Diseases in which there is a lack of air. Lack of air: causes. Hyperventilation syndrome: causes, symptoms, treatment. Relaxing breathing practices that neutralize

VKontakte Facebook Odnoklassniki

Dyspnea is the medical name for this disease

Almost all of us are familiar with the feeling of lack of air when running or climbing the stairs to the fifth floor. But there are cases when shortness of breath occurs when walking only a few tens of meters or even at rest. If in such situations it becomes difficult to breathe, then the matter is serious.

Breathing is a natural process, so we don’t notice it. But we immediately feel if there is something wrong with our breathing. Especially when, out of the blue, we start to choke. The brain receives a corresponding signal, and our breathing quickens, and this process cannot be controlled by consciousness. Its frequency and rhythm, the duration of inhalation or exhalation have changed - in a word, you feel that you are clearly breathing somehow wrong. This is shortness of breath.

Types of shortness of breath and treatment methods

In most cases, shortness of breath is associated with hypoxia - low oxygen levels in the body or hypoxemia - low oxygen levels in the blood. Which causes irritation of the respiratory center in the brain. The result is a feeling of lack of air, involuntarily increased breathing.

Conventionally, there are 3 types of shortness of breath: inspiratory shortness of breath (difficulty inhaling) - more typical for heart disease; expiratory shortness of breath (difficulty exhaling) - most often occurs in bronchial asthma due to spasms; mixed shortness of breath (when both inhalation and exhalation are difficult) is characteristic of a variety of diseases.

The most important method of combating dyspnea is to treat the disease that caused it. Once the specialist determines the cause, an effective treatment plan will be determined. For example, for coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, treatment with tablets is often used. For bronchial asthma - regular treatment with inhalers. Since the main cause of shortness of breath in many cases is low oxygen levels in the body, oxygen therapy is one way to reduce shortness of breath.

9 reasons - and as many treatments

To determine the cause of shortness of breath, it is important to know how quickly it appeared. It can occur acutely - within minutes, hours, several days, or gradually - over several weeks, months or years. Let's look at the main reasons.

1. Poor physical shape

In principle, in this case, shortness of breath is more normal than a cause for serious concern.

Physiological shortness of breath appears after you climb the stairs or catch up with the bus. The muscles involved in the work remove oxygen from the blood. The brain tries to cover the resulting oxygen deficiency, that is, it forces us to breathe more often. Such shortness of breath in itself is not dangerous, but if you find yourself out of breath even after climbing a couple of floors, it’s time to think about your physical fitness. In physically active and trained people, shortness of breath occurs less frequently.

What to do to get rid of such shortness of breath? Regular aerobic exercise is needed, which leads to an increase in respiratory rate and heartbeat. If you don't have time to go to the gym, brisk walks will do. Go up and down the stairs within 3-4 floors.

2. Panic attack

As you know, strong excitement, anxiety, anger and fear stimulate the production of adrenaline. Once in the blood, adrenaline forces the body to pass a lot of air through the lungs, causing hyperventilation. Therefore, during serious experiences, the heart rate increases and shortness of breath appears.

What to do? Shortness of breath caused by such strong emotions is, in principle, safe for health. However, for serious panic attacks (and not just shortness of breath from anxiety), it is better to consult a doctor. Severe shortness of breath during panic may indicate a disease - for example, vegetative-vascular dystonia.

3. Anemia or anemia

The most common is iron deficiency anemia. Iron ions saturate the blood with oxygen and play an important role in hematopoiesis. When they are deficient, hypoxia develops and an emergency protective mechanism—shortness of breath—is activated.

This condition is more typical for women, although men also often experience a lack of iron in the body. The presence of anemia is diagnosed based on clinical blood test data.

What to do to get rid of anemia and shortness of breath? If the hemoglobin level decreases significantly, the doctor prescribes treatment with iron-containing drugs. They must be taken for at least two months and monitor proper nutrition. Iron is perfectly absorbed from liver and red meat, but from plant foods, such as buckwheat or pomegranates, which are considered a panacea for anemia, it is quite poorly absorbed. To ensure that the iron contained in the drug or food is better absorbed, vitamin C is also prescribed.

4. Obesity

This is no longer just a lack of training, but a serious illness that requires a lot of effort from a person to improve his health. In this case, it is not the external fat on the hips or buttocks that poses the danger, but the internal one, since obesity is not just a cosmetic defect.

A layer of fat envelops the lungs and heart, preventing a person from breathing normally. In addition, in obese people, the heart endures increased stress, since it needs to pump blood into a large fat pad. Therefore, less oxygen reaches important organs.

