Can stress, anxiety & depression cause breathing problems?

Question

if i'm really stressed then my throat & stomach feel like they're closing up?
anything i can do

Answer 1

You don't say what is causing the stress but, Yes it can. It you don't deal with it now, it will very quickly debilitate you.
Anxiety (nervous tension) is causing you airways to constrict and your chest to tighten, your heart rate will increase, because your oxygen levels are down your brain will begin to panic and you will feel like you are losing control.
You will begin to make mistakes which with aggravate your sense of depression...
enough already!
Remove yourself from the situation that is stressing you (nipping to the loo should do it) and take deep calming breaths - you will feel better. Force yourself to think some kind positive thoughts about yourself or your own ability and don't take any radical action on anything until you've had a decent night's sleep.

I suffer this too and it's taken me years to learn how to address this.

My heart goes out to you - good luck x

Answer 2

hello love, my heart feels heavy for you. i suffer with depression,ocd,ptsd, anxiety,panic attacks so you see i have some insight into your situation you may well have a form of ocd, as you show some of the classic signs, like believing you have an illness etc, but these things wont go away with the help of a professional person, so book an appointment with your GP and he will refer you to a professional who specialises in the areas you need help in. in the mean time, when ever you feel your getting the symptoms take long deep breaths try a paper bag if you cannot control your breathing deeply on your own breath into the bag. it may sound strange and feel strange at first but it does work, it will take sometime to sort out your medication etc but don't worry, just remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.your gonna be just fine have some patience and trust the doctors opinions best wishes to you

Answer 3

Hi there,
Yes Stress & Anxiety can cause that, but remember it's all in your mind, it does not mean that there is anything wrong in your chest, just try to breath slowly and try to think about something that calms you down, trust me once you know it's only in your mind and breath slowly it will go away:)

Answer 4

Borrow a book called the Alexander Technique from your library. Traditionally us westeners do not breath correctly and learning the correct way to breath brings it's own rewards like relaxing and the feeling of well being. I have to say though it takes a while to perfect the Alexander Technique. But it pays to perserve and you will find that the constriction in your throat and stomach will eventually go. You could also try yoga. Meanwhile take deep breathes in and exhale slowly.

Best wishes to you and stay cool for cats.

Answer 5

Over the last five years I had begun to have increasingly withdraw into a downward spiral of depression..

But now with the method I can fully focus my energy and thoughts into a decisive line on how to make my life better constantly. And it works like magic! I'm beginning to attract people to me once again and things have just been looking up since then.

Helping you eliminate depression?

Answer 6

I was diagnosed with Clinical Depression in 5th Grade and it never quite went away. I noticed that after I got the "sad disease", I had trouble breathing. How does it feel to you? To me it feels as if there's a solid pipe or something in my throat that the air has to "go around". So from experience, I can tell you that anxiety and depression can indeed cause breathing trouble.

Answer 7

Yes. Don't worry. Lots of people suffer the same. I have had this happen for 20 years and you can learn to live with it! Just calm down (easier said than done), concentrate on keeping your breathing regular. Focus on something (anything) and concentrate on that for a few seconds until the bad feelings start to go away. Talk, say anything even if you are on your own....If you can speak then there is not a heck of a lot wrong with your throat!
Best of luck. Take care Robin

Answer 8

Well the obvious answer is RELAX start deliberately breathing slower : --->>4seconds to breathe in and 4secs to breathe out(exhale)
Identify that which is stressing you out and deal with it.
Lie down when your stressed. If its really bad and persistent then you might need to see a GP.

Answer 9

It is capable of having an effect on many other of the bodies functions. Better spend some time finding out why you are reacting to stress, with such intensity.

Answer 10

Yes its perfectly normal. Its the parasympathetic nervous system performing its survival method for the body to overcome the fear that your brain is being told is there. Don't worry, the sympathetic nervous system will reverse it soon. You can help by breathing slowly and deeply. Hope you feel calmer soon x