Shortness of breath when walking and exercising
Shortness of breath when walking is quite common. It occurs in response to increased physical activity. If the loads are very intense, then the appearance of shortness of breath can be considered a normal variant. In the case when a person has difficulty breathing even when walking at a normal pace, this is a pathological condition.
Shortness of breath does not always occur in older people, it often worries young women and men. You should not ignore the symptoms of dyspnea (as doctors call shortness of breath), especially when this phenomenon develops at a young age and has no apparent reason.
Content:
- Causes of shortness of breath when walking and physical activity
- The severity of shortness of breath
- Shortness of breath symptoms
- Expiratory and inspiratory dyspnea
- Diagnostics
- Treatment
- Prevention
Causes of shortness of breath when walking and physical activity
In some cases, shortness of breath will be considered a physiological phenomenon. The word "physiological" or "safe" means the normal reaction of the body in response to increased physical activity.
The reasons for this shortness of breath:
- Running fast, exercising, working out in the gym, swimming.
- Ascending to a height at a fast pace, such as climbing stairs.
- Doing hard physical work.
- Experienced fear, stress, or emotional stress.
The cause of shortness of breath that occurs in a person during exercise may be his lack of training. If earlier he did not go in for sports and suddenly began to perform heavy exercises, then shortness of breath in this case will be a compensatory mechanism that starts the body. It is aimed at allowing organs and systems to adapt to new circumstances without experiencing oxygen starvation.
Sometimes shortness of breath can occur in a healthy person during physical activity, provided that he has recently eaten. Experts recommend waiting at least 1.5 hours after eating. Only after this time you can start training. The fact is that the body needs energy to dissolve the food lump. Blood rushes to the stomach, pancreas, liver, intestines. If at this time a person begins to move intensively, then the blood supply to the lungs will increase, but not fully, which can provoke shortness of breath.
Physiological shortness of breath does not always follow a person. As the body becomes more trained, it will become less and less intense, and then it will stop altogether.
Shortness of breath, which occurs when walking and physical activity, is not always a variant of the norm. In some cases, it can have a pathological basis.
Diseases and disorders that can lead to shortness of breath:
- Infections, accompanied by intoxication of the body, an increase in body temperature.
- Diseases of the blood (anemia), cancerous tumors of the brain or respiratory system, disorders in metabolic processes.
- Overweight
- Damage to the nervous system.
- Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. This includes any pathology that is accompanied by the development of heart failure.
- Diseases of the respiratory system: bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, COPD, etc.
- Endocrine system diseases. In this regard, thyrotoxicosis and diabetes mellitus are dangerous.
Depending on the pathology that triggered the onset of shortness of breath, it will be accompanied by other symptoms.
Shortness of breath when walking in pregnant women
In young women, shortness of breath with increased physical activity may occur due to pregnancy. Starting at the end of the second trimester, more than 60% of all expectant mothers notice that walking at a fast pace leads to difficulty breathing. The longer the period, the more significant the discomfort will be.
As a rule, this condition is not pathological (provided that the shortness of breath is not intense and passes quickly). It is associated with an increased load on the body, since it must provide oxygen not only to the woman, but also to the child. The respiratory system does not have time to adapt, therefore, in conditions of increased physical exertion, shortness of breath occurs.
The severity of shortness of breath
There are five degrees of severity of shortness of breath, depending on its manifestations:
- Zero degree of shortness of breath. It occurs only after the body has experienced serious physical exertion.
- Mild shortness of breath. It appears after a brisk walk, after climbing to a height.
- Average degree. Such shortness of breath occurs more often, it forces a person to slow down the pace of walking. A person cannot walk at a brisk pace for a long time.
- Severe shortness of breath occurs after a few minutes of walking. Approximately every 100 meters a person makes forced stops to "take a breath." It is difficult for such people to climb higher than one staircase.
- Very severe shortness of breath follows a person at rest. He begins to have difficulty breathing even after minimal physical exertion.
Shortness of breath symptoms
Shortness of breath is a feeling of lack of air, in connection with which a person feels the need to increase breathing. Outwardly absolutely healthy people often present complaints of shortness of breath. If she worries on an ongoing basis, then it makes sense to undergo a comprehensive examination.
A healthy person pays no attention to his breathing. Its frequency can increase with dosed physical activity, for example, when climbing stairs. However, this does not give the person any anxiety or discomfort. After a few minutes everything is back to normal. If a person is healthy, then his NPV per minute varies between 14-22. In childhood, these numbers are slightly different.
Pathological shortness of breath can be present on an ongoing basis, or occur during an exacerbation of the underlying disease.
The most common symptoms of shortness of breath include:
- Chest tightness.
- Difficulty breathing in and out.
- Pressure and pain in the chest.
- Oxygen deficiency and dizziness.
- The inability to breathe deeply.
- In severe cases, shortness of breath can result in a choking attack.
