmonologist;
• allergist;
• psychotherapist.

Subspecialists can:

• take a swab from the oropharynx;
• do a pharyngoscopy to study the mucous membranes;
• conduct an endoscopic examination (examination of internal organs using an endoscope);
• do an ultrasound;
• give a referral for blood donation (clinical and biochemical analysis, hormones);
• conduct fibroesophagogastroduodenoscopy - examination of the mucous membranes of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.

Bronchial asthma

Sometimes vegetative crises (acute attacks of worsening symptoms of dystonia) are associated with similar exacerbations of another disease. Thus, night suffocation, dry frequent cough with VSD and the inability to breathe fully can be manifestations of bronchial asthma.

Sometimes a short-term, lasting several seconds feeling of “forgot how to breathe” is replaced by an annoying asthmatic cough and happens in moments of emotional fluctuations. Respiratory processes are closely related to the coordination of the nervous system, both conscious and unconscious; this means that asthma in the case of experiencing VSD can be just psychosomatic.

Additional symptoms of suffocation

In most cases, the feeling of suffocation is accompanied by other signs that help the specialist make a diagnosis. It could be:

• discomfort when talking;
• pain when swallowing;
• heaviness in the back of the head, headache (if the arteries are injured and blood circulation is impaired);
• numbness in the limbs (the result of insufficient blood circulation or neurological problems).

Treatment

Whatever the symptoms, they all complicate the normal course of life, and the person needs the help of a specialist. For clarification, they turn to a therapist, neurologist, cardiologist, psychotherapist - each of these specialists can conduct an examination at their own level in order to find out as accurately as possible what caused the breathing disorder.

Often, in the absence of hereditary pathologies, diseases of the cardiovascular system and without an urgent need for drug treatment of developed neurosis, the problem is solved quite simply. Methods of relaxing physiotherapy, psychological self-diagnosis during attacks and herbal preparations are selected individually for each patient.

Treatment of shortness of breath with tablets

In special cases, when respiratory problems are caused by the development of clinical neurosis, drug therapy is used to treat it. However, any antidepressants, sleeping pills and sedatives must be prescribed by the attending physician and agreed with the diagnosis confirmed by other specialists. Otherwise, drug intervention can only worsen the problem.

For example, if a person at the self-medication level decides to take a course of sleeping pills in order to stop waking up at night, this will not save him from hyperventilation. It will only be more difficult for the body to “ask for help” to the brain when, due to weakening muscle tone, the lungs stop working for 10-15 seconds.

It is important for a person suffering from psychosomatic apnea, first of all, to explain how to breathe correctly and calm the growing fear of suffocation during an exacerbation of the VSD crisis.

Breathing exercises

In order to restore breathing not only in the current moment, but also to ensure a restful night's sleep without unscheduled awakenings, therapeutic exercises are used. It includes both physical exercises to calm the nervous system (such as yoga, stretching and relaxation massages) and statistical breathing exercises.

Their types vary depending on the goal pursued, but one way or another they include training:

• deep breath;
• control the depth and duration of inhalation and exhalation;
• number of inhalations and exhalations per minute;
• control of the intensity of diaphragm work;
• conscious participation in the respiratory process of other muscle groups.

The benefits of deep breathing are mainly due to increased oxygen saturation. In addition, the depth of inspiration slows down its speed, which means it reduces the risk of involuntary tachycardia, when the heart begins to beat faster than expected due to a series of short shallow breaths.

Breathing yoga

Various yoga practices offer a combination of a set of exercises aimed not only at flexibility and muscle tone, but also at the health of internal organs. Aligning the heart rate and eliminating internal smooth muscle tension caused by psychosomatics is a useful skill for diagnosed VSD.

Conscious breathing is first practiced according to the indicated patterns (alternate breaths from each nostril, alternating their depth and duration), then introduced to the level of habit. So, thanks to weeks of training, you can train your body in a stressful situation to slow it down instead of increasing your breathing, urging the body to first calm down and relax.

Therapeutic breathing exercises

Since the middle of the last century, breathing exercises using the Strelnikova method have been actively used in the USSR and are still considered an ingenious method. Including the work of many muscle groups, it helps not only to establish uniform deep breathing, but also to recover after surgery, develop a voice, relieve fatigue, perform a “massage of internal organs,” etc.

It is used not only as a treatment method, but also as a preventive measure, recommended also for adolescents and children. A specially designed set of exercises can replace 15-30 minutes of morning and evening exercises, as well as a relaxing massage session.

Correctly performed breathing exercises are recommended in the presence of both VSD and other concomitant diseases - neurosis, asthma, hypertension, etc.

Causes of shortness of breath

There are several main causes of shortness of breath:

1. Poor physical condition of the patient. Physiological shortness of breath usually occurs after certain activities (running, climbing stairs). Oxygen leaves the blood to the muscles, which are put to work. The brain sends a signal to cover the oxygen deficiency and the person begins to make breathing movements more often. This type of shortness of breath is not particularly dangerous, but it is worth thinking about strengthening your physical fitness. Shortness of breath occurs much less frequently in active people involved in sports.
2. Anemia (anemia). Thanks to iron ions, the blood is saturated with oxygen. With iron deficiency anemia, hypoxia develops and shortness of breath occurs. Women are more susceptible to anemia.
3. Panic attack. During times of fright, excitement, fear, anger, a person’s production of a hormone such as adrenaline increases. When adrenaline enters the bloodstream, the brain signals that more air than usual passes through the lungs. This provokes hyperventilation. At such moments, there is an increase in heart rate and shortness of breath.
4. Lung diseases are often the reason that a person begins to choke. Diseases of the respiratory organs are divided into inspiratory and expiratory.
5. Obesity is considered a serious disease in which a person spends more effort in performing daily activities. The formation of internal fat on various organs poses a great danger to humans.

If the heart and lungs are obese, it is difficult for the patient to breathe. The heart of such a person must pump blood into a huge fat pad; it is unable to bear heavy loads. All important organs of the patient do not receive the oxygen they need.

1. Coronary heart disease causes shortness of breath.
2. Congestive heart failure causes shortness of breath in a patient who is in a supine state when he lies on a low pillow. A person suffocates due to increased blood flow to the heart and overflow of the heart chambers. When you change your posture to a sitting position, the attack of shortness of breath goes away.
3. Paroxysmal shortness of breath (cardiac asthma). Shortness of breath, which quickly develops into suffocation, often appears at night. It does not go away when the position changes. With paroxysmal shortness of breath, the patient develops moist rales, turns pale, and pulmonary edema begins. In this case, you should definitely call a medical team.
4. Pulmonary embolism. This disease is a very common cause of shortness of breath. This disease is dangerous because its first phase occurs with minor symptoms, to which people pay little attention. The patient notices slight swelling of the lower limb, a cramp appears, and pain in the calf muscle. Blood clots form inside the veins, which can move inside the pulmonary artery, blocking its lumen. With such blockage of blood vessels, a section of the lung dies.

With pulmonary embolism, the patient experiences shortness of breath, a painful cough, and stabbing pain in the chest area.

Shortness of breath occurs for various reasons. To eliminate it, it is necessary to change your lifestyle and treat the detected serious diseases. The main thing is to promptly determine the cause of suffocation.

Prevention

In order to prevent the situation from worsening in the presence of VSD, it is necessary to observe a number of simple conditions for a healthy life. The number one tip is balanced physical activity.

