Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with breathing

my blood pressure lowers when i breath through my nose, why? and what can i do?

learninguntilidie — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:16:23 -0800

28 yr old male borderline hypertensive. a question about breathing. - so my bp numbers border on hypertensive. and i routinely check my blood pressure. the numbers are consistently int he systolic 130s range EXCEPT when i do this one thing: - breath through my nose then my bp systolic lowers by about 10 pts. here's the thing. my nose ALWASY gets clogged and it makes breathing regularly through my nose difficult - anyone else heard how breathing thorugh the nose, and then taking less breaths lowers blood pressure? i could see how they are connectd

Cat just starting Lasix - how long before I should see effects?

giddygirlie — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:55:42 -0800

Cat just starting Lasix - how long before I should see effects? My 9 year old cat developed allergies about 3 months ago and the vet treated him with antihistimines and a round of antibiotics (the x-rays showed some spots on his lungs that she thought could be bronchitis) and he got much better.

About 2 weeks ago, he started having difficulty breathing and asthma attacks, so I took him back to the vet. After several additional tests, it was determined that he has heart/lung problems, most likely an early symptom of heart disease (causing fluid to build up in his lungs). He has just started Enalapril and Lasix (Furosemide). These are the same medications used to treat humans as well, so I am hoping someone here might have some experience with how long it takes to see results. The vet said it varies by animal and can take days or weeks. But I am hoping for a few first-hand experiences. And I'm crossing my fingers that the poor guy can breathe easy soon.

Has anyone had success treating sleep apnea without a CPAP (or surgery)?

tastybrains — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:00:04 -0800

Has anyone successfully used non-surgical alternatives to CPAP therapy (oral appliances, special pillows, etc) for treatment of mild-to-moderate sleep apnea, or been able to stop CPAP therapy after losing weight? (Note: Surgery is not an option, I do not have severe apnea, and my doctor even told me it wasn't worth considering.)

I was recently diagnosed with mild-to-moderate sleep apnea after a sleep study. It had actually surprised me, as in the 6 months between when the study was ordered and when it actually happened, I had lost ~25 lbs and according to my husband hadn't been snoring at all anymore (I used to snore like a "chainsaw" apparently). Anyway...

I was given a CPAP machine along with a nasal pillows-style mask. I've tried to use it several times over the past 3 weeks, and I loathe it. I feel like I'm suffocating no matter whether the machine is on, off, or doing it's "ramping up" thing. I've forced myself to keep it on for hours, and I've fallen asleep with it a couple times, but I always wake up within an hour, and always with a tremendous headache. I'm at the point where just thinking about trying to sleep with it again makes me feel like crying.

I am planning to ask about getting a nose & mouth mask to see if it's the fact that I can't breathe through my mouth that makes me feel like I'm suffocating...but in the meantime, I'm just feeling VERY discouraged and miserable about the whole thing. I don't even have severe apnea ... I know there are some alternatives!

But I am having trouble finding first-hand accounts of people successfully using them. Also, I am having trouble finding accounts of people ever stopping CPAP therapy after starting it. Even people who have lost a lot of weight. And I find this really discouraging...

Has anyone here used (or known someone who used) alternatives to CPAP for sleep apnea with success? Has anyone ever been able to stop using CPAP therapy after losing weight (or anything else)?

How can I get myself to breathe regularly like a normal person?

Alligator — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:03:04 -0800

I often find myself tensing muscles in weird ways, generally in my throat/chest/abdomen. It is uncomfortable, and it makes me feel short of breath, but I keep doing it. How do I stop? I keep tightening up my abs, my chest, and my throat. I exhale until my chest hurts, squeeze up my stomach, swallow a lot or just tighten up my throat, and even make this weird humming noise. I tense up other muscles, too, but those urges don't bother me as much. It is the ones in my abs/chest/throat area that are the most disturbing because they are persistent and bothersome, and they leave me short of breath.

When I notice that I'm doing it, I try to stop, but I can't for long because I have to really concentrate and it takes some degree of will power to overcome the urges. It is exhausting. I also usually don't notice I'm doing these things until I've already started.