With pathological shortness of breath in most patients, the lips turn blue, sweating increases, and the skin turns pale. With heart disease, a person has chest pains, he feels an irregular heartbeat. Dyspnea worse lying down and better when sitting down.
Expiratory and inspiratory dyspnea
When walking, a person can experience both expiratory and inspiratory dyspnea. In the first case, a person experiences difficulty exhaling, since the walls of the bronchi undergo certain changes, or spasm. Expiratory dyspnea can accompany bronchial asthma, obstructive bronchitis, emphysema, and other pathological processes in the respiratory system.
With inspiratory shortness of breath, it is difficult for the patient to inhale. Pneumosclerosis, tuberculosis, cancerous growths, bronchial asthma, laryngeal pathologies, etc., can provoke the onset of this pathological symptom.
In some cases, shortness of breath can be mixed when a person experiences difficulty not only during inhalation, but also during exhalation.
Diagnostics
Before starting treatment, you need to find out the causes of shortness of breath. The patient should describe his condition in as much detail as possible, specifying that shortness of breath worries him only during walking or physical activity.
The doctor will examine the patient and prescribe the following diagnostic procedures:
- Chest x-ray.
- Tomography of internal organs.
- Donation of blood for general and biochemical analysis.
- Echocardiography.
- Spirometry.
- Pulse oximetry.
Depending on the data received, the doctor will be able to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
Treatment
The first thing to do when shortness of breath occurs while walking or physical activity is to stop and stop loading the body. Timely rest will prevent tissue hypoxia and prevent serious consequences from developing. If, 10-15 minutes after the cessation of intense movements, breathing does not return to normal, you need to call an ambulance.
It will be possible to get rid of pathological shortness of breath that occurs during increased physical activity only if the treatment is aimed at eliminating the underlying disease.
The main task facing the patient during an attack of shortness of breath is to ensure normal ventilation. This will be facilitated by quitting smoking, using masks when working in hazardous industries, increasing physical activity, and frequent walks in the fresh air.
The main areas of treatment can be as follows:
- If shortness of breath is the result of inflammation of the respiratory system, then you need to eliminate the focus of infection in it.
- Cardiac pathologies require the administration of drugs aimed at improving the functioning of the heart muscle. The patient must take vitamins and minerals.
- To increase immunity, immunomodulators are prescribed.
- In order to prevent the mucus from drying out in the respiratory organs, you need to drink enough water. Alkaline mineral water will be helpful.
- To remove intoxication from the body, intravenous administration of hemodez, saline, rheopolyglucin and other compounds is required.
- Shortness of breath often occurs against the background of bronchospasm. To relax them, drugs such as Salbutamol, Fenoterol, Terbutaline, Atrovent, Berodual can be used. Many of them are used as solutions for inhalation.
In severe cases, oxygen therapy is performed. It improves the quality of life of patients with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, and heart failure.
You can independently cope with shortness of breath and increase your endurance with the help of breathing exercises.
The technique for its implementation is simple:
- Air is breathed out through the mouth and inhaled through the nose. Exhale should be strong. At this time, the abdomen is pulled in, the breath is held, and the count is to 10. The exercise is best done while sitting.
- It is necessary to sit comfortably, bend your arms and spread your palms, turning them up. Then they clench their hands into fists and inhale 8 times, in short breaths. Then the hands are lowered and exhaled. You need to repeat the exercise 20 times.
- The exercise is performed while sitting on a chair. The legs are put together, the back is straightened. Hands are placed on the lower ribs and take a slow breath. At the same time, the head and shoulders are lowered down. Then they return to the starting position and do the exercise again.
Regularly performing breathing exercises, you can train your own body and bouts of shortness of breath will bother you much less often.
Video: about the most important thing "arrhythmia and shortness of breath during physical exertion"
Prevention
In order not to suffer from shortness of breath, it is better to take care in advance to prevent its occurrence.
This can be done using the following preventive measures:
- Avoid stress and excessive nervous tension.
- To refuse from bad habits. This primarily concerns smoking.
- Lead a healthy lifestyle with regular physical activity. At the same time, training should be feasible for a person. It is necessary to increase their pace slowly and systematically.
- You should spend as much time as possible in the fresh air. It is good if a person does not just sit on a bench, but go for walks.
- During sleep, the air in the apartment should be cool and humid.
- If a person suffers from cardiac pathologies, then you need to sleep with a raised headboard.
- Treatment of cardiac, respiratory, endocrine and other pathologies should be timely.
If pathological shortness of breath occurs, which occurs even with moderate walking, you should immediately contact a doctor and find out its nature.
The author of the article: Molchanov Sergey Nikolaevich | Cardiologist
Education: Diploma in "Cardiology" received at the PMGMU. I. M. Sechenov (2015). Here I completed my postgraduate studies and received a diploma "Cardiologist".
