Monitor-induced shortness of breath: is this a thing?
October 16, 2018 2:47 PM   Subscribe

Reading text on any kind of monitor (computer, phone etc.) triggers for me a physical response in which I feel physically unable to take a deep breath. Do other people get this, why does it happen and is there any way to prevent or reduce it?

Here's what happens: I'll be reading off a monitor, and eventually I realize I'm breathing more shallowly or holding my breath, and when I try to take a deep breath, I physically can't. That is, much as I try to fill my lungs, it feels like not enough air is coming in and I'll still feel under-oxygenated. It's like my body needs air and wants to take a good deep breath, but however much I breathe in, I can't get rid of that sensation of not having enough air.

It's a very uncomfortable, frustrating sensation and the most annoying part is once this response is triggered, it will stay for a long time. Even if I stop immediately and go do something else, the "not enough air" feeling can go on for another half hour or more, and I haven't found any way to make it go away. In bad cases it'll even persist into the next day. There are some associated symptoms that tend to come with it, namely dry eyes and a sense of tightness in the neck and jaw area.

This doesn't seem to have to do with the content of what I'm reading -- it'll happen whether I'm looking at stressful news stories or a fun blog post. It seems to be purely physical.

Does anyone else get this? Any ideas of what might be causing it or what I can do about it?
posted by zeri to Computers & Internet (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Do you ordinarily read in a certain position, holding your head at a certain angle, etc.? I'm not saying that it's impossible that the screen itself is the problem, but this seems like something that might also be explained by something incident to the screen-reading.
posted by praemunire at 3:04 PM on October 16, 2018


Have you ruled out asthma?

I notice my breathing much more when I'm still and relaxed, and once I notice I'm having trouble it's really uncomfortable. I've had breathing problems my whole life though.
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:07 PM on October 16, 2018


This sounds just like how I can get from anxiety -- I worry about hyperventilating, then I fixate on not being able to take a deep breath, then it just sort of builds on itself. Noticing my breath when I'm otherwise not anxious can be enough to set it off. Do you have any sort of anxiety disorder or a stressful life situation?
posted by fiercecupcake at 3:17 PM on October 16, 2018 [1 favorite]


Seconding AlexiaSky, that's been one of my milder asthma symptoms since childhood, in my family we call it "breathiness". It's like having a heavy weight on your chest and you just can't inhale fully.

I can be triggered by exertion but also by fatigue, and by positional changes; for me it's bending over so my head is lower than my heart for any significant time. On a bad dday I might get a good half hour of breathiness after just bending over to pick up stuff from the floor.
posted by buildmyworld at 3:18 PM on October 16, 2018


Best answer: Email apnea or screen apnea is a known thing, and you‘re not alone by any means. Lots of us do it and just don’t notice.
posted by Andrhia at 6:58 PM on October 16, 2018 [6 favorites]


Andrhia, wow!! Came in to add that sometimes when I can’t breathe in it’s because I haven’t properly breathed out! My lungs are full and I’m only breathing in the top of my lungs as it were. Be sure to breathe out!
posted by Iteki at 10:19 PM on October 16, 2018


Focus on the exhale, not the inhale. The easiest method I've learned to reset shallow breathing is to put your hand on your stomach and only focus on pushing all the air OUT, every last bit of it. Keep your hand on your stomach and be wildly impressed as you take a your stomach fills with a deep breath.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 2:50 AM on October 17, 2018 [2 favorites]


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