Why do I have to yawn to get a full breath?

Are you anxious about something or do you think you have shortness of breath for some reason? Do you have asthma?

Is there any pain in your chest, back or arms? You should make an emergency appointment with a doctor.

@marina: I’m not any more anxious or stressed out than I normally am. I don’t have asthma, but I do have pollen allergies, so I was wondering if maybe it was related to that. I forgot to put in an “allergies” tag.

@richardhenry: I did have a weird little chest cramp yesterday that lasted for like two seconds. No other pain, though. I think I’ll call my doctor’s office and at least see if I can talk to her nurse. Thanks for the suggestion.

Sounds like a plan. I hope it is minor, and you are feeling better soon.

@Bear. Have you started any new medications recently. Some medicines (like SSRIs for depression) can lead to increased yawning. Other things to consider include anxiety attacks (don’t take this the wrong way, sometimes people don’t know they are having anxiety attacks) or vasovagal reactions. There are a couple of more serious things as wel that would crop up depending on your age and other risk factors. I agree that you should see your doctor as soon as you can.

That’s a really good question. I’ve had the same problem from time to time. When I go up to Lake Tahoe I get this, but suppose the thin air has something to do with it. Where I live I’m only a little over sea level and once a month or so I have trouble getting a full breath. I don’t have asthma and am not obese, but could lose some weight, if that has anything to do with it.

I talked to my doctor’s office, and they said I should get it checked out immediately, so that’s what I’m going to do when I leave work in about 20 minutes. Thanks for your help and answers everyone!

please keep us posted. I have the same problem I’ve been ignoring for some time now. But it comes and goes, almost if I forget about it its fine, but now just reading this I had to take a really deep breath….. And again!!!!!

@alina- So I spent like three hours in the emergency room last night. After chest x-rays and blood work, the doctor said that the best explanation he could come up with was that I was having some acid reflux action and that’s what was causing the spasm-y chest pain. He also said that acid reflux can cause you to feel like your chest is tight and your breathing restricted. Apparently, my lungs sounded clear and my blood oxygen level was normal, so he thought that’s what it was. He actually characterized it as his “best guess”, saying that he really couldn’t be totally sure what was going on. I got a prescription for some acid reflux medicine that I’m supposed to take for a week, and see if there’s any improvement. Feels inconclusive…

This is how I feel most of the time, and I have asthma.

Hi, I get this all the time. I feel as if Im not getting enough oxygen in my lungs. All my life ive had sensative lungs, uRI, brhonchitis alot. Mold kills me, and now i have a slight case of asthsma. If there are strong sprays, or insense it chokes me up. I yawn to get a deep breat of oxygen. I really hate it. I think I want to get checked by the lung specialist. I also get some pain in the upper part of my chest, and im pretty sure its my lungs…