How To Tell The Difference Between Breathing Problems From Anxiety And The New Coronavirus
To be really upfront, this is a tricky topic overall. Its one thing to explain expert-based advice for differentiating between the two, but the nature of anxiety can make it really hard to put into practice. First, well walk through expert insight on how to try to tell the difference, then well get into the nuances of why this advice can be hard to followplus what you might still be able to do for relief.
Even though shortness of breath from anxiety can certainly make you panic that you have the new coronavirus, there are a couple of concrete ways to try to tell whats causing your shortness of breath, Dr. Castriotta says.
First, think about if you have a history of shortness of breath as an anxiety symptom. If youve experienced multiple spells of anxiety manifesting with the exact symptoms youre currently dealing with, including shortness of breath, it might be easier to convince yourself thats what is going on. If thats the situation at hand, here are some tips for dealing with overwhelming new coronavirus anxiety. If your anxiety normally presents in other ways and this shortness of breath is new for you, thats worth noting and bringing up with your doctor or therapist via a phone call or a virtual visit.
How Do You Know If You Have A Problem With Anxiety
Anyone can experience anxiety. Situational anxiety can snowball and begin to develop into a bigger problem, or an anxiety disorder. Some people have always been anxious and may have anxiety disorders without much external stress.
There are a number of different types of anxiety disorders, but two of the most common are generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
The Potentially Debilitating Symptoms Of Anxiety
If you are living with one of the many forms of anxiety, you are painfully aware of the symptoms. You might feel as if your thoughts are racing and your body is trembling or sweating. You could feel like your heart is beating entirely too fast, or about to burst out of your chest. It can make falling asleep nearly impossible or wake you during the night. If you are currently living with an anxiety disorder, you may also recognize some of these symptoms:
- Feelings of impending doom
- Feeling tense or nervous
- Avoiding situations that trigger anxiety
Anxiety can be mild, or it can interfere with your life. One of the more debilitating, and often alarming, results is its ability to affect the way you breathe. Anxiety can quickly suck you into a vicious cycle of feeling like you cant breathe, escalated anxiety, then increased breathing difficulties.
Don’t Miss: How To Cope With Dental Anxiety
Breathing Slowly To Combat Shortness Of Breath
The Effects Of Shortness Of Breath On Anxiety
Having shortness of breath when experiencing anxiety is not a fun experience and is not easy to handle. The difficult part about experiencing shortness of breath when feeling anxious is even though the anxiety may have caused the shortness of breath, the short, low, and shallow breathing will cause a person to lose control of the anxious reaction to the stimulating issue. Many people who experience shortness of breath will have panic attacks as a result of losing control of their anxiety.
There is a science as to why shortness of breath worsens anxiety. When a person is experiencing a shortness of breath as a reaction to anxiety he or she is bringing less oxygen into the lungs and body. Oxygen plays an important role in stress management because it prevents stress and reduces strain on the body and mind. The oxygen that is brought to the muscles of the body prevents them from becoming too tense, which makes anxiety worse. It also has an effect on the brain, which is also a muscle, by straining its functions and altering its ability to properly process information. This strain on the brain causes the anxiety to increase as rationalizing, reasoning and emotional management capabilities are hindered by the lack of oxygen. Both muscle tension and racing thoughts are symptoms of anxiety and will both be exacerbated by the low oxygen supply caused by shortness of breath.
Recommended Reading: What Scent Helps With Anxiety
Symptoms Of Shortness Of Breath: Dyspnea Signs And Symptoms
When your body starts experiencing something that is not normal, here are some symptoms you need to watch out for if you have to be sure it is breathlessness. You need to visit your doctor if you frequent shortness of breath is followed by any of the following.
Shortness Of Breath After Covid
Shortness of breath is a common symptom of COVID-19 . Some people describe it as feeling puffed, short of breath or winded.
The feeling of shortness of breath may continue for a while after your illness. This is a normal part of the recovery process.
Normal activities can make you feel short of breath, for example:
- getting dressed
- walking to the bathroom
- doing jobs around the house
When you learn to control your breathing, your stamina will improve. You will then be able to do more before feeling short of breath.
Read Also: How To Get Of Anxiety
Whats The Link Between Anxiety And Shortness Of Breath
Anxiety is very prevalent, but its triggers vary among individuals, who will also experience it in many different ways. Some people with anxiety may notice that they have shortness of breath.
Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is a common symptom of anxiety. As with other anxiety symptoms, it can feel worrying, but it is ultimately harmless and will go away when the anxiety lifts.
Feeling short of breath can make people more anxious. It can make a person feel as though they are experiencing a breathing or heart problem. However, it is likely to be due to the physiological changes that anxiety can cause, such as an increased heart rate and higher levels of adrenaline. When doctors evaluate people with shortness of breath, they will first rule out any serious physical causes.
In this article, we explore the link between anxiety and shortness of breath. We also take a look at other possible causes of shortness of breath.
Everyone feels anxious sometimes, but for some people, anxiety can significantly get in the way of daily life. Generalized anxiety disorder affects 3.1% of people in the United States in any given year. It is more common in females than in males.
One of the symptoms of anxiety is shortness of breath. Shortness of breath may also occur in people with panic disorder.
