Deep inhalation causing me to feel weak (& the breaths are 'shuddering')
October 21, 2014 10:01 PM   Subscribe

Wondering if anyone can help me identify the cause of this sudden change to my breathing? I don't think it's serious, and it seems to be subsiding somewhat, but I'm very curious about this phenomenon right now. Googling didn't help. Personal details inside.

So about 20 minutes ago, seemingly very suddenly, I began feeling a weakness in my stomach and noticed that if I tried to inhale even moderately deeply my breath would start to 'shudder' (like a mild version of a sobbing-type breath-shudder). I felt a little dizzy and a little nauseous, but it seems to be getting better. I can still replicate it, however, if I inhale as deeply as possible, and I think it worsens with bad posture.


Some details about me:
- mid twenties, female
- asthmatic
- started taking a nasal corticosteroid for allergies about a month ago
- never felt anything like this before


Situational details:
- recently ate a big meal
- then had energetic sex and an orgasm
- but I managed to wash up and then do a whole a whole dinner's worth of dishes before becoming symptomatic (about 15 minutes)


I don't know if any of that is relevant , and again I don't think this is anything serious to worry about, I'm just kind of confused and curious if anyone knows what this could pertain to.
posted by onehundredand80 to Health & Fitness (4 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Thou hast hyperventilated.
posted by bq at 10:25 PM on October 21, 2014 [1 favorite]


You haven't started any new hormonal birth control in the last couple of months, right?
posted by wintersweet at 10:28 PM on October 21, 2014


Response by poster: I am on hormonal birth control (Alesse) but I've been taking it for quite a few years.

Some of the symptoms of hyperventilation sound about right I guess. So the involuntary shuddering would be the hyperventilation itself? I guess that didn't occur to me because I had assumed one would need to be experiencing anxiety to hyperventilate. I see now that that isn't necessarily true. I'm still not sure what would have caused it in my case? Asthma + atypical breathing patterns?
posted by onehundredand80 at 10:48 PM on October 21, 2014


Best answer: I don't know if what you are experiencing is hyperventilation, but as a fellow asthmatic I will start hyperventilating. I sense it as a combination of slight nausea or a funny feeling in my stomach and a desire to breathe deep, as if my asthma is triggered. However, breathing deep doesn't help and it takes me a minute to focus on what's going on and slow my breathing down. It feels better if I either hold my breath for four counts or breathe into a pillow to force myself to breathe in longer and deeper (and not keep my breath at the top of my lungs, which is the urge). i think it has something to do with pressure on my diaphragm or something.
posted by MultiFaceted at 11:14 PM on October 21, 2014


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