Has anyone experienced a spontaneous need for a deep breath?

[Paperroses]

When I was first diagnosed last May I noticed I would just spontaneously take a deep breath about once an hour or so . It stopped for a while but today I'm doing it again. Is that the PMR or prednisone? I thought I read somewhere that inflammation limits the blood vessels capacity to deliver oxygen. I'm currently on 10 mg.

[SheffieldJane]

Yes I think I got a similar symptom,even occasionally now on 4 mgs Pred. A kind of involuntary sob that takes in air. I never really mentioned it to doctors. I raised it on here and wasn’t the only one. I put it down to Pred.

[Blearyeyed]

Yes , I have that quite often and have for years before GCA , a big urge for a big breath , sometimes just one , sometimes three or four , before the urge goes away , I call it a ' Fat Sigh'.

I don't necessarily feel like I'm short of breathe before it , or sleepy , and it happens more often when I'm sitting down rather than active. It's more common when I feel Fatigue or Foggy rather than with Tiredness or Pain.

I know it's my body telling me I need something , not necessarily more oxygen but maybe I need to clear my lungs or my diaphragm is getting tight .

Funnily , it is catching , like yawning , if you find yourself in a room with other people with Chronic Conditions , my friend and I will both do it a few times if one of us does it.

Sometimes with the stiffness and Fatigue of many Chronic Conditions you can start to breath quite shallowly without realising it , and if you are less active you don't really expand the lungs and chest as often as the body likes . This can build up Tension in the torso that you might not notice but your body does and your body reacts to it.

It's not specific to either PMR , GCA or taking any particular medication but it is common in Chronic Health sufferers of all sorts.

[Hidden]

Hi paper rose.s...yes I have 2 sorts, a sort of sob as sheffield has mentioned, but the one that irritated work mates was my air hunger sigh! And that was years before pmr. As bee says it seems to be common with chronic illness. I seem to do it more when flaring in one of my conditions. It's does feel like an automatic response that just happens at moments of stress, anxiety or relaxation. But it has always felt like air hunger.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

They are actually perfectly normal and everyone does it a few times an hour.

This link

quora.com/Why-do-we-randoml...

has a few easily understandable explanations right at the start.

I remember being more aware of them in the early days of PMR, long before I was on pred, and I put it down to the less good oxygen supply that probably occurs in PMR and possibly also that we aren't breathing as efficiently because of the involvement of the chest muscles. We sit more probably - and when you are sitting you don't open up the lungs as well as when you are standing or walking around.

[Paperroses in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you for the info. I was part of a semi professional Gospel choir prior to PMR and I got plenty of deep breaths in . I suppose when I quit I just didn't get that . Also my voice got real raspy and cracked if I tried to sing not sure if it was pred or pmr but its gradually coming back as my inflammation levels go down.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Paperroses]

Almost certainly the vasculitis associated with the PMR - exactly the same thing happened to me and I had to stop singing. It couldn't have been pred, it was 5 years before I was offered pred. I had an almost permanent sore throat, my breath control went to pot and then I couldn't guarantee what note would come out! My range dropped from mezzosop to modified alto!!! Some improvement on pred but I'd had it for 5 years before I got pred and have been on pred for over 10 years.

[Devoid]

Yes had this experience on higher doses of steroids but seems to have improved under 10 mg . Still happens but more infrequently now. Was also experiencing sleep apnea and snoring and that has stopped as dose reduced