Does breath-based anxiety cause air hunger?
Do you have breath-based anxiety?
Do you ever get air hunger when speaking? Feeling like you’re not getting enough air or like your heart is beating out of your chest? This is one of the most counterintuitive parts of anxiety.
When it first started happening to me, I would go to the emergency room, convinced I was having a heart attack. Diagnosed with anxiety and convinced there was something wrong with me, I had no tools, except gasping for air, which only made it worse.
There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re not having a heart attack. This debilitating sensation is actually quite common. Air hunger comes when your body is pumping too much hot and shallow air. The body is telling you to get more air in, but you actually need to get the excess air out.
Here are my tips:
Instead of gasping for air or breathing into the chest, move your attention lower - to your gut. Feel your belly go up and down as air comes in and out of your system (without you efforting to breathe).
Next, focus on just exhaling, I call it pumping the exhale. Even though you will still feel the desire to get in a big breath, you can ride out the wave of anxiety by focusing on the exhale, which activates the vagus nerve, and helps you feel more relaxed. (The focus also creates something to focus on and takes your attention away from the anxiety).
Finally, practice conscious breathing when you’re not anxious. Hold the emptiness at the bottom of the exhale which stimulates the vagus nerve and mimics the feeling of air hunger. I practice getting more familiar with this tremendous discomfort which helps me ride the wave in anxious moments.
How do you manage air hunger or breath-based anxiety?