A sedentary lifestyle, cardiac problems and a poorly developed respiratory system are fertile ground for dystonia. To train the body we recommend:

• physiotherapy;
• fitness (but not active cardio exercises);
• yoga;
• swimming and various water procedures;
• breathing exercises;
• walking in the fresh air;
• control over emotional state.

Dangerous symptoms

Sometimes difficulty breathing occurs for physiological reasons, which are quite easily remedied. But if you constantly feel like yawning and taking deep breaths, this could be a symptom of a serious illness. It’s even worse when, against this background, shortness of breath (dyspnea) often occurs, appearing even with minimal physical exertion. This is already a reason to worry and see a doctor.

You should go to the hospital immediately if difficulty breathing is accompanied by:

• pain in the chest area;
• changes in skin color;
• nausea and dizziness;
• severe coughing attacks;
• increased body temperature;
• swelling and cramps of the limbs;
• feeling of fear and internal tension.

A few more tips

In order to prevent the occurrence of neurological shortness of breath due to psychological problems, the body should be given a break from mental stress. If a person devotes most of his time to office work, it is recommended to spend leisure hours paying attention to the body, and not to the screen of the phone, TV and computer.

Sometimes taking sedatives helps in the fight against neurosis, also having a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system and respiratory organs.

Every night 7-8 hours of healthy sleep in a clearly established mode, relaxation sessions and selected therapy, a positive psychological attitude towards conscious healthy life - all this helps to establish harmonious functioning of the body.

• Symptoms and treatment of VSD against the background of cervical osteochondrosis
• Symptoms of cardiovascular dystonia and methods of its treatment
• What to do when your heart hurts from worries?
• Algorithm for the treatment of VSD, panic attacks and phobias

How to resist

If psychosomatics occurs, sometimes you cannot do without the help of a psychotherapist

Let's look at what to do if you sometimes have trouble breathing.

1. Think about it, perhaps shortness of breath occurs when you are indoors. If this is really the case, then most likely the whole problem is in a stuffy room that has not been ventilated for a long time. It is important to understand that any person needs a sufficient amount of oxygen; his well-being will worsen if he is in a room with excess carbon dioxide. Remember that you need to ventilate the room not only in summer, but also in winter.
2. If it’s all to do with physical activity, which is so difficult for you, causing shortness of breath, then you need to minimize it, make it gradual, and train your body.
3. If difficulty breathing is the result of a nervous environment or constant stress, you need to learn to resist negative emotions. You will be able to achieve the best result after communicating with a qualified psychologist who will be able to identify the true causes of your condition and indicate how to resolve it.
4. If smoking or alcohol is to blame, you need to get rid of these bad habits. It is also important to be examined by a specialist, because taking alcohol or nicotine, most likely, has managed to provoke problems with internal organs and you need specialized treatment.
5. If shortness of breath is present even with the slightest physical exertion, and difficulty breathing is accompanied by rapid inhalation and exhalation, then there may be a lung disease that needs to be treated by a specialist. After all, it could also be bronchial asthma, which means you cannot do without an inhaler.
6. You need to know that difficulty breathing can be a manifestation of cardiac pathology, which also requires observation and treatment by a cardiologist. It is possible that there is heart failure.
7. If in your case this is the result of anemia, then you need to undergo treatment aimed at restoring the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
8. If you know that you are diagnosed with vegetative-vascular dystonia and, in addition to difficulty breathing, a lump appears in the throat, and most often, this condition occurs during some kind of nervous tension, for example, when taking an exam or before an interview, then on the recommendation of a doctor, you can use sedatives. You can also bring yourself back to normal by breathing into the bag, pressing it tightly to your mouth. The air you exhale will accumulate in this bag. When you inhale it again, you will replenish the carbon dioxide deficiency and normalize your condition.
9. If difficulty breathing is preceded by a blow to the chest, trauma is likely present. It is possible that the rib punctured the lung. If pain is present, you need to urgently call an ambulance. It may not be possible to do without surgery.
10. If, after visiting a doctor, it becomes known that you have an allergy or diabetes mellitus, comprehensive treatment and specialist supervision will be prescribed.
11. If shortness of breath is the result of being overweight, then most likely it’s time for you to think about how to lose weight, if this is possible and is not the result of endocrine abnormalities. After all, excess weight negatively affects all internal organs.

Classification

Currently, lack of air during breathing is conventionally divided into several types:

• inspiratory – in which a person experiences difficulty in inhaling. This type is most typical for cardiac pathologies;
• expiratory – lack of air makes it difficult for a person to exhale. This often occurs during bronchial asthma;
• mixed.

According to the severity of such symptoms in people, air deficiency occurs:

• acute - the attack lasts no more than one hour;
• subacute – duration is several days;
• chronic – observed for several years.

Hematogenous causes

Hematogenous dyspnea occurs when the chemical composition of the blood is disrupted, when the concentration of carbon dioxide in it increases and acidosis develops due to the circulation of acidic metabolic products. This breathing disorder manifests itself in anemia of various origins, malignant tumors, severe renal failure, diabetic coma, and severe intoxication.

With hematogenous dyspnea, the patient complains that he often does not have enough air, but the process of inhalation and exhalation itself is not disturbed, the lungs and heart do not have obvious organic changes. A detailed examination shows that the cause of rapid breathing, in which there is a feeling that there is not enough air, are shifts in the electrolyte and gas composition of the blood.

Treatment of anemia involves prescribing iron supplements, vitamins, a balanced diet, and blood transfusions, depending on the cause. In case of renal and liver failure, detoxification therapy, hemodialysis, and infusion therapy are carried out.

Establishing diagnosis

A somnologist, pulmonologist, or ENT specialist will help determine the cause of lack of air during sleep. And if you have panic attacks, you may need the help of a psychiatrist. Additional consultations with a dentist, cardiologist and allergist may also be scheduled.

The examination of the patient must be comprehensive; only by fully compiling a picture of the disorder can it be determined what caused it. For this, the following diagnostic methods are used:

• laboratory tests of urine, feces and blood;
• determination of the content of total protein and its fractions;
• studying the nature of sputum;
• X-ray of the lungs and their graphic recording during breathing;
• electrocardiogram (ECG);
• allergy tests, which are done during remission;
• bronchoscopy, which helps identify foreign bodies and tumors in the lungs.

The danger of prolonged hypoxia

Stopping breathing that occurs at night is called apnea. This is a rather formidable pathology that must be combated. At the time of the attack, blood oxygen saturation decreases, then hypoxia occurs. Micro-awakenings occur, interfering with normal sleep; a person gets up in the morning feeling drowsy and overwhelmed. This pathology can lead to various serious problems:

• hypertension;
• headache;
• heart rhythm disturbances;
• myocardial infarction;
• stroke.

Attention! Anxiety, lack of sleep, decreased memory, attention, hormonal problems, and intellectual degradation can occur due to lack of air at night. This condition cannot be ignored. The most serious complication is sudden death during sleep.

Thyroid diseases

A goiter is possible due to thyrotoxicosis (excessive secretion of the hormones thyroxine T_4 and triiodothyronine T_3. The enlarged thyroid gland compresses the throat and gradually begins to choke the patient.

However, the symptom of lack of air is characteristic only at the advanced stage, when the size of the affected organ has increased by 20-30%, and this is already visible to the naked eye.

Goiter develops due to excess iodine in food. Treatment consists of changing a low-iodine diet, which is prescribed by an endocrinologist.

What is expiratory dyspnea?

As mentioned above, expiratory dyspnea is difficulty in exhaling during respiratory activity.