When people consult a doctor for shortness of breath, the doctor must check for physical causes, such as breathing and heart conditions.
- diazepam
- lorazepam
The Quality Of The Sensation And What It Might Mean
Many things contribute to a sensation of shortness of breath,7 and the symptom breaks down into three messily overlapping qualities, which are interesting but dont tell us much about whats going on, just a couple rough clues:
- Effort: a sensation of excessive work or effort to breathe, like breathing is just a slog. It is loosely associated with impairment of the muscular function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease .
- Tightness: feeling tight may involve actual contstriction of airways as would occur in the early stages of an asthma attack . However, tightness can also be caused by actual spasticity of respiratory muscles, which could be ordinary muscle pain or more serious, like the infamous squeezing hug of multiple sclerosis.
- Air hunger: the most complex sensation, unsatisfied inspiration is described by patients in many ways, like starved for air or my breaths feel too small. Of the treatable causes, it is most clearly associated with anxiety. Although it sure doesnt feel like it, it can occur without any actual loss of respiratory capacity.
Recommended Reading: Is It My Heart Or Anxiety
Establish Calm By Engaging The Parasympathetic Nervous System
You do not need to be hyperventilating for anxiety to affect your breathing, You may find, that under stress, you start breathing through your mouth. Its very common, but mouth breathing is essentially an emergency function. To Your brain, you are justifying the emergency response. Your sympathetic nervous system will remain in high gear until your body has an indication that the threat has passed. You may have noticed that rapid shallow breathing can even trigger feelings of anxiety, or symptoms with no apparent trigger.
You can calm this sympathetic response, the rapid heart rate, and breathing difficulties, by activating your parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system response is like switching on an emergency brake to slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, decrease your muscle tension and restore your breathing back to its pre-alerted, calm state.
Long Term Treatment For Shortness Of Breath
In the long term, the key is to get both your breathing and your anxiety under control.
Breathing strategies tend to focus on “retraining” the mind to breathe correctly.If you have been experiencing anxiety you may have become very used to breathing too quickly. Many experts recommend deep breathing exercises. They’re a form of relaxation exercise that involves sitting still and learning to breathe slowly through your stomach instead of your chest.
These exercises can be lead by an instructor, or you could find a script on a relaxation CD or video. Research suggests that practicing breath training will help your body learn to breathe better, and ultimately prevent hyperventilation. Yoga and meditation also have deep breathing components, and these can help you retrain the way you breathe.
Still, the most important treatment is going to be learning to control your anxiety. Only by managing your anxiety and limiting its symptoms will anxiety-related shortness of breath go away, and will it become possible to reduce any stress you experience during shortness of breath episodes.
Anxiety is a very treatable condition. You can learn to control this anxiety by:
Anxiety is very treatable. With the right techniques, you can overcome your anxiety, manage your symptoms, and experience a better quality of life.
Was this article helpful?
Recommended Reading: What To Take For Anxiety Attacks
Standing With Supported Arms
In the classic tripod position, you can do this by placing a cane on the floor in front of you and leaning on it with both hands.
How To Treat Shortness Of Breath
Usually, how dyspnea is treated will depend on the underlying cause of the problem.
Overexertion is one cause of breathlessness. This will stop on its own once the person takes a good amount of rest. Constant shortness of breath or severe ones are treated with supplemental oxygen. Asthma patients are treated with bronchodilator whenever need be.
When dyspnea is linked with asthma, bronchodilator and steroids respond very well to the condition. Antibiotics come to the rescue when breathlessness is due to any infection.
Altering or changing your lifestyle can also help as a breathing problem solution.
- Quit smoking, shortness of breath will come down significantly.
- Try to limit your exposure to allergens and pollutants. Home remedies for shortness of breath due to allergies are a lot. Try our suggested exercises.
- Avoid exertion at high elevations.
- Shortness of breath and tiredness have a connection. They can strain your body and the muscles, thus making it difficult to breathe. Try to get enough peaceful sleep.
- Eating healthy is another way to ensure you get rid of shortness of breath.
When to Consult a Doctor?
You need to consult a doctor when you are experiencing it for the first time. Your doctor will be the expert to tell you how mild or severe it is. However, when a person experiences sudden and severe shortness of breath and experiences a tight pain in the chest, it is at best to seek immediate medical attention.
Read Also: Do I Have Anxiety Or Am I Just Stressed
How Does A Panic Attack Differ From Anxiety
You will come across quite a few mentions of anxiety attack on the Internet. The term anxiety attack is not a medically recognised term and it can mean different things.
When it comes to your mental wellbeing, being specific helps health professionals such as a general practitioner, cognitive behavioural therapist, or clinical psychologist to diagnosis and manage your symptoms effectively.
Whilst some symptoms can be similar , panic and anxiety are two very different things.
For starters, a panic attack has a very sudden onset and the symptoms are extreme. Within seconds, you may experience chest pain, trembling, and feel disconnected from your reality. Anxiety, however, tends to gradually build up across time. You may find yourself worrying excessively and feel an intensifying amount anxiety across days and weeks. Unlike panic attacks, anxiety symptoms tend to feel less intense but the symptoms may be persistent for longer periods of time .
In summary, a panic attack is different to anxiety in their intensity of symptoms and the length of time that the symptoms present themselves.