There is only one solution to the problem - get rid of fat under the supervision of a doctor. Don't start with intense workouts in the gym - there is a high chance that you will simply lose consciousness.

5. Pulmonary diseases

Shortness of breath that occurs with diseases of the respiratory organs is of two types. Inspiratory - when there is difficulty in inhaling as a result of clogging of the bronchi with mucus or with lung tumors, and expiratory - when there is difficulty in exhaling as a result of spasms that occur with bronchial asthma.

To determine the causes of pulmonary shortness of breath, you will have to undergo examination and treatment under the supervision of a pulmonologist. A minimum of research is a chest x-ray, a clinical blood test, spirography (a study of lung function by graphically recording changes in lung volume over time during breathing). In especially severe cases, for example, to diagnose tumors or tuberculosis, other methods are used. A bronchoscopy and computed x-ray tomography will probably be required. Well, as already mentioned, you will need to be treated by a pulmonologist.

6. Coronary heart disease

In this case, shortness of breath is manifested by a feeling of lack of air. In general, shortness of breath is as typical a sign of coronary heart disease as squeezing pain in the left side of the chest.

What to do? If you experience shortness of breath and severe chest pain for the first time, call an ambulance immediately. In men, especially young men, coronary heart disease sometimes manifests itself for the first time as a myocardial infarction. When providing first aid, the scope of research is usually limited to a cardiogram, and after that the decision regarding examination and treatment is made by a cardiologist.

7. Congestive heart failure

It is quite difficult to catch the early signs of this disease - this is usually done with the help of special examinations.

In congestive heart failure, shortness of breath is always accompanied by a forced position of the patient. It occurs in a person lying on a low pillow and goes away when the patient takes a sitting position - orthopnea. For example, US President Roosevelt slept in a sitting position in a chair for precisely this reason. This shortness of breath occurs due to increased blood flow to the heart in a supine position and overflow of the heart chambers.

Treating shortness of breath in heart failure is not an easy task, but experienced cardiologists and modern medications sometimes work wonders.

8. Cardiac asthma or paroxysmal dyspnea

Such sudden shortness of breath, which develops into suffocation, often appears at night. Unlike the previous cause - orthopnea (forced position) - in this case, shortness of breath does not go away either in a sitting or standing position. The person becomes pale, moist wheezing appears in the chest, and the lungs begin to swell. This condition threatens the patient’s life, so you should immediately call an ambulance.

Typically, prompt treatment is effective and eliminates an attack of cardiac asthma. In this case, the patient will need to regularly visit a cardiologist, since only competent treatment of cardiovascular diseases will maintain normal health.

9. Pulmonary embolism

Almost the most common cause of shortness of breath is deep vein thrombophlebitis. At the same time, a person does not always develop varicose veins on the surface of the skin, which would give a call to see a doctor. The insidiousness of deep vein thrombophlebitis is that the first episode is quite easy - the leg swells slightly, pain and cramps appear in the calf muscle - the sensations are just like a sprain, and there is no prompting to be examined by a doctor. The problem is that after this, blood clots appear in the veins of the problem limb, which can move to the pulmonary artery and block the lumen in it. And this, in turn, leads to the death of a section of the lung - infarction-pneumonia.

Signs of pulmonary embolism are severe shortness of breath that suddenly appears against the background of normal health, stabbing pain in the chest, and a painful cough. In especially severe cases, a person’s face turns blue.

Modern medical methods effectively treat this serious disease, however, it is better not to lead to thromboembolism, but to promptly seek help from a doctor if there is any suspicion of pathology of the veins of the lower extremities. Signals may include swelling, heaviness in the legs and cramps in the calf muscles.

As you can see, shortness of breath appears for many reasons, ranging from those requiring only some lifestyle changes to those that require serious treatment. Fortunately, many conditions can be prevented or significantly alleviated by timely treatment of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.

Adults take, on average, 15-17 breathing movements per minute. Most of us don't think about how we inhale and exhale. But there are people who often feel short of breath. Why do asthma attacks occur?

How do asthma attacks manifest?

Violation of the frequency and depth of breathing, which is accompanied by a feeling of lack of air, is called dyspnea. Although this condition is better known as shortness of breath. If attempts to get enough air into the lungs do not bring satisfaction, an attack of suffocation begins. This condition threatens human life.

Some people experience shortness of breath even with very light physical activity, while others worry mainly at night. A person may have difficulty only inhaling or exhaling. For some unfortunate people, dyspnea does not allow them to lie down - in a horizontal position they begin to have attacks of suffocation. All this may be accompanied by general weakness, cough, nausea, chest pain, and rapid heartbeat. The manifestations and consequences of asthma attacks depend on the cause of the lack of air.