I feel like I've forgotten what it is to have a relaxed body and just breathe like normal person. I also can't imagine the extreme exhaling/irregular breathing thing can be good for the heart/lungs.

I've been doing these things for a long while now; I'm not really sure how or when they started. It must have been in the past few years. I've been under a lot of stress, having had to deal with some major losses in my life. Sometimes I wonder if the weird tensing thing is related to that, but I'm not sure, and I don't know how that could help me kick the strange, uncomfortable, stressful habit.

How do I stop doing this to myself?

Allergy problems in mid-atlantic region.

Raichle — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:56:20 -0800

Is anybody else in the mid-Atlantic, specifically Pittsburgh, area getting massacred by allergies right now? I've always had some allergy problems, but nothing like what I've been going through lately. I'm having a really hard time breathing, for about 2 weeks now, and I feel terrible all day long. I've always had a touch of asthma but it usually only cropped up when I had a cold or went around farm animals and was always easily cured with one puff of albuterol. Now, on my doctor's advice, I am taking a double dose of loratadine (staggered by 12 hours), advair, and albuterol as needed and still having problems. I'm pretty sure it's allergies since it gets much worse when I go outside and seems to improve in air conditioned situations. What's puzzling to me is that I'm not having as many nasal problems as I would expect for how bad the chest congestion is. I've been tracking the pollen/mold counts through the AAAAI Web site and I'm beginning to see a pattern that might indicate a mold problem but tree pollen has been really high in this area as well, so I can't be sure yet.

What I'd like to know is if anybody else has been having more problems than usual. I haven't tracked the counts before so I don't know if these counts are unusual.

why can't i breathe?!

violetk — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:25:37 -0800

SinusFilter: why can i actually breathe when i am walking around or doing housework whereas if i am just sitting on the couch i can't? a couple of months ago, my allergies seemed to have returned despite a several-year absence. on top of this, i have caught some sort of severe head cold several days ago. needless to say, this has caused my sinuses to go haywire. i was snorting afrin for awhile until i realized how bad continued use of it was and went off it cold-turkey. miserable. in my miserable sickness, i have barely been able to breathe through my nose the past couple of days. but i noticed today when i walked to the pharmacy that my sinuses felt clear and i was able to breathe while i was out walking. when i came home and sat back out on the couch again, i was immediately congested again. but then, i just spent the last 30 minutes or so sweeping the floors and emptying the garbage and noticed that while i was doing that, my sinuses cleared again and i could breathe. when i sat back down on the couch again, i immediately became congested yet again.

what's going on? why does this happen?? why can't i sit (or lay down for that matter) and breathe through my nose like i can while i am up and about??

Need running advice!

gregb1007 — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 13:43:06 -0800

Need running advice! I am in my late 20s and, as I've said in a previous post, I have a hard time with breathing when I run for 10-15 minutes.

Basically, I would like for people who know something about running amateurs to tell me what I should reasonably expect to be able to accomplish.

Now, the thing that I feel good about doing now is running for a 2 or 3 minute stretch, 5 max and then switching to walking. Then rinse and repeat. A bit of running and then a walking break.

This is because I have the intution that my breath won't last me for a 10-15 minute run. I went for just such a run today. I decided to pick a starting point and run around a small sized lake to return to that same starting point. I think that breathing became really hard after 10 minutes, and though I almost made it back to my starting point, I was completely out of breath and absolutely had to stop. (The omelet that I've had had for breakfast before might not have helped, but this is how my 10-15 min runs go whatever I eat.)

Now, I certainly don't have asthma, but does anyone know why breathing gets so difficult for me when I run? Is there something that I can do to condition my lungs for longer endurance? My feet, legs, and body do not get tired. I could walk for hours after stopping my run.

Inhale, Exhale!

goalyeehah — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:45:28 -0800

What pop songs, new or old, are out there about breathing? A friend of mine sent me an MP3 of a song sung by Elmo of Sesame Street entitled "Take a Breath". It's off an album called "Sing: The Songs of Joe Raposo" It makes me wonder if there are were any pop songs about breath or breathing.

