Why people breathe heavily

Many treatment options are available for noisy breathing and depend on the cause of the symptoms. At times, monitoring and supportive care are recommended. Certain medications may be helpful in treating symptoms or managing related conditions. For more severe issues, surgery may be recommended. Your Pediatric Otolaryngologist will discuss all possible treatment options with you and make recommendations for the most appropriate treatment. It can be difficult for a parent or family member to discern the severity of a problem when there is noisy breathing.

If you are concerned, we urge you to seek medical evaluation immediately. In particular, signs that indicate more severe conditions include: irritability, poor feeding, pulling in of the skin at the collar bone, between the ribs, or under the ribs, flaring of the nose, increasing effort to breathe, and poor weight gain or weight loss, especially in infants.

If any of these or other concerning signs develop, please seek immediate medical attention. Laryngomalacia is the most common cause of noisy breathing in infants. More than half of infants have noisy breathing during the first week of life, and most develop this by weeks of age.

Rarely, laryngomalacia occurs in older children, or adults, particularly those with other medical problems. Laryngomalacia, also called laryngeal stridor, results from a weakness of parts of the voice box larynx. The main symptom of laryngomalacia is noisy breathing when your child breathes in.

Skip to Content. Urgent Care. In This Section. Noisy Breathing Noisy breathing is common in children, and can be a sign of many different conditions, some of which are very benign and some of which require urgent treatment. Signs and Symptoms. Infection- Viral or bacterial infections can cause swelling of the tissues in the airway such as a cold causing nasal congestion anywhere from the nose to the lungs.

Not all of them are specifically related to the lungs. Seeking medical treatment to identify a cause can help you get back to breathing normally. Labored breathing can also be the result of anxiety. Feeling panicked or scared can cause you to hyperventilate or breathe very quickly. You may have trouble catching your breath, causing your breathing to be labored.

For this reason, labored breathing is often considered a medical emergency. Even if you can attribute the labored breathing to an underlying disease, seeking immediate attention before your condition worsens can protect your health and your airways. Children can also experience labored breathing.

Symptoms that warrant immediate medical attention include:. A doctor will first try to relate the labored breathing to a known cause.

For example, if you have lung cancer or COPD, your labored breathing may likely be due to worsening of that condition. Treatment for labored breathing depends upon the underlying cause and the severity of the symptoms. Examples include:. In rare instances, surgery may be required to remove a tumor or other obstruction that may be affecting your ability to breathe. Labored breathing has many causes. They will work with you to identify a cause and recommend a treatment plan so you can get back to breathing normally.

Learn causes for heavy breathing, including heavy breathing in sleep, plus treatments for these conditions. Here are five pieces of advice to maintain optimal lung health and breathing capacity, from staying far away from cigarettes to adopting a consistent…. To help get rid of carbon dioxide, learn to do pursed lip breathing.

This is done by puckering your lips as if you're blowing out a candle, then breathing out slowly through your lips. Over the long term, measures to help you stop overbreathing include: If you have been diagnosed with anxiety or panic, see a mental health professional to help you understand and treat your condition. Learn breathing exercises that help you relax and breathe from your diaphragm and abdomen, rather than from your chest wall. Practice relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation or meditation.

Exercise regularly. If these methods alone don't prevent overbreathing, your provider may recommend medicine. When to Contact a Medical Professional. Call your provider if: You are having rapid breathing for the first time. This is a medical emergency and you should be taken to the emergency room right away. You are in pain, have a fever, or are bleeding. Your hyperventilation continues or gets worse, even with home treatment. You also have other symptoms.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit. Alternative Names. Anxiety Read more. Breathing Problems Read more.