There are several degrees of severity of shortness of breath:

1. Mild degree - occurs during long walking.
2. Medium degree - the pace of walking slows down, it becomes necessary to stop to normalize breathing.
3. Severe – stopping while walking becomes more frequent, every 5-10 minutes. Breathing is noisy and heavy.
4. Very severe degree - difficulty in exhaling occurs even at rest, active movements are impossible due to increasing suffocation.

Characteristic symptoms of the disease

Choking due to bronchial asthma

Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease of inflammatory nature, accompanied by bronchial hyperreactivity associated with immunopathological mechanisms and the main symptom of which is an attack of suffocation due to inflammatory swelling of the bronchial mucosa, bronchospasm and hypersecretion of mucus. If the disease lasts for a long time, its inflammatory nature leads to morphological and functional disorders in tissues, which become irreversible.

Difficulty breathing occurs as a result of increased excitability of the bronchi, to which the respiratory tract reacts by causing spasm and limiting the flow of air into the lungs.

Why does a person develop bronchial asthma? The root cause of the condition is the entry of an allergen into the body, in response to which the patient develops bronchospasm at different levels and a disruption of gas exchange processes. Non-allergic asthma attacks are much less common. The problem may lie in brain injury or developing endocrine disorders. The infectious-allergic type of asthma is formed as a result of chronic infection of the respiratory system, therefore this form of the disease is diagnosed in adults, and much less often in children. Pathogenic microorganisms and inflammatory processes lead to pathology of the bronchi, their anatomical structure and functions change. The non-infectious form occurs due to other allergens - it can be wool, food, medications, dust, chemicals.

During an attack, a sick person has severe wheezing, shortness of breath, and a dry cough. Particularly often, attacks overtake the patient at night, during sleep. To provide assistance, it is necessary, first of all, to stop an attack of suffocation, and also to determine the cause of the disease, for which you will need to undergo a set of appropriate examinations.

Obstructive pulmonary disease

This is a disease that develops as a result of an inflammatory reaction to the action of certain environmental irritants, which is manifested by a progressive decrease in the speed of air flow in the lungs and an increase in respiratory failure. The main provoking factors are smoking and occupational hazards, namely work in hazardous industries, for example, in a coal mine, in cement production. Predisposing risk factors contributing to the development of COPD:

• passive smoking;
• level of nutrition and socio-economic component of life;
• prematurity;
• hereditary factor.

The patient has a cough with increased mucus secretion, as well as disruption of the ciliated epithelium lining the respiratory tract. Against the background of obstructive pulmonary damage, a narrowing of the lumen of the pulmonary vessels occurs, pulmonary hypertension occurs, which leads to expansion of the right chambers of the heart (pulmonary heart) and the addition of heart failure.

Due to disturbances in pulmonary gas exchange, the main symptom occurs - shortness of breath, especially worse with movement and walking.

How to diagnose obstructive syndrome in a patient? First of all, the pathology is characterized by the presence of a constantly worsening cough. During a cough, a large amount of mucous sputum is released, and when an infection occurs, purulent sputum is released. Shortness of breath in this disease is gradually increasing, worsens with physical activity, and develops over time into suffocation.

Pneumothorax

It is formed as a result of a violation of the tightness of the lungs, as a consequence of a chest injury, when a certain amount of air accumulates in the pleural cavity. If after a while air stops flowing into the cavity, then we are talking about a closed pneumothorax. The open type of pathology implies that the air in the pleura constantly and unhinderedly communicates with the air of the environment. Vent or tension pneumothorax develops when, when inhaling, air is sucked into the pleural cavity, but when exhaling, it cannot come out without closing (collapsing) the defect.

Difficulty breathing occurs due to the difference between the air pressure inside the pleura and the atmospheric air. In this case, without emergency medical assistance, the person is at risk of death from both suffocation and traumatic shock.

Tumor lesions of the larynx, trachea, bronchi

In the respiratory organs, as in any other organs, both benign and malignant tumors, as well as tumor-like formations, can form - these processes cause mechanical injuries, harmful production factors, overstrain of ligaments, and their improper use during singing. For example, the appearance of tumors of the vocal cords is accompanied by hoarseness of the voice and rapid fatigue of the cords. A neoplasm on the vestibule of the larynx is manifested by a sensation of a foreign body, a feeling of a lump in the throat when swallowing. Sometimes the presence of a tumor causes sharp shooting pain in one or both ears. The appearance of ulcers on the tumor is accompanied by putrid, unpleasant odor from the mouth, as well as the release of ichor in the saliva.

Laryngeal tumors are very difficult to detect in the early stages, since they practically do not manifest themselves at all. Only over time does difficulty breathing and hoarseness in the voice appear. If a neoplasm appears on the trachea, along with it the person begins to suffer from a cough with sputum. Blood is visible in the mucus discharge.

Asphyxia also occurs in cases where tumors in the respiratory tract grow, causing mechanical obstruction with impaired air flow. To ensure free breathing, the patient needs emergency removal of tumors. It should be noted that such a measure brings only a temporary result, and gradually a new tumor may form in the patient.

The use of a stent (a mechanism in the form of a small mesh tube) makes it possible to eliminate suffocation and difficulty breathing. When folded, it is inserted through a bronchoscope, after which it expands in the respiratory tract and creates unimpeded penetration of air into the lungs.

Edema of the lungs and larynx

Swelling of the larynx accompanies some pathologies and is not regarded as an independent disease. It usually occurs as a result of inflammation, after mechanical trauma, for example, burns from hot drinks and aggressive chemicals, due to suppuration in the pharynx, tonsils, and root of the tongue. Radiological burns occur after radiotherapy or X-ray therapy of the neck and organs in this part of the body.

Another reason that provokes the appearance of laryngeal edema is acute or chronic infectious diseases:

• measles;
• diphtheria;
• scarlet fever;
• typhus;
• flu;
• syphilis;
• tuberculosis.

Edema of a non-inflammatory nature is formed as a sign of kidney, heart and vascular disease, general cachexia, due to a lack of protein, liver cirrhosis, circulatory disorders, and also due to a disease of the lymphatic system. In the case of allergies, the swelling is called angioedema, and usually spreads to the face and neck.

Swelling is especially pronounced in those parts of the larynx where loose connective tissue predominates - in the area of ​​the epiglottis, posterior laryngeal wall, aryepiglottic folds, and less often it appears in the area of ​​the vocal folds.

The patient feels the presence of a foreign body inside, he constantly has difficulty swallowing, voice disturbance, and a feeling of constriction of the larynx, which is characterized by the formation of a false croup. Laryngeal stenosis especially often occurs at night, and a person wakes up from a sudden attack of suffocation.

Pulmonary edema is a fatal condition for the victim, as it is accompanied by massive penetration of the liquid part of the blood into the lung tissue. May be accompanied by myocardial infarction, myocarditis, hypertension, cardiosclerosis, chronic and acute heart failure, accompanied by the formation of acute left ventricular failure, pneumosclerosis, chronic bronchitis, and damage to the nervous system. It can also develop due to poisoning or allergies.

In some cases, swelling of the lung tissue is formed as a reaction of the body:

• for the administration of drugs;
• for the extraction of ascitic and pleural fluid;
• for transfusion of too large a volume of solutions.

The process of edema development depends on an increase in pressure in the pulmonary circulation and an increase in the permeability of capillary walls. Due to such conditions, an effusion of the liquid part of the blood occurs into the alveoli, as well as into the interstitial lung tissue.

The transudate that accumulates in the alveoli has a high concentration of protein that forms foam. The foam helps to reduce the area of ​​the respiratory surface of the lungs, and the patient develops severe respiratory failure, accompanied by suffocation.

The danger of the pathology lies, among other things, in the fact that it can develop even in a healthy person after too intense physical activity, if as a result he has a rupture of the chordae tendineae in the mitral valve. Against this background, acute mitral insufficiency develops. The patient, in addition to the acute state of asphyxia, develops a cough with foamy sputum, pink-colored with blood.

Lack of air due to pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory process in the lungs of an infectious nature, the causative agent of which can be varieties of pathogens, fungi, viruses, bacteria, developing independently or as a complication of other diseases. It affects the alveoli of the lungs, the main function of which is to participate in gas exchange and the supply of oxygen to the body’s blood.

Pneumonia most often occurs in people with weak immune systems, the elderly and children. The disease usually begins acutely, with high fever, weakness, increased sweating, shortness of breath and, in severe cases, suffocation. If the development of the disease occurs gradually, the patient is bothered by a dry cough, lethargy, fatigue and headache.

Depending on the location of the inflammatory process, pneumonia occurs:

• focal: the disease occupies a small part of the lung tissue;
• lobar: the entire lobe of the lung becomes inflamed;
• segmental: occupies one or more segments of the lungs;
• confluent: in this case, inflammation begins with small foci and gradually merges into larger foci;
• total: the most severe variant of pneumonia, when the pathological process spreads to the entire lung.

Oncological processes in the lungs

They represent the formation of malignant neoplasms that affect the walls of the bronchi and lungs, grow rapidly, and metastasize to nearby organs and tissues. Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Its symptoms are so characteristic that it is difficult to confuse it with other pathologies. Tumors in the lungs are more often found in middle-aged men, especially often in smokers and passive smokers.

Gradually growing tumors displace lung tissue, affect their internal structure, make breathing difficult and cause suffocation in a person, along with coughing, chest pain, as well as weight loss and lack of appetite.

Entry of foreign bodies into the respiratory tract

This problem is most relevant for young children, especially under 3-5 years old. In the process of learning about the world around them, children love to put into their mouths everything that comes to hand - small coins, small toys, peas. When you inhale sharply, for example, when laughing, frightened, crying, these objects quickly easily fall into the lumen of the larynx. The most common way foreign objects get in is during a conversation or while eating. By closing the lumen of the trachea with itself, the element blocks the access of air to the lungs. When a foreign object enters the larynx, it provokes a coughing attack - a reflex cough helps to push the element out through the oral cavity. However, in cases where a foreign body completely closes the lumen of the larynx or trachea, the victim experiences asphyxia, loss of consciousness, and then respiratory and cardiac arrest. The condition requires immediate first aid, otherwise the person dies in a matter of minutes.

When the bronchi are blocked, an inflammatory process develops in a person. Incomplete blockage of the airways is accompanied by severe bouts of coughing, noisy breathing with wheezing, and hoarseness. The patient feels panic, fear and anxiety. Against the background of insufficiency of air, cyanosis is observed in the skin of the face and upper body, widening of the wings of the nose when a person tries to draw in air through the nose as intensely as possible, as well as retraction of the intercostal spaces.

Complete blockage means that the patient is not able to take a breath at all, he loses his voice, and very quickly loses consciousness due to oxygen deficiency and dies from not receiving timely help.

Anaphylactic shock in allergy sufferers

Anaphylactic shock refers to a deadly condition of allergy sufferers, when the victim experiences acute vascular collapse and lack of air. An immediate allergic reaction develops in response to exposure to an allergen in large quantities.

The condition is accompanied by vascular collapse and depression of vital functions. The patient has noticeably intense redness of the skin, he is tormented by a feeling of tightness behind the sternum, severe suffocation and lack of air, as well as increasing swelling of the tissues.

Severe swelling of the upper respiratory tract leads to complete disruption, to which the central nervous system reacts with a state of abnormal arousal, an attack of fear, and depression of consciousness. Then the person falls into a coma and dies if he does not receive medical help.

If a patient has an allergic reaction and anaphylactic shock of moderate severity, he also experiences breathing problems, shortness of breath, a hoarse voice, he develops a cough, and he also needs medical attention, but the life-threatening condition does not develop so rapidly.

Often the cause of anaphylactic shock is an insect bite, injection of drugs, ingestion of pollen, blood products, chemical elements and certain foods.

Chest injuries, myocardial infarction

Asphyxia occurs as a result of prolonged and strong compression of the chest or upper abdomen. A disturbance in the venous outflow from the upper half of the body develops in the body, venous pressure increases, as a result of which the victim develops multiple small hemorrhages in the skin, mucous membranes, brain and internal organs. Due to impaired blood circulation, the skin becomes bluish in color.

Traumatic asphyxia is often accompanied by contusion of the lungs and heart, and liver damage. In addition to pinpoint hemorrhages, the patient experiences alternating periods of agitation and lethargy, severe respiratory failure, swelling of the face, visual disturbances, rapid shallow breathing, and sometimes even impaired coordination and orientation in space. Without medical assistance, such a victim stops breathing and cardiac activity, resulting in death.

Myocardial infarction is a pathology that occurs as a result of obliteration or stenosis of the coronary arteries. Due to the fact that blood from the blocked artery cannot flow normally into the heart, the heart muscle experiences acute hypoxia and undergoes a necrotic process. Normally, a specific area of ​​the heart receives oxygen dissolved in the blood that is supplied to it by the artery. Blockage of this artery within 30 minutes provokes the death of heart muscle cells. In place of dead tissue, inelastic scars appear, due to which the organ cannot fully function. The heart, whose main function is pumping, begins to pump blood less easily as a result of a heart attack. During a heart attack, a patient experiences anxiety, pain in the heart and chest, lack of air and suffocation. Pain can migrate from the sternum and radiate to the jaw, arm, shoulder, or back.

The risk group for the development of pathology is overweight people, smokers, hypertensive patients, as well as those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, the elderly. You can recognize the approach of a heart attack by more frequent attacks of angina with shortness of breath and pain in the heart, but such a prodromal period does not always develop.

A dangerous complication of a heart attack is acute left ventricular failure and post-infarction pericarditis. In this case, patients experience a severe deterioration in well-being, accompanied by the following symptoms:

• swelling of the neck veins;
• severe shortness of breath;
• ascites;
• swelling of the legs;
• clouding and loss of consciousness.

Types and degrees of shortness of breath

Shortness of breath or dyspnea in medical terminology is a violation of the respiratory rhythm towards faster or slower. In medicine, there are three types of dyspnea:

1. Inspiratory. Heavy breath. Difficulty in passing air through the upper parts of the lungs. A sign of inspiratory dyspnea is frequent inhalations when talking or speaking in public.
2. Expiratory. Difficulty breathing. Narrowing or blockage of the lower parts of the lungs.
3. Mixed. Both inhalation and exhalation are difficult. The respiratory surface of the lungs is reduced.

There are five degrees of severity of shortness of breath:

• 0 — shortness of breath appears with increased physical activity;
• 1 - difficulty breathing occurs after fast walking or climbing stairs;
• 2 — dyspnea begins due to minor exertion;
• 3 - a person needs rest even with minimal exertion;
• 4 - shortness of breath occurs at rest.

The fourth stage indicates the presence of a serious disease that requires careful examination.

Colds and flu

Inflamed airways or a stuffy nose can cause difficulty breathing

People with colds and flu may experience difficulty breathing due to the following problems:

• nasal congestion;
• sore throat;
• inflammation of the respiratory tract;
• sinusitis;
• excess mucus production in the respiratory tract.

