Breathing difficulty after training - won't go away

[Al1978]

I have been lifting 3 days a week for about 8 weeks. About 4 days ago I finished my weights session and immediatly had trouble breathing in, I can still breath but it just doesn't feel like a good full breath, even though my lungs are completely expanded. I keep trying to yawn to get more air in but it feels like I am getting only about 80% of a breath in. No wheezing or anything like that. It seems to come on and off during the day but gets really bad an night.

I went to the emergency ward at the hospital and was there for 6 hours while they did some tests. They X-rayed my lungs which were fine and they told me my Oxygen levels were 100%, in fact because I was trying so hard to breath in, I was hyperventilating. They discharged me without giving me a reason why this happened. I also went to my doctor who said it could be anxiety but I don't believe that as I have no stress etc.

I am going to see a resperatory specilist this week but if anyone can give me any advice, I would appreciate it. At night time it feels like I am suffocating and I have great trouble trying to sleep.

I don't smoke or drink and I am eating healthy. I thought initially if could be a reaction to whey protein as I have had it every day for 8 weeks, also a lot of milk.

[Drew Price]

Any other symptoms mate, rash, sore throat, pain in ribs?

As a practical tip keep a diary detailing the below - it may help any clincian you see.

-symptoms (levels, types, position)
-stress levels
-activity that day
-foods eaten
-any other unusual things
-weather and pollution index that day (not such a huge issue at this time of year - if you're in the Northern hemisphere)

[Al1978]

I do not have any of those symptoms although last week I did have a severe pain in my back I think I was doing squats but it only lasted about 5 minutes. I thought it might be something to do with doing back and chest exersises and not streching afterwards which I admit I have not been doing. Maybe the muscles have tightened or something constricting my breathing. It could also be allergy related as lots of people have hayfever here, I am in Australia.

Thanks for the advice, I will start keeping a diary.

Any other symptoms mate, rash, sore throat, pain in ribs?

As a practical tip keep a diary detailing the below - it may help any clincian you see.

-symptoms (levels, types, position)
-stress levels
-activity that day
-foods eaten
-any other unusual things
-weather and pollution index that day (not such a huge issue at this time of year - if you're in the Northern hemisphere)

[Drew Price]

well, it's always impossible to give a proper diagnosis over the web and this isn't my clinical area so;

- Keep that diary (but don't let it become your total focus)
- Raise the issue of possible allergy (though I feel it's unlikely I am not an immunologist)
- Also you may want to keep an eye on the muscle/nerve issues - these can certainly effect breathing. If it re occurs a trip to the physio may be in order.

Having said all this it may just be an acute, freak occurence and whilst you should keep an eye on it you're most probably in rude health so do let it weight on you mind too much.

[keeferman]

I have been lifting 3 days a week for about 8 weeks. About 4 days ago I finished my weights session and immediatly had trouble breathing in, I can still breath but it just doesn't feel like a good full breath, even though my lungs are completely expanded. I keep trying to yawn to get more air in but it feels like I am getting only about 80% of a breath in. No wheezing or anything like that. It seems to come on and off during the day but gets really bad an night.

I went to the emergency ward at the hospital and was there for 6 hours while they did some tests. They X-rayed my lungs which were fine and they told me my Oxygen levels were 100%, in fact because I was trying so hard to breath in, I was hyperventilating. They discharged me without giving me a reason why this happened. I also went to my doctor who said it could be anxiety but I don't believe that as I have no stress etc.

I am going to see a resperatory specilist this week but if anyone can give me any advice, I would appreciate it. At night time it feels like I am suffocating and I have great trouble trying to sleep.

I don't smoke or drink and I am eating healthy. I thought initially if could be a reaction to whey protein as I have had it every day for 8 weeks, also a lot of milk.

ya i have the exact same symptoms to the T. I know i dont have asthsma like some of these other threads are suggesting for the other articles. I used to run triathalons and i can still do a 50 meter underwater swim, so im certain i dont have that.
how tight are your abs? do the lizard stretch...can you get your face looking at the ceiling. try lying on your back and put your arms behind your head like your making your body an arrow...is it hard to get your elbows and hands on the ground...if so your lats are very tight. my problem is my lats.
in order for air to fill your lungs, your ribcage must expand, if your muscles are too tight, you cant breath properly.
try stretching every muscle in your body twice a day and maybe do some lap swimming which is great for stretching abs and lats, then try some hard core swimming where you hold your breath for a bit, this will force you to breath hard and will strenthen your diaphram. let me know what happens.

