Back

Shallow Breathing: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Shallow breathing is a common symptom that many people may experience. The patient has short, rapid, shallow, and rapid breathing. Sometimes it is difficult to breathe, shortness of breath, difficult to take a deep breath, and the person feels tired. If this condition persists continuously, it may be a sign of disease, the patient should absolutely not be subjective. What is shallow breathing? What are the causes, symptoms, and treatment? Let’s find out through the article below.

What Is Shallow Breath?

Shallow breathing is one of the most common manifestations of dyspnea, often described as a spasm in the chest. The patient’s breathing is short, fast, shallow, and quick. There are many people who have this condition but think it is a simple symptom and often ignore it. If this symptom lasts for a long time, it will directly affect the patient’s activities by causing a feeling of shortness of breath, suffocation, and difficulty in breathing.

Breathing rate is one of the important metrics used to assess the health status of each person. With a healthy person, normally there will be a flow rate of about 0.5 liters. However, for people experiencing shallow breathing, the breathing flow will be lower than this number. In other words, the patient’s breathing rate is shorter than that of normal people. Therefore, the patient needs to breathe quickly and continuously to maintain the oxygen needed for the body’s respiratory process.

Causes Of Shallow Breath

There are many different causes of shallow breathing. It may be because the patient is overworked or due to the effects of nature such as extreme weather, high altitude, etc. It can also be due to human psychological reactions such as stress, anxiety, nervousness, or caused by daily living habits.

LRtxbDCslEbiuXRvtYbKrdwC392gcOBbJgB2jAjwkYhKM8ptkBR1sZrZtH7dF5R78e72b9MPU7tF13Kp_1625745131.jpg
There are many different causes of shallow breathing

Having shallow breathing is also linked to underlying health problems. Most cases of shortness of breath due to shallow breathing are caused by heart or respiratory problems. Some causes of shallow breathing are:

  • Sleep apnea syndrome

This is a syndrome that can be life-threatening, apnea episodes occur mainly during sleep accompanied by loud snoring. This condition makes breathing difficult and affects sleep. The consequences of this condition also make the patient tired, difficult to concentrate on the work of the next day.

  • Asthma

People with asthma often have symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, …

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

People with the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can make shallow breathing worse.

qBAf4AWXa2pBWFJz7zOZn86hGvH3atiwU0A56Uf7sC6jNkrtVjuUUz10GgLISPGn28CnkgamqwzgVCmQ_1625745187.jpg
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can make shallow breathing worse
  • CO poisoning

CO enters the respiratory system through the lungs and displaces oxygen. CO poisoning leads to a lack of oxygen to the brain causing symptoms: shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, etc.

  • Airway Foreign Body

When we choke on food, foreign bodies can enter, causing narrowing of the airway, then causing difficulty breathing, apnea, even danger to the patient’s life.

  • Cardiovascular disease

The heart is responsible for pumping blood to the organs of the body through the lungs. Therefore, when the functioning of the heart has problems, it will make it difficult for the body’s respiratory system. People with cardiovascular disease such as arrhythmia, heart attack, heart failure, … can be the cause of shallow breathing.

  • Pneumonia

People with pneumonia have symptoms: cough, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, shallow breathing, body fatigue, weakness, …

  • Pneumothorax

Air enters between the lungs and chest wall, making it difficult for the patient to breathe, and sharp pain in the chest when breathing.

  • Other causes

In addition, shallow breathing can also be caused by a number of other problems such as anxiety disorders, anemia, broken ribs, epiglottitis, kyphosis, scoliosis, etc.

What Are Shallow Breath Symptoms?

Most patients with shallow breathing experience persistent shortness of breath. The condition lasts up to 30 minutes even though the patient is at rest. Patients find it difficult to breathe even when performing everyday activities such as walking or simply getting up from a chair. Therefore, as soon as you have the following abnormal symptoms, you should go to a reputable medical facility for timely examination, monitoring, and treatment:

MnJXLG5JQbArpaJTWbAldktDe0WS5EWrwsyNKKxzvAXyYeVVe0BTSodB0BFRaIV7ClHSJW7m3nISWfT6_1625745313.jpg
Most patients with shallow breathing experience persistent shortness of breath
  • Shortness of breath when lying flat
  • Prolonged shortness of breath, 30 minutes after rest, still not getting better
  • Symptoms of shortness of breath
  • Wheezing, wheezing
  • The patient feels tired, uncomfortable and can’t concentrate on work
  • Prolonged high fever, cough, chills. This symptom is easily confused with the common cold, so patients often ignore it.
  • Noticeably swollen feet and ankles
  • The patient looks lifeless, pale, lips and fingers pale.