Lack of air due to respiratory diseases

One of the common reasons for lack of air is the presence of any respiratory diseases in a person.

Normally, when we inhale, oxygen enters our body, and when we exhale, carbon dioxide is removed. But if a person has a lesion or respiratory infections, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, then breathing movements encounter obstacles. As a result, oxygen entering the lungs cannot enter the blood in sufficient quantities. Attacks of suffocation occur.

With bronchial asthma, the lumen of the small bronchi and bronchioles narrows, and with chronic emphysema, the elasticity of the lung tissue is lost. Therefore, with these respiratory diseases, it is difficult for a person to exhale.

We are looking for the causes of lack of air in the heart

Lack of air is often caused by diseases that lead to heart failure. In case of heart disease (angina pectoris, coronary heart disease, previous heart attack), dyspnea appears even at rest and in the supine position. In patients with cardiac asthma, severe attacks of suffocation often occur at night. At the same time, it is difficult for a person to take a breath.

Shortness of breath due to obesity

With obesity, adipose tissue accumulates not only on visible parts of the body, but also on internal organs. Due to this additional load, the lungs cannot provide normal breathing movements, and the heart becomes unable to make effective contractions.

“Under the load” of excess weight, the supply of oxygen to the tissues decreases and dyspnea develops.

Lack of air due to stress hormones

Shortness of breath is often caused by severe stress or a panic attack. The fact is that strong emotional arousal is accompanied by the release of the hormone adrenaline into the blood. It speeds up the body's metabolism, while increasing oxygen consumption by tissues. Therefore, in stressful situations or during panic attacks, a person may feel short of breath.

Which are accompanied by a lack of inspiration, occur in people with hysterical syndrome.

Other causes of shortness of breath

A feeling of lack of air may be a sign of anemia, which develops with iron deficiency. Iron is a component of the hemoglobin molecule. It is responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the cells of the body.

The inability to perform normal breathing movements occurs in people with chest injuries, such as rib fractures. In these cases, attempts to inhale cause sharp pain.

Shortness of breath may be a symptom of thyroid disease. Nodular thickenings in the neck sometimes lead to partial occlusion of the airways.

Reader Questions

the tongue is swollen and elongated. It blocks the throat 18 October 2013, 17:25 The tongue is swollen and elongated. It blocks the throat. When tilted, it falls out onto the tongue. What is it? and how to cure it? Thank you.

In healthy people, sensations of shortness of breath occur during increased physical activity. This happens because the heart actively pumps blood, and the muscles require a lot of energy and oxygen. As a result, breathing becomes more frequent, which makes it possible to replenish the oxygen deficiency. But often attacks of suffocation occur with relatively little physical activity, and the person does not have the above diseases. This means that his physical condition is very bad, and it’s time to take care of it.

This condition is understood as a violation of the depth and frequency of breathing, which is accompanied by a feeling of lack of air. Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is classified into acute and chronic.

This condition can be caused by many reasons. First of all, these include various diseases of the heart, blood vessels, as well as a wide variety of negative environmental factors. But before starting treatment to get rid of this pathology, it is necessary to find out the cause that caused it.

If there is not enough inhaled air, it is easy to notice by external signs. The person constantly takes a deep breath. It is difficult for him to pronounce long sentences; he cannot quickly concentrate, react, or answer a question. It is also difficult for the patient to hold his head straight, since the blood in the blood negatively affects the condition of the muscles.

Each person can independently determine whether they have the first symptoms of pathology and, without wasting time, consult a doctor.

Signs of shortness of breath

There is not enough breathing not only when moving, but also at rest;

Pressure and sometimes pain are periodically felt in the chest;

Sleep is disturbed, as due to lack of oxygen you have to sleep half-sitting;

When breathing you hear wheezing or it becomes whistling;

There is a “barking” dry cough, difficulty swallowing, and a feeling of tightness in the throat.

In this case, the temperature persists for several days;

Breathing difficulties accompany allergic reactions.

Diseases leading to difficulty breathing

As we have already said, there is a distinction between chronic and acute shortness of breath. In most cases, this pathology is observed in people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. These include various heart defects and arrhythmias.

In addition, respiratory failure often occurs as a complication after influenza or acute respiratory infections. In these diseases, the heart poorly pumps blood through the veins and vessels, and therefore the organs and tissues of the body do not receive enough oxygen.

Lack of air is often observed in allergic diseases. A reaction can occur to many substances and products that are allergens for a given person. For example, allergies occur to pollen, plant fluff, tree fluff, household dust, mold, cosmetics, chemicals, alcohol, etc. It can occur from eating eggs, nuts, wheat grains, whole milk, as well as from insect bites or when treated with certain medications.

Allergic diseases often provoke the development of bronchial asthma, which means dyspnea appears. In addition, excess weight, obesity, and poor nutrition contribute to the development of pathology. If a lack of air occurs during a conversation, this indicates that a narrowing of the small bronchi has occurred.

Many allergic manifestations are accompanied by a lack of inhaled air; the intensity depends on the condition of the human body. Therefore, if you experience such signs, be sure to consult a doctor.

Other causes of dyspnea include chronic diseases of the bronchi, lungs, and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Feeling short of breath during pregnancy

The developing fetus affects the mother's blood circulation, and therefore the circulation of oxygen in the blood. At the same time, the level of hormones increases, which together leads to brain reactions and lack of breathing. Very often, dyspnea accompanies multiple pregnancies, as a greatly enlarged abdomen puts intense pressure on the diaphragm, causing shortness of breath.

In the second half of pregnancy, the feeling of lack of air during pregnancy is perceived as a common occurrence, but you should not take it lightly, as this may be a signal of some problems in the body. Therefore, if the expectant mother notices that she often lacks air for no apparent reason, it is best to consult a specialist.

Household causes of dyspnea

Quite often, shortness of breath occurs in a person in a room where a large number of people have accumulated. This happens due to a high concentration of carbon dioxide in the air with a lack of oxygen. In this case, you need to immediately leave the room, go out into the fresh air and sit on a bench for a while.

Modern plastic windows are often an obstacle to the penetration of oxygen into the room. Therefore, do not forget to ventilate the room more often; in warm weather it is better to keep the windows open. It is especially important to follow this rule in the children's room and bedroom.

It must be said that sometimes even healthy people experience symptoms of dyspnea. For example, after a run you should not sit down or lie down immediately. You need to walk around a little first until your heart rate and breathing are restored. The heart cannot immediately adjust from running to a state of rest. This should happen gradually.

Try to take care of your health, don’t smoke, and do as much sports as you can. Be sure to treat your illnesses, do not suffer them “on your feet.” Then dyspnea will not bother you. Well, if you already feel short of breath, be sure to undergo a medical examination and, if necessary, take measures for treatment. Be healthy!

The most common reason for calling an ambulance is a sudden attack of shortness of breath. The feeling of not having enough air when breathing is normal when running fast or walking up the stairs. But unexpected shortness of breath is a signal from the body about illness. What to do if this condition recurs regularly? This is what doctors advise.

Not enough air when breathing

Why there is not enough air when breathing: causes of shortness of breath

The medical name for shortness of breath is dyspnea. It can be sudden or prolonged. Unexpected attacks occur due to the following diseases:

· exacerbation of bronchial asthma. The airways narrow, the person has difficulty breathing, coughs hoarsely;

· pneumonia. The infection causes mucus to build up in the lungs and a severe cough;

· chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is typical for long-term smokers;

· heart failure. The heart cannot cope with pumping blood throughout the body. Fluid accumulates in the lungs, making breathing difficult;

"silent heart attack" A rupture in the heart muscle sometimes does not appear for quite a long time. Shortness of breath is a sign that the heart is unable to supply oxygen to the lungs;

· panic attack. In a state of severe anxiety, a person takes deep breaths. Because of this, the breathing rhythm is disrupted;

Rare and complex conditions. Doctors include allergic swelling of the airways, rupture of the lungs due to injury, blockage of a pulmonary vessel, complications of diabetes, etc.

Any of these diagnoses can only be made in hospital based on a complete examination.

Long-term regular shortness of breath indicates the development of chronic diseases. Among them:

· obesity;

· long-term smoking;

· low level of red blood cells;

· heart diseases;

· lungs' cancer;

· panic attacks.

Patients with these diseases are usually instructed by their attending physicians on how to act in the event of an attack.

What to do if there is not enough air when breathing

Dyspnea may indicate a serious problem with your airway or heart. Therefore, you should immediately call an ambulance, especially if the situation happened for the first time. The only exception is excitement and fear. You can try to relieve a panic attack yourself by breathing from a paper bag, going out onto the balcony, and applying a cold compress to your forehead.

Patients who know their diagnosis, such as asthma or chronic heart failure, should always have medications prescribed by their doctor on hand. These remedies often help relieve an attack without calling an ambulance. If a diagnosis has not been made, but the problem recurs regularly, you need to go to the clinic and undergo an examination.

One of the symptoms that often manifests itself in anxiety-phobic disorders is suffocation and tightness in the chest. During moments of panic attack, in moments of fear, a person feels as if he is about to suffocate. This is one of the most frightening symptoms of anxiety because breathing is directly related to life itself. And now we will look at why it occurs and how it manifests itself.