[HALON]

I have been lifting 3 days a week for about 8 weeks. About 4 days ago I finished my weights session and immediatly had trouble breathing in, I can still breath but it just doesn't feel like a good full breath, even though my lungs are completely expanded. I keep trying to yawn to get more air in but it feels like I am getting only about 80% of a breath in. No wheezing or anything like that. It seems to come on and off during the day but gets really bad an night.

I went to the emergency ward at the hospital and was there for 6 hours while they did some tests. They X-rayed my lungs which were fine and they told me my Oxygen levels were 100%, in fact because I was trying so hard to breath in, I was hyperventilating. They discharged me without giving me a reason why this happened. I also went to my doctor who said it could be anxiety but I don't believe that as I have no stress etc.

I am going to see a resperatory specilist this week but if anyone can give me any advice, I would appreciate it. At night time it feels like I am suffocating and I have great trouble trying to sleep.

I don't smoke or drink and I am eating healthy. I thought initially if could be a reaction to whey protein as I have had it every day for 8 weeks, also a lot of milk.

Sounds like anxiety or a panic attack to me.

I use to have something similar to you. I would need to yawn to get air in, I would be hyperventilating. I felt like I was not breathing air just nothing.

cardio exercise and just tiring myself physically made it go away. although it took time. Physical exercise builds resistance to anxiety.

You can have anxiety for many reasons stress is one of them. You can have stress and not know about it. Maybe something at the back of your mind, a worry.

It could also be a vitamin deficiency like vitamin B which brings about these stress like symptoms.

Try taking some stress relief vitamin B complex.

When you go to bed and sleep is the time when you are most relaxed and your body has to relax to be able to fall asleep.

Your breathing symptoms prevent you from relaxing and falling asleep. When laying in bed at night you are more likely to think about stress.

Did you ever try falling asleep with a good movie. This helps me sleep.

Do you drink alcohol?

If ever you get a bit drunk do you notice a change in your symptoms. alcohol has the ability to relax some people. Not that you should use it to relax yourself.

Did you have blood test?

also do you have any allergies?

I use to have allergies.

allergies are preventable and curable.

The reason why people have allergies is they use anti-biotics, too clean, use disinfectants and are not exposed to intestinal parasites.

Their immune systems become hypersensitive and react to harmless substances in the environment such as pollen.

The immune system needs to be trained through exposure to bacteria, parasites to be healthy.

[Agent-X]

You know what, man? I've been reading more and more occurrences about this absurd onset of asthma like symptoms from people in the past year and a half. I've been having it as of late, too. I'm under the assumption its a new virus in the ecosystem that we just haven't noticed. I could be wrong. Maybe the recession caused people to increase relocation, thus people are encountering viruses they would not have encountered had they stayed in their hometown: Often when people travel to new places, they catch "new" sicknesses they otherwise would not have; those living in the environment already would already be immune.

Anyway, viruses leave within 2 to 16 weeks. That's if it's a viral infection.
A flu would take maybe 3 weeks, but nasty viruses take about 3 months or so.
The immune system takes time to build antibodies and recognition cells.
So, in that sense, it should eventually go away.

But if it's stress, well reduce or eliminate the stress.

For me?
I think it could be a virus.

I think it may have been a bunch of environmental and physiological factors.
For instance, I live around a lot of smog. Also, I've undergone acidosis in more than one occasion in the past few months. So, I avoided bad air and large amounts of acid indigestion. My doctor put me on lung steroids, but I notice if I have acid indigestion, the breathing issues will pop back up. I also notice that if I don't take the steroids each day, the next day I will have the breathing problems again... I must have some weird issue.

So, in a lot of senses, know if you've been having acid indigestion.
A cup of coffee won't hurt me, but a bunch of junk would.

If it's stress reduced, stay on the ball with things in life: Don't slack but do take breaks.
Staying on the ball often makes sure you get things done, thus you don't have to push yourself. Also, make sure you get all the sleep you need EVERYDAY. And eliminate drinking. It's probably a good idea.

However, I found that eliminating drinking for a while helped me.

I mean, I thought it could have been stress, so I drank a bunch of liquor for a couple of days. I got really relaxed, but the breathing problems still occurred. I could not figure out what the deal was. All I know is that if I kept drinking (a shot of brandy every 2 hours), then my body would calm down to the point where breathing patterns were somewhat OK.

