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why do i think i will stop breathing? Can anyone help with this?

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why do i think i will stop breathing? Can anyone help with this?

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 3

Does it feel like you stop breathing only every once and awhile. not every night, but like if you're thinking about falling asleep. I know what your talking about, when you just about fall asleep and then gasp for air as though i stopped breathing... The truth is for me, that i was thinking/anxious about falling asleep, and when my mind just starts to drift off. I semi-consciously think i stopped breathing and gasp for air. It's all in my head, and possibly yours. If it has only happened since you started panic attacks, it's probably NOT sleep apnea.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 517

Yeah, I was watching my dog and cat and they are both pro than me! I wish they can teach me. It's just so uncomfortable or I get so compulsive about it like I have to do it right.. that I end up freaking out... but I'll keep trying. Thanks again.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 192

Hi anerol and joey: when you breathe in, it is mostly the belly which rises when you are in a relaxed state. It's o.k. to go ahead and stretch your chest muscles out, but when you settle in and start to relax, it's the belly which rises. Watch how a baby breathes in and out when it's asleep (if you got a baby around, lol) or watch your pet. Good luck.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 37

You know anerol lately I feel like I 'm holding my breathe in for the same reason (inhaling something bad). It's weird ...... I'm even doing it now. I also think I've been yawning alot .... and, I think the diaphramn is suppose to go up higher than the chest.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 517

Hi sunny, thanks for the reassurance. I wont give up... One more question: when we are breathing deeply, does the chest and belly rise or only the belly? I feel like I swallow a lot of air when I just raise my belly and this gets me really uncomfortable... and when I breathe and the chest and belly raises, it feels better than just the belly.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 192

anerol and joey: Keep up the good work, practice the breathing exercises. They do work, I know, because the choking, tight chest and shallow breathing are the symptoms I had which bothered me the most. I still do breathing exercises when I am anxious or stressed and it helps me to relax right away. When I first started the breathing exercises it took me three months or so to really "get it" and feel the difference. I was so tense I had trouble relaxing and wanted to quit trying. I felt it made me feel worse. I am so happy that I didn't quit, I still use that technique the most.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 517

Hi Joey,

I have the same problem. I'm always afraid of passing out due to lack of oxygen which in turn freaks me out to make me feel like I'm lacking more. Because of this, I've been afraid of doing the breathing exercises because I didn't want to 'mess up' and accidentally not breathe! But it's nice to read everyone's reassuring advices. And thanks for sharing. I usually have a hard time breathing because I'm afraid I'm inhaling bad things too, but recently, I read ( don't know if it's completely true for everyone but..) that even when you are in polluted areas it's good to take deeper breaths because your lung creates defense mechanisims and it's better than holding your breath. I also don't know the 'right' timing of swallowing when I breathe that I end up feeling like I'm choking. But I'm practicing my breathing everyday... little by little, so hopefully, eventually, I'll get it. Good luck.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Joey.

Box breathing should bring your O2 sat up and I think it might help with the choking feeling. It brings mine up a point or two but I don't have a meter so can only check at the Hospital. Do you know about Propranolol, Ask your doctor. Musicians use it for stage fright and surgeons use it for the shakes. It is a beta blocker and can be used as long as you don't have low blood pressure. It helps with unwanted movements and a lot of people use it for panic prevention.

Davit.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 37

That's exactly what I've been doing lately. I grab my guitar sing some songs. I'll forget that I feel short of breathe at least for the moment and sometimes it's long enough so that I can continue on with my day. My O2 even comes up to 97/98 and yes my throat does feel as if someone is choking me. It's awful. I do have allergies though. For the most part I can breathe thru my nose pretty good. I can't really smell too well though. I've never been checked for apnea but I'm pretty sure I have it. I appreciate everyone's response and welcome anymore ideas. Thanks

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 192

Hi Joey: Don't know if this will help or not. One of my main panic symptoms was the tightness in my throat. It felt as though someone was choking me. If it is something like that, it is probably caused by stress/panic. I found the breathing exercises the best for this symptom. I concentrated on the diaphragm, my hand gently placed just below the rib cage centre, making sure when I breathed in the tummy went up, and breathing out, the tummy went down. After about 20-30 breaths like this, I usually relaxed enough though the throat might still be tight at least I wasn't panicing. Breathing is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, like when your eyes blink, you don't have to tell them to do it, they do it automatically. And your heart, it beats regularly on its own. So breathing goes on automatically too.

I have asthma and need a pump spray now. Do you have allergies which may be causing this tightness? I know my chest gets tight when my asthma acts up. Luckily it's mild and doesn't act up very often.

Hint: Sing at the top of your voice, anything will do. You have to open the throat up for singing and you get to focus on something else for awhile, a bit of distraction.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

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why do i think i will stop breathing? Can anyone help with this?