How to adjust to high altitude?

foxinthesnow — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 19:11:05 -0800

Will the altitude of Denver have a negative effect on my father's ability to breathe? My father has planned a trip to Denver, and he is worried that he will have trouble breathing while he is there. He has congestive heart failure, and one way or another (it may be some of the medication), this has greatly reduced his lung function. He gets around just fine, but he has trouble breathing after walking longish distances, after climbing stairs, and on very humid days. Does the altitude have a noticeable effect on one's breathing? If so, any tips on how he might adjust to this?

Breathe easier

beezy — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:24:14 -0800

Hive mind: Help me kick my asthma's ass (if that's what the problem is), get off the puffer, and regain my energy! Cold and flu season is coming, and it's not looking good for me. I've just spent the last hour hooked to a nebulizer, because my asthma is on the rampage. Enough's enough, says I - inhalers don't cut the mustard, and steroids are not really an option.

Stuff you should know:

- I never had breathing problems until I got pneumonia 2 years ago. Since then, I wheeze, cough and have trouble breathing. However, I have excellent lung capacity and am getting enough oxygen.

- I was told I had asthma, but I was also told I had chronic fatigue syndrome. No one is quite sure what the problem is. I also gained about 45 pounds during the course of the pneumonia (over about 60 days), which no one can quite explain, and will not leave, despite a strictly monitored diet and exercise program (I do have statistics on this). I have a normal thyroid.

- I have tried dietary modifications (more organic, less dairy, more oily fish, less sugar, less wheat), which has helped some. No processed food to speak of.

- I exercise vigorously when the asthma is not flaring up.

- I have a really high 'oh my god you're going to keel over' BMI. (Of course, if I could exercise more often, my weight might be under better control - I'm working on it)

- I've got HEPA filters at home to keep out the dust, and have my house cleaned regularly.

What have you tried? Acupuncture? Weird diets? Yoga?

I'll try anything to get back to being the active, energetic person I was.

Natural remedy or tonic for lungs?

mintchip — Sun, 13 May 2007 22:03:56 -0800

Natural remedy or tonic for lungs? I've noticed that I don't breathe as deeply or fully as I used to. I suspect I've developed a mild case of adult asthma, as my lungs often feel somewhat constricted, especially when I'm exposed to household chemicals or pollution such as car exhust.

I'm going to get this checked out at my next physical. Although I'm not overly concerned, I'm wondering if there might be some sort of natural remedy or tonic (herbal or otherwise) that can be used to help clear the lungs and improve breathing.

How can I run without running out of breath and feeling incredibly tired afterwards?

gregb1007 — Tue, 08 May 2007 00:07:57 -0800

How can I run without running out of breath and feeling incredibly tired afterwards? I've been trying to take up running lately and boy was I in for a surprise. 5 or 10 minutes of a run and I am out of breath. The feeling of being out of breath after I finish running is horrible. My breathing becomes very fast and my heartbeat too. It takes about 10 minutes for my breathing to come back to slow down and be normal again. Even worse: I feel tired for the next 2 hours. I really enjoy running but can you guys give me any tips for doing it without feeling like crap? I don't try that often anymore cause it's been disappointing.

How can I clear my sinus problem?

jackypaper — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:36:54 -0800

Help me breathe! The older I get, the more sinus trouble I have. Almost every morning I wake up with a semi-headache because one of my nasal passages is entirely blocked. This isn't a seasonal thing, nor does it seem to be allergy-related. During the day it clears up, but at night, I must depend upon nasal spray (the kind you're not supposed to use too consistently). Should I take the plunge and go see a doctor? Or is there some miracle drug I can get over the counter?

Did stopping smoking break me?

Cat Pie Hurts — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 12:07:20 -0800

Stopping smoking seems to have broken my body. Today is day 32 sans cigs(if interested, you can read about my experiences in this askme thread. Easy squeezy.

Now, I'm having some big problems. My throat constantly feels like it is being squeezed shut. I have a huge lump in my throat. Swallowing is tough. Breathing can be difficult (tight throat/sometimes I can't breathe in all the way). It's really frustrating and scary at times.

