Shortness of breath is a rather alarming symptom. The patient has difficulty in breathing: there is a feeling of lack of oxygen and a huge desire, compared with the usual inhalation or exhalation. The rhythm and strength of the respiratory movements are significantly impaired. First of all, you should be afraid that shortness of breath is a sign of any serious cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, therefore, in cases when a person has shortness of breath, he needs to consult a specialist and undergo a diagnostic study to find out the true cause of shortness of breath.

Causes of shortness of breath

Sometimes shortness of breath occurs in cases when an untrained person begins to resort to excessive physical exertion without preparation, for example, performs heavy physical work or runs too long a distance on the first day of training. Also, shortness of breath can cause a rise in the mountains, where oxygen is present in much smaller quantities.

Very often people who are overweight and lead a sedentary lifestyle suffer from shortness of breath. Dyspnea will be the harder the more a person has weight, since atmospheric pressure is very active on the respiratory system. In such cases, the only way to get rid of shortness of breath is to lose weight. It is especially useful for fat people to get involved in sports to get rid of extra pounds.

If a person has asthma, a spasm of the bronchi will constantly inhibit the flow of oxygen into the body, which can cause shortness of breath. Therefore, doctors recommend that asthmatics live in conditions with clean air – as far as possible from the roadway and closer to forests and lakes.

See also: Shortness of breath  

Stroke, tumors, myocardial infarction and angina pectoris are some of the most serious causes that cause shortness of breath in a patient.

And shortness of breath develops over time for every smoker and each of them requires a different amount of time for its development, depending on the length of smoking, the daily number of cigarettes smoked, the quality of tobacco, and also the individual characteristics of the body.

In addition to all of the above reasons, shortness of breath may occur.

 in humans against a background of stress. In this case, it will pass on its own, along with the disappearance of stress.

How to deal with shortness of breath?

If a patient has an attack of shortness of breath, experts recommend in such cases not to panic, but to take the following measures:

• to limit a person’s physical activity, it is best to seat or lay him (depending on which position he will be easier to breathe);
• if the patient is in a sitting position, it is recommended to put a headrest or several soft pillows under his back;
• tight belts are recommended to be untied, the collar of the shirt should be loosened, tight clothing should be removed to eliminate anything that could make breathing difficult at this time;
• in order to ensure the maximum flow of fresh air, it is recommended to open a window, door or in extreme cases a window;
• the patient, at the time of an attack of shortness of breath, may experience stress associated with fear for her own life. It is necessary to completely calm him down, talk to him or give him a sedative drink, for example, tincture of valerian; 
• You can also try to switch the patient’s attention to any interesting topic;
• if shortness of breath was caused by difficult expectoration of sputum, it is necessary to give the patient any mucolytic agent.