{"id":19814,"date":"2025-04-14T17:58:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/19814\/"},"modified":"2025-04-14T17:58:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:58:08","slug":"what-is-air-hunger-when-you-have-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/19814\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is \u2018Air Hunger\u2019 When You Have Anxiety?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Seeley Lutz<\/a>, a 26-year-old from Alexandria, Virginia, feels overwhelmed \u2014 either in a social situation or by all she has to get done<\/a> \u2014 she said she feels like her body starts to shut down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI often feel like there\u2019s something heavy sitting atop my chest<\/a> or blocking my airways, leaving me unable to breathe,\u201d Lutz said. \u201cIt truly feels like you\u2019re suffocating even when there\u2019s plenty of oxygen available.\u201d<\/p>\n

What she\u2019s experiencing \u2014 and what many people experience \u2014 is called \u201cair hunger.\u201d John Scott Haldane and James Lorrain Smith coined the term in a 1892 paper<\/a>. And it\u2019s a common symptom of anxiety, although people rarely talk about how it feels \u2015 or even know that it has a name.<\/p>\n

Simply put, air hunger is the feeling that you can\u2019t get enough air. From a medical standpoint, it\u2019s referred to as dyspnea. When anxiety causes it, it\u2019s tied to the \u201cfight or flight\u201d response<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we perceive a threat, whether real or imagined, the brain signals the body to enter fight-or-flight mode,\u201d explained Gayle Watts<\/a>, a clinical psychologist with Turning Tides Psychology. \u201cThis activates the sympathetic nervous system, which increases heart rate, tenses muscles and alters breathing patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n

To the body, a threat isn\u2019t always as primal or life-threatening as being chased by a bear. It can also be giving a presentation, experiencing a trauma trigger or anything in between.<\/p>\n

When your sympathetic nervous system is activated, you may hyperventilate or breathe too quickly or shallowly. That\u2019s where the feeling like you can\u2019t get enough air comes in. <\/p>\n

And unfortunately, what may feel instinctual can make matters worse. \u201cParadoxically, the more we focus on our breathing and try to \u2018fix\u2019 it, the more we reinforce the cycle of anxiety and air hunger,\u201d Watts added. <\/p>\n

Anxiety and air hunger can become cyclical: You feel anxious, so you experience air hunger, and then struggling to breathe triggers more anxiety. You may then become anxious about, well, feeling anxious, rather than the original threat. <\/p>\n

Kyle Elliott<\/a>, a tech career coach who has anxiety disorders and lives in Santa Barbara, California, has experienced this firsthand. \u201cThe stress of the situation caused further anxiety and panic, which only made it seemingly more difficult to breathe,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve never experienced something so scary before.\u201d<\/p>\n

What exactly is behind that? \u201cAnxiety can amplify the perception of breathing difficulties by increasing attention to respiratory sensations, sometimes even when there is no actual physiological distress,\u201d said Harry Cohen<\/a>, a psychologist and author of \u201dBe The Sun, Not The Salt.\u201d \u201cThe bottom line is that it appears very real to us and feels bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

The good news is it won\u2019t last forever. \u201cAir hunger typically subsides relatively quickly,\u201d said Jenelle Thompson-Keene<\/a>, a licensed professional counselor with Thriveworks in Champaign, Illinois<\/a>, specializing in anxiety, coping skills and stress.<\/p>\n

If it happens frequently, is intense, or lasts longer than a couple of minutes, or is accompanied by chest pain<\/a> or nausea, she encouraged seeking help from a professional. Otherwise, the coping skills below should do the trick.<\/p>\n

\"There<\/p>\n

Ekaterina Goncharova via Getty Images<\/p>\n

There are a few therapist-backed ways to manage air hunger and your anxiety.<\/p>\n

How To Manage Air Hunger<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several physical and mental techniques can calm your body in mere moments. Here are some examples the mental health clinicians shared:<\/p>\n

Expose yourself to cold temperatures.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Going outside on a colder day, washing your hands with cold water, taking a cold shower<\/a> and even dunking your face in a bowl of ice water can calm your anxiety. Thompson-Keene explained it can slow your heart rate. Basically \u2014 and at least in the case of dunking your face \u2014 you\u2019re triggering the \u201cdive reflex<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ground yourself with your senses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another way to manage anxiety \u2014 and therefore air hunger \u2014 is by getting in touch with your five senses with the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry naming five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste,\u201d Watts said. \u201cThis brings your awareness back to the present moment and helps disrupt anxious thought patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Change your posture.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even in comfortable positions and when air hunger isn\u2019t an issue, you may not be able to breathe as well. So, it\u2019s especially important to be mindful of how you\u2019re sitting during an air hunger \u201cattack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSitting<\/a> hunched over can create a sense of restriction, making air hunger feel worse,\u201d Watts said. \u201cIf you\u2019re struggling with breathlessness, try sitting up straight or standing and rolling your shoulders back to open up your chest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do a breathing exercise or technique.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Watts mentioned, people may try to take deeper breaths when they\u2019re experiencing air hunger \u2014 it\u2019s only instinctual. And it can make symptoms worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, slowing your breathing and focusing on a structured pattern can help rebalance oxygen and carbon dioxide levels,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Watts encouraged the 4-7-8 technique: Inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, then exhale slowly through your mouth for eight seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which signals to your body that you are safe and can relax,\u201d Watts added.<\/p>\n

Cohen also suggested controlled breathing exercises, such as diaphragmatic breathing. Essentially, that technique is about taking deep breaths, feeling your stomach rise as you inhale and sink as you exhale.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies<\/a> show that focusing on breath patterns enhances respiratory stability and reduces the unpredictability that often fuels panic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Try cognitive reframing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skill encourages changing your perspective to be more realistic and helpful. <\/p>\n

In the case of air hunger, it might look like this: \u201cAir hunger is a perception, not a true lack of oxygen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy understanding the role of the brain in amplifying sensations, people can learn to reinterpret the experience as non-threatening, reducing the emotional distress associated with it,\u201d Cohen explained. <\/p>\n

Repeat a positive mantra.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One Thompson-Keene suggested was \u201cI\u2019m safe and this will pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cIt is a way to help ground your mind and body in the present moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Practice mindfulness-based stress reduction.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This toolkit is similar to some of the other tips. In practice, it might look like breath awareness, body scans and mindful movement.<\/p>\n

Its usefulness is research-backed, too. Cohen said it \u201chas been shown<\/a> to decrease anxiety by improving one\u2019s ability to interpret bodily sensations accurately, reducing the tendency to catastrophize normal fluctuations in breathing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Further, a study in JAMA Psychiatry<\/a> found it as effective as the gold-standard drug, escitalopram, for patients with anxiety disorders.<\/p>\n

Give yourself a \u2018butterfly hug.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

This technique incorporates breathing and cross-body tapping, Thompson-Keene said, which many find helpful. She shared this YouTube video<\/a> that explains how to do it. In short, put your left hand on your right arm and vice versa. Then, tap your arms, focus on breathing, and repeat positive mantras to yourself.<\/p>\n

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Lutz is a fan of this one. \u201cI\u2019ve found that butterfly hugs sometimes help with this feeling, which is great,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Whichever tip you use, and however long it takes to work, remember you will survive this, too. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn a very short period of time, you should be feeling much better,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cRemember, what you\u2019re feeling does feel unpleasant, but it will soon pass.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Seeley Lutz, a 26-year-old from Alexandria, Virginia, feels overwhelmed \u2014 either in a social situation or by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19815,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[2665,105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-19814","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-anxiety","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-mental-health","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114337618525444937","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}