If breathing difficulties develop due to the flu or cold, the problem usually resolves on its own in just a few days. Such diseases do not always require drug treatment. Usually, people need enough rest and significant fluid intake to maintain fluid balance.

Physiology of the respiratory process and why there may be problems

When it is difficult to breathe and there is not enough air, the reasons may be a disruption of complex processes at the physiological level. Oxygen enters our body, into the lungs and spreads to all cells thanks to surfactant.

This is a complex of various active substances (polysaccharides, proteins, phospholipids, etc.) lining the alveoli of the lungs. Responsible for ensuring that the lung bubbles do not stick together and oxygen freely enters the lungs.

The value of surfactant is very significant - with its help, the spread of air through the alveolar membrane is accelerated 50-100 times. That is, we can say that we can breathe thanks to surfactant.

The less surfactant, the more difficult it will be for the body to ensure normal respiratory processes.

Surfactant helps the lungs absorb and absorb oxygen, prevents the lung walls from sticking together, improves immunity, protects the epithelium and prevents edema. Therefore, if there is a constant feeling of oxygen starvation, it is quite possible that the body is unable to ensure healthy breathing due to failures in the production of surfactant.

conclusions

All of the above methods do not give immediate results during attacks. It takes some time for them to work. It is especially difficult for the body to transition from medications to more beneficial physical activity and psychological training.

At first, the patient will have to struggle with his addiction to medications. Therefore, the transition from pills to a healthy lifestyle must be made gradually. The following can be of great benefit to a patient when he is suffering from attacks of suffocation during VSD:

• adherence to daily routine;
• proper nutrition;
• rejection of bad habits.

Moreover, all changes must have a solid basis. One-time promotions with fairly long intervals between them will not bring any benefit. Breathing exercises performed once a month cannot in any way affect the general state of health during attacks. The main thing is not to give yourself a reason to return to your previous lifestyle. Shortness of breath with VSD is quite an unpleasant phenomenon, but it can be dealt with quite successfully.

What to do if there is a lack of oxygen

First of all, in such a situation you should not panic. It is necessary to assess the situation and make an assumption about the cause of this phenomenon. If it is caused by being in a stuffy room, poisoning with toxic combustion products (for example, in a fire), then you need to go out into fresh air. Or, if the attack happened to someone else, then you should help the victim move to fresh air.

If it is known that dyspnea is caused by some pathology, for example, allergies, asthma or exacerbation of coronary artery disease, then the necessary medications should be taken. For bronchial asthma, this can be aerosols with bronchodilators, for coronary artery disease - nitroglycerin. In case of anaphylactic shock or angioedema, taking antihistamines or corticosteroid anti-inflammatory drugs may help. It is best to use intravenous medications as laryngeal swelling may make swallowing difficult.

Lack of oxygen can also be caused by asphyxia as a result of a foreign object entering the respiratory tract. This is an extremely dangerous condition. If it happened to someone else, then you should try to remove the foreign object using the Heimlich method. If the object cannot be removed, you must immediately call an ambulance.

If a patient is admitted to the hospital with symptoms of suffocation, he can be assisted through artificial oxygenation. Oxygen masks are usually used for this purpose. In severe cases, if the patient cannot breathe on his own, a ventilator is used.

If you find yourself in a situation where frequent yawning and shortness of breath occur, do not try to panic - this will only worsen the problem. The first thing you need to do is to provide an additional flow of oxygen: open a window or vent, if possible, go outside.

Try to loosen as much as possible the clothing that prevents you from fully inhaling: take off your tie, unbutton your collar, corset or bra. To avoid dizziness, it is better to take a sitting or lying position. Now you need to take a very deep breath through your nose and an extended exhalation through your mouth.

After several such breaths, the condition usually improves noticeably. If this does not happen, and the dangerous symptoms listed above are added to the lack of air, call an ambulance immediately.

Before medical professionals arrive, do not take medications on your own if they are not prescribed by your doctor - they can distort the clinical picture and make it difficult to make a diagnosis.

Diagnostic measures

Methods for diagnosing cardiac asthma are very extensive and include:

• physical examination;
• clinical urine analysis;
• biochemical and clinical blood tests;
• ECG;
• Holter monitoring;
• stress ECG;
• Ultrasound of the heart;
• chest x-ray;
• cardiac catheterization;
• CT;
• MRI;
• coronary angiography.

When studying the anamnesis, special attention is paid to the characteristics of shortness of breath. It is difficult to breathe when inhaling or exhaling. Sometimes shortness of breath is mixed.

Which doctor should I contact if I have shortness of breath?

If this clinical manifestation is regular, you should first visit your doctor. He will conduct an examination, collect anamnesis - and, based on the information received, send the patient to an appointment with a specialist in pulmonology, cariology, hematology, neurology or endocrinology.

If a patient has a traumatic injury to the chest, he should consult a traumatologist. In cases where shortness of breath is part of an emergency condition - it appears suddenly and sharply - you should immediately call an ambulance.

Anaphylactic shock

Anaphylactic shock is a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening and require emergency medical attention. Anaphylactic shock progresses quickly, but it may have early warning signs, which include the following:

• hives;
• narrowing of the throat;
• breathing problems;
• hoarse voice;
• nausea;
• abdominal pain;
• dizziness;
• fast pulse;
• vomit;
• high blood pressure;
• feeling of doom.

General information about the disease

Respiratory neurosis is a psychological condition of a person in which the correct breathing rhythm is disrupted.

Such a change can be formed on the basis of other psycho-emotional disorders or be an independent illness.

In medicine, this type of neurosis has other names: “dysfunctional breathing” and “hyperventilation syndrome.”

A survey of patients diagnosed with disorders of the nervous system showed that 80% of them experienced a change in their usual breathing rhythm, lack of air, and even suffocation.

This not only creates inconvenience, but also increases anxiety, causes a panic attack and an uncontrollable fear of death, worsening the already precarious emotional state of patients.

The functioning of the human respiratory system is controlled by a special part of the brain.

Failure in the activity of the nervous system, stressful and hysterical conditions cause disruption of this complex mechanism.

The respiratory center of the human brain begins to send too frequent impulses, which reach the diaphragm and muscles along the nerve fibers.

In response to such signals, they begin to contract faster, and more air enters the lungs than occurs normally.

This phenomenon of hyperventilation of the lungs inevitably leads to an imbalance of substances: there is too much oxygen and not enough carbon dioxide in the blood.

A deficiency of the latter is called “hypocapnia” . It is this condition that causes the symptoms of respiratory neurosis.

With respiratory neurosis, attacks of suffocation often occur

Pulmonary causes

Pathology of the lungs is the second reason leading to difficulty breathing, and both difficulty in inhaling and exhaling is possible. Pulmonary pathology with respiratory failure is:

• Chronic obstructive diseases - asthma, bronchitis, pneumosclerosis, pneumoconiosis, pulmonary emphysema;
• Pneumo- and hydrothorax;
• Tumors;
• Foreign bodies of the respiratory tract;
• Thromboembolism in the branches of the pulmonary arteries.

Chronic inflammatory and sclerotic changes in the pulmonary parenchyma greatly contribute to respiratory failure. They are aggravated by smoking, poor environmental conditions, and recurrent infections of the respiratory system. Shortness of breath is initially disturbing during physical exertion, gradually becoming permanent as the disease progresses to a more severe and irreversible stage of its course.