If you're not too busy in life, maybe experiment with yourself. If you can get access to stuff that reduces stress for a while, then see if it works. If it doesn't, the issue is probably not stress.

Also, know your body positioning. Are you in a comfortable position or painful/annoying position for long periods of time? That could affect you. Try lying on your bed or a flat surface when doing loads of paperwork or something. I did that, and it helped me.

Again, weird contemporary issue.
I wouldn't doubt it'd be a virus, though. It's also said that stress can make latent (viruses that are at rest and at bay) come back and be active again in the body. So, stress is bad. Stress in general is bad and not good for the human mind and body.

I had an onset of pneumonia about 5 weeks of continual breathing problems.
Luckily, I had some antibiotics.

Viruses have become more dangerous in this world. It's not even like we've been creating them using anti-viral drugs. They've just had the strange ability to evolve on their own and become extremely lethal. For instance, I caught "mono" last year this time. How? I still don't know, for I wasn't with anyone. I hadn't done anything with anyone. It just hit me. It was mean; it got me on my knees and almost made me blackout a few times. I was doing hard, third-shift work back then, too. I had quit because I didn't want my organs destroyed.

Some biologists are speculating there are weird variants of viruses out there we have yet to discover. I talked to a microbiologist a while ago, and the person suggest I had some pre-cursor to swine flu. Either way, that virus can kick someone's immune system down a few notches.

We still have things like SARS out there, so who says it can't evolve to give asthma like symptoms to people?

Let us pray these retro viruses don't get out of hand.

[anmol_khanna]

[QUOTE=Al1978;87632593. I also went to my doctor who said it could be anxiety but I don't believe that as I have no stress etc.
QUOTE]
Its not uncommon with anxiety issues that you generally dont realise that you are stressed.

What you are saying doesn't relate to lifting weights. Could be lot of things ( virus, stress, circulation). Best to check with doc. Light exercise will help but dont over do things till you get it sorted.
Massage may help

Good luck.

[keeferman]

[QUOTE=anmol_khanna;414716941]

Its not uncommon with anxiety issues that you generally dont realise that you are stressed.

What you are saying doesn't relate to lifting weights. Could be lot of things ( virus, stress, circulation). Best to check with doc. Light exercise will help but dont over do things till you get it sorted.
Massage may help

Good luck.

i spoke with a doctor that said these symptoms are mild muscle spasms. a muscle spasm doesnt have to actually spasm. it can just lock up. he said i should take anti inflammatory's and muscle relaxers.

[jayoung1995]

I have been lifting 3 days a week for about 8 weeks. About 4 days ago I finished my weights session and immediatly had trouble breathing in, I can still breath but it just doesn't feel like a good full breath, even though my lungs are completely expanded. I keep trying to yawn to get more air in but it feels like I am getting only about 80% of a breath in. No wheezing or anything like that. It seems to come on and off during the day but gets really bad an night.

I went to the emergency ward at the hospital and was there for 6 hours while they did some tests. They X-rayed my lungs which were fine and they told me my Oxygen levels were 100%, in fact because I was trying so hard to breath in, I was hyperventilating. They discharged me without giving me a reason why this happened. I also went to my doctor who said it could be anxiety but I don't believe that as I have no stress etc.

I am going to see a resperatory specilist this week but if anyone can give me any advice, I would appreciate it. At night time it feels like I am suffocating and I have great trouble trying to sleep.

I don't smoke or drink and I am eating healthy. I thought initially if could be a reaction to whey protein as I have had it every day for 8 weeks, also a lot of milk.

Experiencing these exact same symptoms. Went to hospital and lung X-ray looked great and they told me breathing sounded great. I know this post was a while ago, but looking for a follow up. Did you ever figure out what it was? Did it go away?

[BS89]

Experiencing these exact same symptoms. Went to hospital and lung X-ray looked great and they told me breathing sounded great. I know this post was a while ago, but looking for a follow up. Did you ever figure out what it was? Did it go away?

I have had the same exact symptoms since May of this year. After a chaotic summer filled with emergency room costs and other medical costs it's confirmed that my symptoms were panic attack/anxiety induced. It was hard for me to believe it was something mental health related as the physical symptoms I felt were so severe and concerning to be quite frank.