I was coughing up lungmonkeys for a few days in the first week, but nothing since.

There has also been tightness in my chest, but it feels more muscular than anything.

My doc says I have GERD, and put me on Prilosec (which hasn't done anything other than disrupt mah innards). I've been on it for 2 weeks; there has been no abatement. I feel so broken. I'm fat and out of shape already - this makes it feel worse.

Is any of this normal? The stopping smoking part was really easy and I have no urge to smoke, but I feel significantly worse now. Any advice would be appreciated.

Chronic hyperventilation syndrome?

tristeza — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:49:46 -0800

Does anyone have personal experience with chronic hyperventilation syndrome? My boyfriend has what I think (after many minutes of intense Interweb research) might be chronic hyperventilation syndrome. I've read a bunch about it today, so I get the gist of it and its causes and effects, but has anyone here ever had it and found successful treatment?

I was surprised to read that breathing into a bag is now contraindicated, and this is the method he usually uses to deal with it. Other than that I'm not sure what, if any, "home remedies" we can try. He is on beta blockers and anti-anxiety meds already and has been for a long time.

His episodes are usually for several hours each day for a couple three days or so, then not for a few weeks, then back again.

I am going to beg and plead with him to see a doc in the very, very near future, like hopefully this week, but I wanted to give him some good old AskMe input from someone who may be dealing with this. Thanks so much.

Why can't I exhale after a tonsillectomy?

Pater Aletheias — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:18:16 -0800

I had my tonsils removed yesterday morning. Since then, when I'm lying down, I can breathe fine with my head to the side. But when I'm facing straight up, I can't exhale through my nose, although inhaling is fine. I'm not worried, just curious about what is causing this to happen. I'm 34, if that's relevant. If it's not, I'm 34 anyway.

How do I limit my salivation?

destro — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 09:37:23 -0800

This may be odd, but how do I stop from salivating as much? I don't mean in regards to seeing food, but in general. I find that I can breath easier when my mouth is dry, which may be something to do with how the esophagus works. Some things that tend to help, but aren't satisfactory:

Smoking - dries out the mouth, but doesn't help the breathing problem.

Spitting - helps temporarily, but it's just gross.

Mouth breathing - helps but makes me look like a mouth-breather.

Coffee/booze - dehydrates my body, but would rather not be over-caffeinated and drunk all the time.

How to deal with possible sleep apnea?

ORthey — Tue, 30 May 2006 15:46:45 -0800

Another question about sleep apnea - specifically about how to deal with the actual moment of waking up choking. Every few months or so I will wake up gasping for breath with tears streaming down my face and it takes me a very long time to be able to resume normal breathing enough to fall back to sleep. It's really, really terrible. I was told it could be apnea so I did a sleep study, but the doctor told me it wasn't (in a very unsatisfying two-sentence letter in the mail many weeks later).

In any case, my question is, for anyone else who experiences this - do you have any strategies with cluing your mind into what is happening immediately, maybe some breathing techniques? It always takes my mind a fairly long time to recognize what is going on and I feel like there must be a way to alleviate the problem.

Also, as a bonus, what could it be, since the doctor doesn't seem to think it's apnea?

Please help me breathe.

[insert clever name here] — Wed, 24 May 2006 08:22:34 -0800

I have allergies, I'm constantly congested. I used to take sudafed but can't anymore. What else can I do for relief? I'm allergic to pretty much everything. I'm under the care of a pretty darn good allergist now, but he insisted I stop taking sudafed because we discovered my blood pressure was abnormally high. My primary care physician agreed. Great, no more sudafed + some other things my pcp recommended and my blood pressure is down.

NOW, however, I can't breathe. Okay, I can, but not much. And I have sinus headaches frequently. I'm getting allergy shots for dust and ragweed (two of my worst + most treatable via shots I guess). I take Zyrtec, which helps a bit. Benadryl at night, and Nasonex twice daily per the doctor (even though you're normally only supposed to take it once daily). Yesterday, at a follow up visit, I was so conjested they gave me a prednisone shot. Holy sweet breathing freedom . . . for a day. But the congestion is coming back.