With lung pathology, the gas composition of the blood is disrupted, and a lack of oxygen occurs, which, first of all, is lacking in the head and brain. Severe hypoxia provokes metabolic disorders in the nervous tissue and the development of encephalopathy.

Patients with bronchial asthma are well aware of how breathing is disrupted during an attack: it becomes very difficult to exhale, discomfort and even pain in the chest appears, arrhythmia is possible, sputum is difficult to separate when coughing and is extremely scarce, the neck veins swell. Patients with such shortness of breath sit with their hands on their knees - this position reduces venous return and the load on the heart, alleviating the condition. Most often, it is difficult for such patients to breathe and lack air at night or in the early morning hours.

In a severe asthmatic attack, the patient suffocates, the skin becomes bluish, panic and some disorientation are possible, and status asthmaticus may be accompanied by convulsions and loss of consciousness.

In case of breathing problems due to chronic pulmonary pathology, the patient’s appearance changes: the chest becomes barrel-shaped, the spaces between the ribs increase, the neck veins are large and dilated, as well as the peripheral veins of the extremities. The expansion of the right half of the heart against the background of sclerotic processes in the lungs leads to its failure, and shortness of breath becomes mixed and more severe, that is, not only the lungs cannot cope with breathing, but the heart cannot provide adequate blood flow, filling the venous part of the systemic circulation with blood.

There is also a lack of air in the case of pneumonia, pneumothorax, hemothorax. With inflammation of the pulmonary parenchyma, it becomes not only difficult to breathe, the temperature also rises, there are obvious signs of intoxication on the face, and the cough is accompanied by sputum production.

An extremely serious cause of sudden respiratory failure is considered to be the entry of a foreign body into the respiratory tract. This could be a piece of food or a small part of a toy that the baby accidentally inhales while playing. A victim with a foreign body begins to choke, turns blue, quickly loses consciousness, and cardiac arrest is possible if help does not arrive in time.

Thromboembolism of the pulmonary vessels can also lead to sudden and rapidly increasing shortness of breath and cough. It occurs more often in people suffering from pathology of the blood vessels of the legs, heart, and destructive processes in the pancreas. With thromboembolism, the condition can be extremely severe with increasing asphyxia, bluish skin, rapid cessation of breathing and heartbeat.

In some cases, severe shortness of breath is caused by allergies and Quincke's edema, which are also accompanied by stenosis of the lumen of the larynx. The cause may be a food allergen, a wasp sting, inhalation of plant pollen, or a drug. In these cases, both the child and the adult require emergency medical care to relieve the allergic reaction, and in case of asphyxia, tracheostomy and artificial ventilation may be required.

Treatment of pulmonary dyspnea should be differentiated. If the cause is a foreign body, then it must be removed as quickly as possible; in case of allergic edema, the child and adult are advised to administer antihistamines, glucocorticoid hormones, and adrenaline. In case of asphyxia, a tracheo- or conicotomy is performed.

For bronchial asthma, treatment is multi-stage, including beta-adrenergic agonists (salbutamol) in sprays, anticholinergics (ipratropium bromide), methylxanthines (aminophylline), glucocorticosteroids (triamcinolone, prednisolone).

Acute and chronic inflammatory processes require antibacterial and detoxification therapy, and compression of the lungs with pneumo- or hydrothorax, obstruction of the airway by a tumor is an indication for surgery (puncture of the pleural cavity, thoracotomy, removal of part of the lung, etc.).

Paroxysmal dyspnea

Certain cardiac and vascular pathologies (in particular ischemia) lead to heart failure. It loses its ability to fully pump blood. Stagnation in the veins of the pulmonary circulation causes respiratory failure, symptoms of which are often observed at night.

The blood of a patient who has assumed a horizontal position is redistributed - part of it from the lower part of the body enters the upper part. An increase in pressure in the small blood vessels of the lungs causes blood to leak into the interalveolar cavities. Impaired gas exchange provokes difficulty in inhaling.

Patients usually find it difficult to breathe at night if they sleep on a bed with a low headboard. If you place another pillow under the sleeping person's head or sit him down, relief usually comes quickly. This is one of the indicative signs of cardiac asthma.

Diseases that cause lack of air

Patients suffering from pathological conditions characterized by heart rhythm disturbances complain of shortness of breath and lack of air:

• Increased heart rate (tachycardia);
• Untimely contraction of the heart and its individual chambers (extrasystole);
• Premature excitation of the ventricles (Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome).

People suffer from it in diseases characterized by a lack of blood supply to the myocardium: angina pectoris, ischemia. The severity of the feeling of lack of air depends on the form and degree of insufficiency: in mild cases it is recorded under minor loads or in stressful situations. The problem is manifested by a lack of oxygen and rapid breathing when doing work or while walking. Other symptoms include cyanosis, chest pain, and swelling of the legs.

A feeling of lack of air develops during inflammatory processes of the pleural layers, accompanied by the appearance of fibrin on their surface or the accumulation of exudate in the cavity. Breathing disorders occur due to severe pain of an acute stabbing or dull pulling nature: the patient tries not to inhale deeply so as not to experience them. The above is accompanied by fever, chills, and cough.

The most common triggering factor for lack of air is pathologies that provoke obstructions and, as a result, limited oxygen supply. This is typical for acute and chronic stenosis:

• In the first case, the patient feels anxiety or agitation, panic, and fear of death. In order to alleviate the condition, he leans on his hands, leaning forward. Other symptoms: gradual increase in breathing rate, its shallowness, cyanosis;
• In the second case, there is a gradual increase in shortness of breath due to benign neoplasms, thyroid lesions, and laryngomalacia. Accompanying clinical manifestations are barking cough, memory impairment, and absent-mindedness.

Inflammatory and diffuse lesions of the lung tissue - initiate deficiency due to the fact that part of the lungs is “switched off” from the breathing process. This happens when:

• Lobar pneumonia - inflammatory processes of an infectious-allergic nature, covering one or more lobes of the lung and pleura;
• Idiopathic pneumonia - progressive inflammation covering the alveolar walls and parenchymal tissue;
• Bronchopulmonary amyloidosis - characterized by the deposition of fibrillar protein in the tissues and organs of the respiratory system;
• Pulmonary tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Koch's bacillus, characterized by lesions of the lung tissue.

Foreign bodies in the respiratory tract

Blocking the airways with foreign objects can not only make breathing difficult, but also make it impossible. The person feels suffocated, restless, and takes a position in which he can at least somehow breathe. The symptom develops suddenly after accidentally inhaling an object and is accompanied by coughing, lacrimation, and intense salivation.

Pulmonary and pleural neoplasms of malignant etiology

Respiratory disorders are accompanied by a complex of specific symptoms, depending on the location of the neoplasia. Common to all are rapid fatigue, appetite disturbances, and rapid loss of body weight. A similar thing happens with pleural cancer or lung adenocarcinoma, in which malignant cells spread along the walls of the alveoli and bronchioles.

Traumatic injuries to the lungs and chest

This type of injury is called thoracic. These include:

• Bruised ribs - insufficiency is caused by the fact that the patient himself limits the depth of inspiration due to pain symptoms;
• Closed pneumothorax is a violation of the integrity of the pleura, accompanied by blue lips, severe stabbing symptoms in the chest area, cold sweat, and a drop in blood pressure.

Diseases

Causes, symptoms

Difficulty breathing, feeling as if there is not enough air or oxygen: first aid

If there is a person nearby who has an attack of lack of air, urgently open the windows, bring him and sit him by the window. Check to see if there were any injuries or anything getting inside. If possible, check for swelling. At the same time, call an ambulance and describe the situation over the phone; depending on the circumstances, doctors will adjust your actions.

