You may have come across many people feeling short of breath while climbing few stairs or performing simple physical activity. Breathlessness in such situation can make you feel anxious and frightened. Loss of breath is a physical state where you actually feel as if you are gasping for air. So what is the reason when you find losing your breath when you are climbing stairs or performing mild aerobic activity? Is there something wrong within your body?
Sometime it may not be alarming health issue for the simple reason that your body is not regularly accustomed to such physical activity.
What Causes Shortness Of Breath When Climbing Stairs?
Let us know the reasons for breathlessness while performing simple physical day to day activity. Normally breathing is an involuntary task but when you experience shortness of breath you have to actually make an effort to breathe. Your breath becomes rapid and shallow. Your breathing switches over from nose to mouth so as to inspire more air.
There are several reasons for breathlessness when you climb stairs.
- Often shortness of breath can occur as a result of psychological cause. Anxiety, fear, haste, panic attack all can produce breathing difficulty. If you are emotionally disturbed when you are climbing, you may experience breathlessness.
- There are several medical conditions that must not be neglected when you are feeling shortness of breath while climbing stairs or performing mild physical work. It is an indication that your lungs are weak or your heart is not working at its optimum. Lung problems such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, can all make you feel breathless while climbing stairs or with slight physical exertion. This occurs because your lungs have become weak. As a result there is less exchange of gases.
- Heart ailment such as valvular diseases of heart, coronary blockage, and enlarged heart all can cause exertional dyspnea.
- Anemia is one of the most common causes for feeling breathless while climbing or walking fast. Other medical conditions such as liver and kidney ailments can also cause breathing difficulty while performing physical activity.
- If you are obese you may feel loss of breath while climbing stairs.
Some people may feel breathless while climbing even if they are not suffering from any ailment. This is because it is a natural physiological process. While climbing, all your muscles become active and strained. They need oxygen to perform well. Hence your body starts breathing heavily so that more oxygen reaches the muscles. At the same time heart rate too becomes rapid as more blood needs to be delivered to the muscles.
It is a normal physiological process of the body. At the same time every healthy person has his own threshold. Some people may feel breathing difficulty by climbing few steps while some people can straightway climb two floors even without any physical strain.
Home Remedies For Shortness Of Breath
If you are not suffering from any disease and still feel breathless while climbing stairs, than you have to train your body to increase its threshold limit. However, if there is a medical problem that causes trouble while climbing stairs than you have to consult your physician.
- If your body is fit, start regular use of stairs instead of elevator. This will increase your threshold limit after a period of time.
- Exercise regularly as it will help to enhance your endurance and strength and make climbing more comfortable in a long run.
- If you are suffering from lung diseases such as asthma or bronchitis, take your medicines regularly. You may sometime need an extra dose of bronchodilator inhaler before climbing.
- If breathing difficulty is due to cardiac ailment, always consult your doctor. Try to avoid climbing too many stairs.
- If you are suffering from anemia, eat foods containing iron and folic acid. You may also need to take iron and folic acid supplements if your hemoglobin is too low.