I have a follow up in 10 days. But in the mean time, any alternative otc treatments, or outside the norm treatment ideas I can bring up to my doctor?

How can I properly time my boyfriend's epileptic seizures?

Anonymous — Mon, 22 May 2006 17:48:12 -0800

My boyfriend has epilepsy. So far I've only witnessed two seizures (tonic-clonic, or what they used to call grand mal). While I felt mostly prepared for them (I'd done a lot of internet research) I found timing them quite difficult because while the beginning was distinct, the end wasn't. His seizures seem to start with rigidity and convulsing, which lasts a minute or so, but then he falls into loud, gutteral, heavy breathing. The 'in' breath sounds a bit like a loud, ragged, snore, and the 'out' breath is a loud raspberry. In all my reading online, I found only one reference to this breathing, on an epilepsy forum: "The loud snoring is called stenorous breathing and it's when the trachea is collapsing or obstructed, and that's dangerous. Turning blue or purpole means a serious lack of oxygen content in your blood stream, which can result in brain damage and even death". This breathing goes on for a while and then tapers off.

So I guess I have two questions:

1. Is this breathing normal when someone's having a seizure? Is it dangerous? Do we need to do something about it?
2. When is the seizure actually finished? The 'heavy breathing' phase seems to last a long time - five or six minutes - but it gets softer towards the end and then he just rolls over and falls asleep. I'm worried that I'll miss my cue to call an ambulance if he's in status epileptus (he's never gone into status epileptus, I don't think, though his seizures seem to be quite long).

Anyone here got any experience in this sort of thing? I will definitely be asking to go with him on his next appointment with the neurologist so I can ask questions, but that won't be for a few months.

Lets slow everything down...

devilsbrigade — Sat, 06 May 2006 18:49:12 -0800

Legend has it Navy SEALs (among others, certainly) can slow their heart rate and breathing down to almost nil. So could Michael Valentine Smith, for what its worth. Practically, to what degree is this possible, and how does one go about beginning to control ones breathing/heart/body in general more precisely?

breathe in, breathe out

striker — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 09:55:11 -0800

So, one five hour surgery later, I can finally breathe properly out of my nose after 25 years of growing up, exercising, and playing sports taking breath mostly through my mouth. I want to learn to use this new function properly. I'm afraid my body is well trained in mouth-breathing. Even though I've already noticed improvements in sleeping, I want to encourage proper breathing during sports (I play soccer) and even everyday life.

I'm looking for articles that teach techniques and methods for learning to breathe correctly through the nose, to train myself to do so.

I've googled - most of what I've found has been generic advice that it should be done - not procedures/techniques/ideas on how to do so. I once read an article in a magazine at a gym that described how a guy was teaching basketball players to breathe through their nose by doing various treadmill running-then-sprinting exercises with a covered mouth and proceded to tell step by step how it was done. That's sort of what I'm looking for. Thanks for your help. I love askme.

Why do I have so much mucous when I run?

creeront — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 21:53:24 -0800

Major Mucous: Whenever I do aerobic activity for more than 10 minutes or eat cold foods, I have tons of mucuous, and cough to the point that I have to stop exercising. I'm 20 years old. I've been diagnosed with Allergies and Asthma since I was 7 years old. I take medications for both, and don't exhibit symptoms of either on a day-to-day basis. However, when I run for more than ten minutes, I get tons of post nasal drip, and feel like I have to cough. In fact, it feels like I'm suffocating, so I have to stop running. Things improve only slightly when I take my albuterol inhaler.

I frequently also have coughing bouts with lots of mucous when I eat cold foods, and sometimes I feel like swallowing is difficult.

I've talked to a variety of allergists and internal medicine people with no results.

Ideas anyone?

Question number 5792

Slimemonster — Thu, 11 Mar 2004 20:27:31 -0800

About a week ago, I started jogging a mile a day and already I've noticed I've been getting kind of a second wind maybe 2/3 of the way in and my time has been going down quite a bit. Does anyone know the reason or the science behind the body getting used to being pushed? Also, does anyone know the proper breathing techniques for runners? I have some unreliable information saying it should all be through the nose. Need a second opinion.