If this is your relative or friend and this is not the first time the situation has arisen, you probably know that the patient has medications. Give medicine immediately to relieve symptoms.

Reasons for the development of pathology

There are many factors that provoke attacks of cardiac dyspnea - congenital anomalies and acquired diseases, the risk of developing which increases with the patient’s age. Among the reasons for the progression of cardiac asthma are:

• heart defects;
• cardiomyopathy;
• heart failure;
• inflammatory processes (pericarditis, myocarditis);
• coronary syndrome;
• cardiac tamponade.

Thrombophlebitis of deep veins can provoke difficulty breathing. Blood clots that arise in the extremities can move into the main pulmonary vessel and block its lumen, causing necrosis of a section of the lung.

Central dyspnea

The central type is called dyspnea, which is a sign of pathological processes in the central nervous system (CNS). Such shortness of breath differs from all others in that it is not a symptom, but a cause of respiratory failure, leading to serious consequences.

The causes of shortness of breath can be different:

• Disturbances in breathing rhythm can be caused by disorders of brain function that occur due to head injury, stroke, inflammation and swelling. Chemical and drug poisoning can also contribute to lack of air.
• Bradypnea is rare breathing. Occurs due to drug poisoning or abnormalities in the central nervous system.
• Oligopnea is infrequent shallow breathing. May occur due to severe overheating.
• Tachypnea is rapid breathing. Often manifests itself in neuroses and malignant brain tumors.
• Hyperpnea is deep, rapid breathing. Occurs in people who are in a comatose state.

The causes of shortness of breath in children are the same as in adults: pulmonary and heart failure, problems with the bronchi, anemia.

Recognizing the disease is not an easy task

How correctly metabolic reactions occur depends on correct gas exchange. By inhaling air, people receive a portion of oxygen, and by exhaling, they return carbon dioxide to the external environment. A small amount of it is retained in the blood, affecting the acid-base balance.

• When there is an excess of this substance, which appears along with an attack of VSD, respiratory movements become more frequent.
• Lack of carbon dioxide (hypocapnia) leads to rare breathing.

A distinctive feature of VSD is that attacks of suffocation appear with a certain frequency, as a consequence of the influence of a very active stimulus on the psyche. A combination of symptoms is common:

• Feeling like you can't breathe deeply. It becomes stronger when a person finds himself in a crowded place, a closed space. Sometimes worries before an exam, a performance, or an important conversation intensify the so-called empty breath.
• Feeling of a lump in the throat, as if there was an obstacle to the passage of oxygen to the respiratory organs.
• Stiffness of the chest, preventing you from taking a full breath.
• Intermittent breathing (with short stops), accompanied by an obsessive fear of death.
• A sore throat that develops into a continuous, long-lasting dry cough.

Bouts of yawning in the middle of the day and frequent deep sighs are also considered symptoms of a respiratory disorder of neurotic origin. At the same time, discomfort in the heart area and short-term surges in blood pressure may occur.

Emergency assistance for a sudden attack of shortness of breath

All measures will be aimed at maintaining the patient’s condition until the ambulance arrives:

1. Have the person sit on a hard surface;
2. Calm him down, as an attack of shortness of breath is accompanied by panic and fear of death;
3. Unbutton the shirt collar and remove tight clothing from the patient;
4. Indoors, open the windows and let in fresh air;
5. If possible, increase the humidity in the room. You can hang wet rags and towels on the radiators and use a spray bottle to humidify the air.
6. The room in which the person is located must be warm. Warm the patient if possible with heating pads or blankets.
7. Call an ambulance.

All these measures will help improve the condition of a person with a sudden attack of shortness of breath and will help him hold out until qualified medical care begins.

Emphysema

Emphysema is one of the disorders included in the COPD group.

Emphysema is characterized by stretching and destruction, that is, destruction of the pulmonary alveoli - air bubbles through which gas exchange occurs with the pulmonary capillaries. Inhalation of cigarette smoke is the main cause of this condition.

Primary symptoms of emphysema include the following:

• cough;
• increased sputum production;
• shortness of breath during physical activity.

How to take care of your lungs and alveoli

Since we breathe through the lungs through the mouth, and oxygen enters the body only through the alveolar link, if you have breathing problems, you need to take care of the health of the respiratory system. You may also have to pay special attention to the heart, since if there is a lack of oxygen, various problems may begin with it that require prompt treatment.

In addition to eating right and including healthy fatty foods in your diet, there are other effective preventive measures you can take. A good way to improve your health is to visit salt rooms and caves. Now they can easily be found in almost any city.

If a child is sick, there are specialized rooms for children. The value of this is that only with the help of finely divided salt is it possible to cleanse the alveoli of various parasites and pathogenic bacteria. After several sessions in salt rooms, breathing will become much calmer during sleep and during physical activity. The feeling of chronic fatigue that begins to appear following a lack of oxygen will gradually begin to go away.

If there is enough oxygen in the air, it should flow freely into the lungs through the respiratory tract. Moreover, if it is difficult to breathe, the lungs cannot cope with the task of saturating the blood with oxygen. This can happen in cases of damage to a large amount of lung tissue:

• Affected by diseases - emphysema or other diseases;
• Infections – pneumonia, tuberculosis, cryptococcosis;
• Surgical removal or destruction of a large blood clot, benign or malignant tumor.

In such a situation, the remaining amount of lung tissue is not enough to supply the blood vessels with oxygen entering the body during inhalation. If a large portion of the lungs is affected, it is difficult to breathe, rapid breathing, with effort.

Features of breathing during sleep in adults and children

Breathing is necessary to maintain the life of the body. It is divided into external and fabric. The first directly fills the lungs with clean air and removes waste air. The second saturates organs and tissues with oxygen. Both types are related.

Adults and children have their own characteristics in the act of breathing. A child's nasal passages are formed at the age of 3 years. The mucous membrane in them is thin, and when slight swelling occurs, nasal congestion occurs very quickly.

The maxillary sinuses develop by age 14. This structure is the cause of hyperplasia of the pharyngeal tonsil, stenosing laryngitis. Babies' breathing is superficial and abdominal. After 6-7 years, in girls it turns into breastfeeding.

The respiratory rate of an adult is 16-18 per minute. In women during pregnancy, the body needs to reduce diaphragmatic movements, so chest breathing predominates. The abdominal type is observed in men.

Treatment, assistance with suffocation

Important

If you experience a feeling of suffocation, you should immediately consult a doctor. Any delay can cost a person his life.

Until then you need:

• Provide him with peace, emotional and physical. If a child has a seizure and the child is crying, he needs to be calmed down.
• In case of loss of consciousness, ammonia is brought to the nose, and then the patient is offered a glass of water.

When these manipulations are ineffective, it is recommended to hold your breath for a few seconds and then inhale slowly. Another option for relieving spasms is a warm bath, in which you need to sit for 10 - 15 minutes. The last resort is 2 fingers on the tongue, which causes vomiting and relieves spasm.

note

If suffocation occurs due to stress, take medications (antidepressants and tranquilizers). For allergies, antihistamines are given - Suprastin, Tavegil. For bronchial asthma - bronchodilators, for example, Ephedrine.

Diphtheria

An infectious disease of bacterial origin (in most clinical situations) with a classic course. It always begins acutely, with an increase in temperature to 38-39 degrees.