Above are some symptoms that may be encountered when the patient exhales. If there are more serious signs accompanying you, you need to go to a medical facility immediately, absolutely unmanaged.

  • Feelings of tension and stress
  • Have a heart attack or problems with breathing or lungs
  • Feeling unwell in body
  • Cramping pain in arms, back, and jaw

Detecting and Diagnosing Shallow Breath Disease

Breathing disease can be detected and diagnosed by counting the respiratory rate:

  • Before performing the examination the patient should rest. Patients cannot use drugs that affect the respiratory system. In addition, you should also inform your doctor about any medications you are taking as they may affect the test results.
  • When examining, place the patient in an alternate position with both hands to raise the chest. Then the breathing rate is counted by the number of times the hand is raised and lowered.
  • It is also possible to detect and diagnose the disease by observing the abnormality in the patient’s breathing rate. Specifically, the patient has shortness of breath, irregular breathing, shortness of breath, etc.

Currently, thanks to modern medical measures we can detect, diagnose and find out the performance of the breath. Some of the methods used are:

  • Blood test: this is a common method. Through it, doctors can detect foreign substances in the blood and find the cause of the disease.
  • MRI, X-ray: this method helps to detect foreign bodies in the respiratory tract or detect whether the patient has fluid or not, etc.
JGsrU4jAdTBB5Dwq5caMw0kACiveJhvXaPAlLB8GBmnEEluxWCepTmHGti0MqeTUNnNFWqKsMaK9ahWp_1625745364.jpeg
MRI, X-ray help detect foreign objects in the respiratory tract, …

How to Cure Shallow Breath Effectively

Shortness of breath directly affects the quality of life of the patient and will become dangerous if not treated promptly. Therefore, everyone needs to take the initiative to prevent and prevent to protect their own health.

Gm1MHUhiffy3UdUiA34fTXYoXYlOYgUNWV4jDClBHdRr28D55UtjBBZX0m72RxiuShZAxjfNj587Ge8n_1625745559.jpg
Depending on the cause, the doctor will recommend the appropriate treatment

The treatment for shallow breathing depends on the cause of the disease and how long the symptoms last. Depending on the cause, the doctor will recommend the appropriate treatment.

  • If the cause is lung or airway problems: the doctor may prescribe the patient to use bronchodilators to clear the airways.
  • If the cause is related to the heart, the patient should follow the doctor’s instructions, use medication to control and reduce shallow breathing.
  • If the cause is iron deficiency, the patient should take iron supplements as prescribed by the doctor.

In addition, to limit the negative effects on quality of life, patients need to build healthy habits and lifestyles. Some measures to take are as follows:

  • Quit smoking. Smoking is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Quitting smoking can slow the development of shallow breaths and prevent potentially dangerous complications.
  • Limit exposure to pollutants, dust, and toxic chemicals.
  • Avoid inclement weather. Exercising in extreme weather, such as being too hot or too cold, can increase symptoms of shortness of breath.
  • Regular exercise and sports to exercise and improve health. However, avoid overexertion as it can make shallow breathing worse.
  • Have a reasonable diet and rest.
a3ZXRCqLvKhtVVKM2jmagkifSMWBy012Mm14rCb3jsWke3GCEZ5Fxqmcqsc4Sce9saWddHiTjnQZKJ48_1625745415.jpg
Smoking is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Above is useful information to help you better understand the causes, symptoms as well as prevention and treatment of shallow breathing. To ensure your own health and safety, you should have regular health checkups and do the necessary tests to know your body’s condition when you have unusual symptoms.

The site cannot and does not contain medical advice. The medical information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information. We encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals.