Abnormal breathing pattern-"sobbing breaths"?

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I think going to a doctor would be a good thing but I really don't envy you having to explain this. I hope you have an understanding doc who can listen.

I had a test for COPD once. You blow into a tube connected to a bunch of filters and sensors. They identified the particles in my exhale, exhale strength and quantity - all kinds of stuff.

Another test they might do is a sleep test. They hook you up to a bunch of sensors and monitor your breathing throughout the night. Does it happen while you're sleeping? (lol - would you know?) If you did, a sleep test would document what you're doing and perhaps provide you with some answers.

Could it be a reaction like a hiccup?

If it turns out that it doesn't happen while standing, then perhaps sitting with a straighter posture could help?

That test sounds scary to me.

Come to think of it, I don't remember ever having this odd breathing while laying down in bed before I sleep....hmmm....I'm going to pay more attention to when it's happening.
A reaction like a hiccup? Maybe....like something is off timing.

Last edited by goodwitchy on 18 Feb 2012, 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think you're correct about that. I tend to lean forward when I sit.

A hiccup is a myoclonus of the diaphragm that repeats several times per minute. In humans, the abrupt rush of air into the lungs causes the vocal cords to close, creating a "hic" sound.

In medicine it is known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (SDF), or singultus, from the Latin singult, "the act of catching one's breath while sobbing". The hiccup is an involuntary action involving a reflex arc.

A bout of hiccups, in general, resolves itself without intervention, although many home remedies are often used to attempt to shorten the duration. Medical treatment is occasionally necessary in cases of chronic hiccups

- from Wikipedia -

unduki, that's interesting....I hadn't thought of it like a hiccup before you mentioned it, but the similarity is definitely there.

I have had this happen to me, too. It's completely involuntary, and just comes on from out of nowhere. I figure it's some kind of spasm of the diaphragm.

Now that you guys mention it, I think it could very well be a stimulation issue. My shallow breathing and general abdominal tension tends to be worse depends on how wound up or stressed I am. I notice it the same way I do stimming behavior...that is, I generally do it without thinking/don't realize I'm doing it, it's hard to stop, and it is often a result of me trying to think clearly/concentrate.

There are at least several of us with some abnormal breathing patterns.


By the way, I took note of it happening last night while I was laying down....so I guess it's not just when I'm sitting.

I use deep breaths as a stim sometimes. Sometimes, though, it's involuntary and I don't realize I'm doing it until someone asks me if I'm okay.

I get these very odd breaths every now and then. It's like a sigh or a yawn, but not a sigh or yawn. I feel like I have to take a very deep breath, hold it, and let it out very slowly. Sometimes I feel a little reluctant to let it out, it feels very good to take the deep breath, but I must let it out slowly.

This has caused my mom and my coworkers to worry, and I've been to the emergency room, and to doctors, including a cardiologist for it, but they don't seem to find any explanation. They're sending me to a lung doctor next.

I got abnormal breathing patterns quite a bit, anything from breathing to quick and taking in too much air to not breathing nearly enough and getting chest pain...well I guess both of those cause that. But yeah it sucks.

I think I have always been a shallow breather. In fact, sometimes I seem to be holding my breath and have to remind myself to breathe...and I'm 52, so you would think I would have better control by now. I was diagnosed with mild COPD about 5 years ago. They tested me after I developed pneumonia from a week of non-stop panic attacks. (After my third violin lesson, something I've wanted to do since I was 8 years old, the instructor asked me to perform two songs with her in a recital and I went into meltdown mode for a solid week. Unfortunately, I did not perform in the recital and I did not return for more lessons. I wish I could have gotten past it, but that's another story.)

By the way, the breathing tests for COPD were not bad. A bit uncomfortable for me at times, due to my difficulty in exhaling all of the air, but not scary. The doctor was perplexed as to why I have COPD, because I've never been a smoker and I don't fit their 'normal' criteria, but then again I never fit their 'normal' criteria for anything. Once again, that's another story.

Oh yeah, I also sigh quite often and people around me also ask "what's wrong?"! My reply..."Just breathing." I don't know if it could be another one of my stims. I've never thought about it before, but it's an interesting thought.

Sometimes I have to consciously remind myself how to breathe. Like go through the steps. Sometimes it's scary other times I just think I have such a bad memory I can't even remember how to breathe properly. I used to wake up with shallow breathing. I think that was stress related.

I went through a long period of that. I was getting extra-bad migraines (impossibly bad) and I traced it to my breathing. I thought I was loosing my mind until I started reading about breathing therapists. This is a real thing. I can't afford to get any outside help so I did the next best thing and did it myself. I had self-sessions where I practiced my breathing and every night before going to sleep, I still do another breathing exercise I developed for myself. I'm sleeping better than ever since beginning my self-treatment and the headaches are rare.

I was constantly reminding myself to exhale when I bent over but now I exhale without thinking, most of the time, and I can never hold my breath. I even quit swimming!! because I couldn't work out how to do it without holding my breath. I've been thinking on it and I'm going to give it another try now that the breathing/headache issues have calmed down. I am so out of shape.

I breathe very shallowly when I am concentrating on something - from playing piano to trying to follow a conversation - and inhale very deeply from time to time inbetween. People then usually ask me if everything is all right or if I am sad/distressed.
I have to add that I am in no way suffering from depression or (clinical) anxiety, I just forget to breathe normally when my mind is occupied with something.
Sometimes I breathe in and don't remember to have been breathing at all the last few minutes - I just guess I have been because I'm still conscious.

It seems similar to what others here described, but I have no comparison with NT people; maybe they do that, too...