Having shortness of breath can be a normal part of life. You may ask, when is your shortness of breath serious? Here are 3 signs that your breathing difficulties need immediate medical intervention:. It can be a change in the weather, the use of cleaning products or a common cold that opens the door. Spring weather in Texas can lead to allergy attacks, bronchitis and pneumonia.
Any one of these conditions can reduce lung function and capacity. As a result, you can feel weak and run-down. If you have been diagnosed with asthma or COPD, severe shortness of breath is particularly dangerous.
Nick Peters. There are several conditions you could be experiencing if your shortness of breath is accompanied by any of these three symptoms. In this case, it could quickly become a medical emergency that needs urgent attention. Possible causes include:.
If anyone has concerns about their ability to breathe, they or someone else should seek emergency medical help. If breathing problems persist, they can lead to low oxygen levels in the blood, and this can soon become a life-threatening emergency.
In light of the COVID pandemic , shortness of breath has become widely associated with this illness. But you should seek emergency medical attention if you experience:.
Many simply involve changing position, which can help relax your body and airways. This is a simple way to control shortness of breath due to panic, COPD, or hyperventilation.
It helps quickly slow your pace of breathing, which makes each breath deeper and more effective. Pursed breathing helps empty the lungs of dead space air that occurs in COPD. It also helps release air trapped air from your lungs.
To perform pursed lip breathing :. If you have both a chair and table to use, you may find this to be a slightly more comfortable sitting position in which to catch your breath. This position is another form of tripod breathing, which creates more space for the lungs in the chest.
As with other forms of tripod breathing mentioned above, this position makes more space in the chest for your lungs. People with sleep apnea experience shortness of breath while they sleep. This can lead to waking up frequently, which can diminish the quality and duration of your sleep.
Try lying on your side with a pillow between your legs and your head elevated by pillows, keeping your back straight. Or lie on your back with your head elevated , and your knees bent, with a pillow under your knees. Both of these positions help your body and airways relax, making breathing easier. Have your doctor assess you for sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine if recommended. Diaphragmatic breathing can also help manage shortness of breath.
A study found that combining these breathing strategies helped expand chest volume in a group of people with COPD and reduced the number of breaths they needed to take. Various experts recommend using a fan to blow cool air and help relieve shortness of breath, and some older research supports this.
Pointing a small handheld fan toward your face may help your symptoms. Findings published in found using a fan helped people who had difficulty breathing due to late-stage cancer. An early study indicated that caffeine relaxes the muscles in the airways of people with asthma , which could help improve lung function for up to 4 hours. It does this by blocking the receptors of certain chemicals that contribute to shortness of breath. Resources Find an Expert. Many conditions can make you feel short of breath: Lung conditions such as asthma , emphysema , or pneumonia Problems with your trachea or bronchi , which are part of your airway system Heart disease can make you feel breathless if your heart cannot pump enough blood to supply oxygen to your body Anxiety and panic attacks Allergies If you often have trouble breathing, it is important to find out the cause.
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