Hyperventilating during exercise.

[vheogl]

This seems very bizarre. I just got back from a run and about 1/2 mile from the end my throat closed up, i couldn't swallow air, or breath deeply to that point where you have enough air and breathe out again, my hands and lips were going tingly and i was going rather light headed. It wasn't till i got home and had managed to get my breathing back to near normal that i realised this feeling was identical to that of hyperventilating while having a panic attack. I've had this many times before during panic attacks, but obviously while running i wasn't panicing and was calm.

My pace is relativly slow (about a 12 to 13 min mile) and this run was 2 miles, not further than i usually run.

Also the other day while swimming about 10 lengths in i was struggling to breathe and my heart rate increased dramatically (i could feel it). 10 lengths is nothing to me, i'm a strong swimmer and will happily swim a few miles easily, the pace was normal also.

Anyone have any idea of what would cause this and if it really was hyperventilating or something else?

[BWright]

Obsever your breathing. It may be strange to think about but I use to always catch myself holding my breath during excerise. It was like I was so busy thinking about excerising that I forgot to breath.

**It sounds like hyperventilating but I would check with your doctor - especial since this has happened twice during your normal rutine. It could be nothing but then again it could be something.

[rabid_child]

You could have exercise induced asthma. Go see your doc!

[vheogl]

You could have exercise induced asthma. Go see your doc!

I have a strong family history of asthma, but this is not asthma. Symptoms don't really match. Also had a peak flow done about 6 months - a year ago when was feeling breathless at odd times, especially at rest and it was totally normal. So I would be very shocked if it was.

[hoodedclawjen]

http://allergies.about.com/od/anaphylaxis/a/eia.htm ?

[animallover7249]

see a doctor!

[AussieShane]

This seems very bizarre. I just got back from a run and about 1/2 mile from the end my throat closed up, i couldn't swallow air, or breath deeply to that point where you have enough air and breathe out again, my hands and lips were going tingly and i was going rather light headed. It wasn't till i got home and had managed to get my breathing back to near normal that i realised this feeling was identical to that of hyperventilating while having a panic attack. I've had this many times before during panic attacks, but obviously while running i wasn't panicing and was calm.

My pace is relativly slow (about a 12 to 13 min mile) and this run was 2 miles, not further than i usually run.

Also the other day while swimming about 10 lengths in i was struggling to breathe and my heart rate increased dramatically (i could feel it). 10 lengths is nothing to me, i'm a strong swimmer and will happily swim a few miles easily, the pace was normal also.

Anyone have any idea of what would cause this and if it really was hyperventilating or something else?

That doesn't seem like hyperventilation although the symptoms were uncannily similar. Do you have an asthmatic history?... I think you should see your doctor about it.

[bronski]

It's weird you should mention this, I've had a similar problem recently. My pace is bit faster, about 9/10 minutes per mile for a training run, 7/8 for a race pace, and distance is a minimum of 4 miles per run. Part way through a similar thing comes on, and I just end up gasping.

Not sure if it's asthma for either of us, as it passes off fairly quick by the sound of it.

Let me know how it pans out.

Bron

[Fyvel]

vheogl,

My first thought was also exercise-induced asthma. Whatever it is, you should get it checked out by a doctor.



It's weird you should mention this, I've had a similar problem recently. My pace is bit faster, about 9/10 minutes per mile for a training run, 7/8 for a race pace, and distance is a minimum of 4 miles per run. Part way through a similar thing comes on, and I just end up gasping.

Not sure if it's asthma for either of us, as it passes off fairly quick by the sound of it.

Let me know how it pans out.

Bron

Sounds a lot like exercise induced asthma to me. That's how I was diagnosed: I started running and would run almost every day and after a month of this I was still gasping for air before I hit the 1km mark. I knew that wasn't right so I went to the doctor, he gave me a puffer to take before exercise and all of a sudden I could just run forever it seemed (and then proceeded to overdo it and hurt my knee :brood:)

[vheogl]

I've googled the symptoms of exercise induced asthma, and the only one that really matches is the long recovery time, now about 2 hours after a short run I feel breathless. It's not like i can't breathe then exercising it's more my lungs won't fill up to a decent capacity to make me comfortable. I have to breathe very deeply to feel like i have enough air which i can't due mid run my lungs stop before that full point. I've also been getting more breathless walking up stairs etc recently.

I personally have no history of asthma but my uncle died of an asthma attack and my mother suffers from asthma like breathing problems when she even gets a cold.

I can't think of what else it could be, unless is psychological. I had an ECG the other day which i assume was normal, it was part of testing equipment for a trial (i work in medical research) if there'd been anything odd there i'd guess someone would have noticed and said. My BP and everything there is normal also. I really don't want to bother my GP about this as it seems so trivial, i'm not dying obviously it's just irritating.

Does any have any more details on what exercise induced asthma actually feels like? To me it sounds like it's something you'd clearly notice, struggle breathing etc. I've only ever come into contact with people having full blown asthma attacks and this is defiantly not like that!

[Fyvel]

Does any have any more details on what exercise induced asthma actually feels like? To me it sounds like it's something you'd clearly notice, struggle breathing etc. I've only ever come into contact with people having full blown asthma attacks and this is defiantly not like that!

It's a lot like what you described - feeling like you can't fill your lungs up with air. Like your lungs aren't big enough to breathe properly, or like you're trying to get enough air through a straw.

It's not really like an asthma attack - that's a lot more severe.