I also deal with bad sinus allergies which keep getting worse by the year. Its possible that the allergies were boosting the anxiety and vice versa leading to really bad panic attacks. These were easily some of the worst months of my life as this interfered with my work and personal life.

Highly recommend you see your primary care doc and have them prescribe some mild anxiety medicine for the onset.

Don't get hooked and get through this phase of life. Best of luck.

[smittyboy63]

This also sounds alot like "costochondritis". Google it and see if it fits your symptoms. They don't know what causes it or how to treat it. It's one of those "mystery" diseases.

[PlantProtein]

I know this is an old thread with some strong bumps, but I have these exact same symptoms, specifically:

- Breathing problems that occur 99% at night (like, they start the exact moment the sun sets and end the exact moment the sun rises, even though I'm indoors, whether I'm wide awake, trying to sleep, or sound asleep).

Wondering if @Al1978 or anyone else with these specific symptoms ever saw a remission or even found an explanation other than "anxiety" (there's no way it's anxiety, it happens like clockwork every night no matter how I'm feeling or what I'm doing). I've had this since the beginning of August and it's really starting to trouble me. I usually make time for my workouts at night, and I just can't now that this has started happening.

FYI, possibly related, I also have:
- Seasonal sinus allergies worsening by the year
- A job that involves a lot of pollen/dust
- An autoimmune disorder (psoriasis)

[samratmatta]

I found out the reason. It can due to two reason:
1) Check for last two nights sleep... Can be due to lack of proper sleep.. early sleep is best than late sleep n late wke up even if we sleep for 7 hours... Only timely 7hours sleep counts not any 7 hours sleep..
2) Breathing pattern during cardio exercises.. Must practice to breath gently during workouts and should decrease the speed gently... Never stop threadmill or cross trainer or cycling suddenly... Gradually decrease the speed and then stop.. Also while dpimg shoulder exercises,while lifting up weights be very careful abt breathing... Inhale at restng position and gently exhale during lifting up weights....Also after workouts dnt rush to ur house or office.. just sit for 10-15mins get relaxed and then gently move..
Hope it works... Thank u.. God bless..

[Kiesh91]

Hi All,
I never post on forums but had to create an account to specifically answer this...
I’ve been suffering with this severely for nearly 3 years. It’s affected all areas of my life badly. Many things trigger it but weightlifting definitely causes it to flare up.
After years of doctor visits, reading, 1 major surgery and generally trying to find an answer, the conclusion that I’ve landed on is something called Adrenal Fatigue.
It’s made worse by stress, poor sleep, caffeine, **** diet, intense exercise, and it builds up over months. It also takes months to fix.
I’ve started managing stress, drastically reduced caffeine, improved my diet, started getting more sleep (previously I would wake up about 3 every morning not being able to breathe for 1-2 hours) and stopped weights for a few months, and im now at the point where I’m getting over it (and I can start to get back in the weights room again).
I’m not sure if this will be the answer for everybody but I could not read this without offering my experience.

[joshjames80]

I've been suffering from these exact same symptoms off and on my whole life, but it's been getting progressively worse the last 8 years or so. The last two days have been almost unbearable.
I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one. The solutions offered on this thread seem to make sense to me because my symptoms seem to be worse when I'm not sleeping well, I'm more busy than usual, more physically active, working outside more, and taking more caffeine. Admittedly, it could be a chicken and the egg situation where these things cause the lack of quality breathing, and the lack of quality breathing causes further symptoms. It also seems to be both physical and mental, because it first seems mild, but then I get anxiety about not being able to breath which of course makes it worse. I'll try some stretches, anti-inflammatories, cutting down caffeine, and getting better rest to see if that helps. Thank you all!

[Batfromhell]

I have also been getting these symptoms since around 2006. My symptoms are 100% identical to the original post above.

I went for the chest xray which docs said looked normal. Then I saw a respiratory and pulmonary specialist who strapped me to a bike and a mask connected to a oxygen intake sensor. My oxygen levels came out normal even though I was experiencing the symptoms during the exact moment of the testing. I told the lung specialist that I'm gasping for air and all she said was the readings on the computer look fine. My lungs were absorbing at 100%. But why did it only feel like 75%? She looked confused because she saw me struggling to breath. cardiogram tests also looked perfect.

I have not seen a doctor since my full testing when my doc gave up on me.

However, Here is what I have noticed in the past 12 years of living through it.