Firstly, you need to understand that if a person experiences, then there must be some reasons for this, either internal or external. External reasons are easy to determine: if one person lacks air, then, most likely, someone else should lack it. But in those moments when this happens to someone who is in an anxious state, the people nearby have enough air. This suggests that it is caused by internal reasons.

Second point. If a person really has some kind of respiratory system disease: bronchitis, asthma, etc. – may be a manifestation of a symptom of the disease. But if everything is in order with a person’s respiratory organs, it means that his attack of suffocation is a consequence of neurosis, autonomic disorder, VSD, and anxiety. First, a person breathes through his nose, then begins to inhale air through his mouth. He feels tightness in his chest, he doesn’t have enough air - and, naturally, he gets very scared.

How does it arise

In fact, everything is very simple here: when a person experiences anxiety, he begins to breathe faster and more often. And the most interesting thing is that fast and frequent breathing leads to hyperventilation of the lungs, and hyperventilation. In turn, it leads to other symptoms of VSD: rapid heartbeat occurs, derealization appears, etc. In general, what happens is that when a person becomes anxious, and the level of anxiety increases, he begins to breathe quickly and shallowly. This means that his inhalation becomes longer than his exhalation - this is how it arises.

By and large, normal human breathing is diaphragmatic, when he breathes from the stomach. In this case, the inhalation is shorter than the exhalation. If you watch an infant, you will notice. That he is breathing correctly - that is, breathing with his stomach: inhaled - his stomach rose, exhaled - his stomach dropped. But in the process of life, under stress, a person’s breathing rhythm gets lost, he begins to breathe more often through the chest - that is, superficially. And when anxiety and fear arise, he begins to frantically scoop up air through his mouth. Because he is experiencing, and it seems to him that he is about to suffocate.

It is important to understand here that our lungs are not dimensionless, they have a certain volume. And when, with fast shallow breathing, a person inhales more air than he exhales, his lungs become overfilled with air. And he simply can no longer inhale more than the volume of his lungs allows. At the same time, a person feels as if he is suffocating, but in fact the opposite happens: there is more air in his lungs than necessary. But due to ignorance, this unpleasant sensation is perceived as insufficient ventilation of the lungs.

A person gets a feeling and gets scared.

In fact, our body is so resilient and unique that it is difficult to imagine how many processes occur in it simultaneously, regardless of our consciousness: billions of cells divide, change, some processes occur in various organs that we do not control at all.

To see how resilient our body is, try simply pinching your nose, depriving yourself of breathing. You won't be able to do this. Note that even people who commit suicide do not plug their nose or put a bag over their head to deprive themselves of air, because they will not be able to do it. They use other methods when nothing else can be done.

If you try to hold your breath by pinching your nose, your body will resist and fight to the last. This is inherent in its nature, because the goal of the organism is survival and procreation. This has been hammered into our subconscious by centuries of evolution, so if you plug your nose with your hand, then the moment your body lacks oxygen, your hand will automatically drop. This convincingly suggests that a person cannot deprive himself of air. And his subjective is only a manifestation of the fact that he breathes very quickly and superficially.

Relaxing breathing practices that neutralize

So that there is no feeling of lack of air, experts recommend using relaxing breathing practices - for example, diaphragmatic breathing, that is, proper belly breathing. Performing such exercises is very simple: one hand is placed on the chest, the other on the stomach, and you, either lying down or sitting, whichever is more comfortable, begin to breathe through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Here it is also necessary to note a very interesting point: it often appears also because the person’s chest is very tense. This is easy to notice when performing relaxing breathing exercises: those who have a tense chest and spasmed muscles will not be able to exhale long. If, with a long inhalation, a person cannot exhale as long and he feels as if something is blocked in his chest, this just means that his bodily muscular armor is tense. To relieve tension, experts advise doing the following: inhale with your mouth open and exhale with your lips pursed.

If you do this exercise for 10-15 minutes a day for at least two weeks, the person will notice that it will go away. And if he does have an attack of suffocation, then he needs to either start breathing as described above, or breathe into his hands. At the same time, the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs will be restored, and the feeling of lack of air will pass.

Let's summarize. Firstly, now you know why asthma attacks occur during panic attacks. Secondly, you know how to get rid of feeling of lack of air: you need to do breathing exercises. By the way, it is useful not only for those who intend to get rid of panic attacks, it is done by actors and people who often speak in public; it is used in many eastern practices: yoga, qigong, etc. This is an extremely useful thing, not only as a way to get rid of some panic symptoms, but also simply as a general health remedy.