On the second or third day, a sore throat, headaches, and a cough with a small amount of sputum are observed.

By the end of the third day, the tonsils are covered with a white, loose coating, which can be easily removed mechanically.

A feeling of suffocation in the throat occurs only when the process moves lower down the trachea and affects the vocal cords, which swell for 1-3 days, in other cases it is rare.

Let's sum it up

If you experience a sudden lack of air during sleep once, there is no need to worry. However, when the disorder manifests itself regularly, there is no need to postpone a visit to the doctor.

This symptom most often indicates the development of serious diseases. The sooner the cause of respiratory failure can be determined, the greater the chance of preventing serious complications.

Monitor your health and pay attention to sudden changes in your health.

Author: Dasha Pashchenko

Neoplasms of the throat and larynx

Neoplasia in the laryngopharynx almost always causes suffocation and shortness of breath, as they block the lumen of the respiratory tract (so-called occlusion occurs).

There are several types of tumors:

• Angiomas. Vascular tumors. They are not prone to growth, so they are removed in extreme cases.
• Benign.
• Lipomas. They're wen.
• Chordomas. Neoplasia of cartilage tissue.
• Lymphangiomas. Tumors of lymphoid tissue.
• Fibroids. Neoplasms from connective tissue.
• Polyps. A type of fibroids. Prone to malignancy (malignant degeneration)

There are only two types of malignant neoplasia:

• Carcinomas.
• Sarcomas (much more aggressive than the first type).

Treatment in all cases is surgical.

Diagnosis of air shortage

The initial stages of diagnosis are usually carried out by a therapist. He carries out an examination and collects anamnesis, after which, after analyzing the data obtained, he sends the patient to specialized specialists. To clarify the diagnosis, the latter prescribe the following studies:

• Chest X-ray to detect diseases and injuries;
• Electrocardiography - aimed at identifying heart disease;
• Spirometry - examines the functions of external respiration;
• Laryngoscopy - detects foreign bodies and diseases of the larynx.

Signal of illness or not?

Even when we sit, at rest, complex chemical reactions take place in our body. The breathing process is absolutely natural, it occurs without our control. Moreover, if you try to do this, a glitch occurs: how many breaths should you take, how often? And it becomes difficult to maintain 16 inhalations and exhalations per minute.

But sometimes something happens and you want to control your breathing. Especially if it seems like we don't have enough air. This may be quite normal after exercise. For example, jogging or climbing to the 14th floor. Forced holding of breath or psychological stress can also change the usual rhythm. For a few minutes or hours. But what if none of the above took place?

Joseph A. Annibali’s book “The Anxious Brain. How to calm your thoughts, heal your mind, and take back control of your life.”

An attack of lack of air (hyperventilation syndrome) - often occurs during inhalation during VSD, panic attack or disorder. For example, with bronchial asthma it is difficult to exhale, and not vice versa. With mental disorders, the manifestations are very individual, but breathing problems are most often observed.

This symptom causes the greatest horror. When a person feels a lack of oxygen or even suffocation, it is difficult to remain calm. Often real panic sets in. There may also be a reverse mechanism: panic occurs first.

With some cardiovascular problems: tachycardia, pressure surges, lack of air appears. This is how the body tries to draw attention to internal problems and the need to eliminate them. The reason may also be hormonal imbalance. The question arises, which doctor to contact. You can visit a therapist, cardiologist, neurologist and endocrinologist.

If a diagnosis is not made and you are told about the health of your body from a medical point of view, this means that the problem is purely psychological in nature. And if so, you need to work with her! Then you need to see a psychologist.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

COPD is a common cause of a feeling of choking in the throat. The essence of the pathological process is the development of intense obstruction of the alveoli and bronchial tree.

Reasons for the formation of the disease:

• Smoking. It has a negative effect on the lungs and bronchi.
• Work at cement plants, chemical industrial facilities.
• Genetic predisposition.

Prematurity in childhood, active and passive smoking, and dietary levels low in vitamins play a major role in the development of the problem.

Characteristic symptoms:

• Destruction of the lung parenchyma, as seen on x-rays and tomography.
• Separation of a large amount of sputum during the cough reflex.
• Increased blood pressure (hypertension).
• Formation of the so-called pulmonary heart (enlargement of its right parts as a result of lung pathology).
• Hyperventilation syndrome.
• Intense cough.
• Shortness of breath and suffocation.

There is no specific treatment. Therapy is carried out with corticosteroids and bronchodilators.

Angina

It is also acute or chronic tonsillitis. The causes are always infectious. The main role in the development of pathology is played by decreased immunity.

Symptoms: sore throat, weakness, fever, excessive exudation, etc.

Upon visual examination, both or one tonsil is enlarged. It is their swelling that causes suffocation in the throat, since the lumen of the larynx narrows significantly.

The treatment is specific, anti-inflammatory and aimed at destroying bacteria or other pathogens.

Preventive actions

When the first signs of vegetative-vascular dystonia occur, it is recommended to prevent shortness of breath. This is an integral part of the complex treatment of the pathological process. prevention of breathing difficulties requires the patient to adjust their lifestyle.

A person must strictly observe a regime of rest and activity. The duration of a healthy night's sleep is at least 8 hours . It is recommended that a person sleep on a comfortable mattress and in a well-ventilated area.

During the course of the pathology, it is recommended to adhere to the rules of rational nutrition. The patient should give preference to products that contain large amounts of potassium and magnesium.

The diet for VSD is developed for the patient in accordance with the type of vegetative-vascular dystonia. To prevent symptoms, the patient should take a daily walk in the fresh air.

The duration of one walk is 30 minutes. In order to avoid the development of the pathological process, the patient is recommended to undergo daily feasible physical activity.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia is a severe pathological process, which is accompanied by a variety of unpleasant symptoms. One of these is shortness of breath. It develops against the background of physical and psychological provoking factors. The pathological process is accompanied by additional symptoms, when they appear the patient should consult a doctor. After determining the cause of shortness of breath, the doctor will prescribe effective therapy to the patient. It involves the use of medications, psychotherapy, and additional techniques.

Prevention and recommendations for shortness of breath

Physiological shortness of breath goes away on its own after the person has rested. However, if the problem arose acutely and suddenly, the following measures should be taken to alleviate his condition:

• Calm down and sit on a sofa or chair, comfortably resting your back;
• Remove or unfasten tight clothing, a belt that is too tight;
• Provide fresh air by opening a window or door;
• Humidify the air by hanging a pre-wetted sheet near the patient;
• Offer a herbal sedative.

If a person knows about his illness and he has drugs that alleviate his condition, he should be offered to drink them. If he does not feel better within fifteen minutes, he will have to call an ambulance.

There is no specific prevention in this case. However, you can minimize the risk of developing this condition by following these rules:

• Maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle;
• Avoiding excessive physical activity and stress;
• Body weight control;
• Timely treatment of diseases;
• Systematic completion of preventive studies.

Remember: lack of air can be a sign of serious pathological conditions. That is why CELT specialists recommend promptly finding out its causes and taking appropriate measures!

Alternative names: paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea; PNO; difficulty breathing when lying down; orthopnea

Difficulty breathing while lying down is an abnormal condition in which a person must keep his head elevated while sitting or standing to be able to breathe deeply and to be comfortable. A type of difficulty breathing while lying down is paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. This condition causes a person to suddenly wake up at night with a feeling of suffocation. This is a common complaint in people with certain types of heart or lungs. Sometimes people may just notice that their sleep is more comfortable with more pillows under their heads.