1. When I go on an extended layoff from the gym...I do not ever experience these symptoms.

2. symptoms are at their worst when i return to the gym and start lifting weights.

3. not related to the season.

4. after a few weeks of consistent gym, the symptoms subside and usually go away but may sometimes return in a mild form.

5. A puffer does nothing to help.

[joshjames80]

In the last couple of months since my last reply, I've tried cutting down on caffeine by suggestion of some those above. I've particularly eliminated energy drinks. It seemed to help almost immediately. It could be a coincidence and it may not be the caffeine since I've continued to drink unsweetened tea with no adverse effects, but the last couple of months it's almost completely gone away.

[alexsem]

I know this is an old post, but did anyone figure it out and get any results?

[kairizal]

Hi all,
I looking for an answer to the same problems here...I've been running out of breath almost 5 years and had seen respiratory specialist once, the puff and and any medicines prescribes by specialist doesn't help to control my situation..
Just to writes, I never go to gym and do any weightlifting and so on.. but I do practices long running daily ( 10km - 15km ) or sometimes at 5km almost daily.

I come across to figure out my symptoms due to strenuous exercise ( running long daily ). one day I layoff running for two weeks and surprisingly I'm back breathable, It seems hard to believe run caused me this troubles, I keep continue to run and a week after I got the same problems again I stop and I run and always I have the same spot of symptoms.

Just after two month without run and started it slowly , once I'm on speed ( two month ) + some little workout at field like push up, stomach crunch , and knee up .. again I'm back to the same condition.

I notice caffeine and coffee make my breathing worse, for examples today, few cup of thick coffee caused me to gasp for breath very badly.

But One thing I know, despite the condition like this, I still can keep on running even until 15km quite easy, uphill and uphill and uphill not that difficult to me. Only when I go home and get some rest at night it will started constantly.

[amadainmhor]

So heartening to know I am not alone. I've had this badly at night for 5 yrs since i started training seriously. I've been to several specialists, been through a nasal corrective surgery (painful as F) had my tonsils out and had multiple consultations with chest specialists.
for the first time in years I've not been weightlifting over the past three weeks but doing plenty of cardio and miraculously I'm sleeping again! incredible!
whilst I'd like to continue weight training my sleep is now sacred! with the help from this forum i now know the reason but not the solution. Dont care, I'll lose my muscle mass before losing my sleep again!

[raygui]

Hi I have the same symptoms, not sure what it is. I'm thinking 3 month taking pre workouts with caffeine and other stuff is the cause but maybe I'm wrong. It happens after lifting weights not with cardio, it's like my lungs don't want to breath and I have to force my lungs to take a breath. It's like they forgot how to breath and I have to do it more consciously, O2 sat is ok. Also I have noticed that coffee makes me extremely anxious. I used to drink a lot of Cuban coffee before and never was a problem, now just one makes me crazy. The breathing problem happens mostly when I'm not doing anything, just sitting or standing. If I'm walking or running not a problem. Maybe is anxiety or panic attacks but I don't feel stressed at all.

[icanbreath]

I spent years trying to figure it out and found out that the more build up muscle tension the harder it is to breath. Overeating and having a full stomach or eating bad food full of fat does not help either, pecially before bed.

I lowered the amount of time i spent at the gym. I used to train 2 hours fully body.
The back musles and traps are the the main ones i need to take it easy on.

When i take time off from the gym but keep myself actively walking i sleep like a baby. When i go back to the gym it is the worst but once my muscles get used after a couple of weeksthey to not get so much tension build up and it gets easier.

Bottom line. If you push your muscles too hard you will not be able to breath because the tension aftects your breathing muscles also having a full stomach remember specially fatty foods affects.

I have tested this for many years many times.On and off the gym. When i go beast mode at the gym i get this breathing anxiety when i go off the gym it disappears. When i go little by little into the gym it gets easier and easier aa the muscles get used to that training regimen.

20 30 minutes weight lifting is good enough for me and i increase wegiths back to my precvious ones very slowly to see how my body adapts. You do not want to take time off from the gym and immediately after coming back try to lift a lot because your muscles will freaking go on red alert mode apocalyptic danger danger cant breath hahaha, the body gets used to muce tension to a certain degree.

I started weight lifting at 14 at a gym, left and came back at 19 . I have been lifting for 10 years I am 29, my body does not behave as it used to before I had to adapt. Once my body gets used it will become easier. I say it from experence. You just need to find your balance that is all.