Are you suffering from ‘air hunger’? Doctors reveal the alarming causes and symptoms – and how to get rid of it

STARVING for air sounds like something from a horror film.

But “air hunger” is a real condition that leaves sufferers feeling like they can’t take a full breath. Sound familiar?

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Up to one in ten Brits will experience dyspnea – as it’s medically known – at some point in their lives,

“It happens when your brain detects low levels of oxygen,” Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP and clinical consultant to Patient.info, told the Sun.

“It’s common in lung problems like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when not enough air gets to the lungs.

“It can also be caused by heart problems, where the heart isn’t pumping out efficiently and isn’t getting oxygen-rich blood to the organs,” she added.

Heart conditions such as angina, heart attacks, heart failure and some abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation can all cause shortness of breath, according to the NHS.

The terrifying feeling can also be a sign of anxiety, explained psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack, from Oxford.

“One of the physical changes anxiety causes in your body is the redirection of oxygen to large muscle groups,” she said in a video posted on TikTok.

“This means the demand for oxygen increases, so you try to inhale more and more air to meet that demand,” she added.

“You then feel short of breath, which triggers more anxiety about your breathing and that feeling of air hunger.”

The term has gone viral on social media after Dr Kwan Kin Pang, a US-based board-certified chiropractor specialising in functional neurology, posted a video about it.

“You try to breathe, but your breath doesn’t feel like its enough,” Dr Kwan said when explaining the condition.

“You force a yawn but still can’t get the air to fill your lungs. It’s like there’s no oxygen in the air or like your lungs are too weak.”

The video has been viewed over 18.2million times, and thousands of people turned to the comments, thanking the expert for finally placing a name to the sneaky symptom.

“I’ve been trying to explain this feeling for so long thank you for this,” a user named @catcudmoree wrote.

Another, called @jaclynamber, added: “This happens to me a lot, it makes me start to panic when I can’t get my lungs to feel satisfied.”

“Finally found the suitable description of what I feel,” a user called @hulyalala said.

How can I fix it?

In a follow-up video, Dr Kirren demonstrated an exercise that can help stabilise breathing.

“Instead of taking short, shallow breaths from your chest you need to breathe from your stomach,” she said.

She started by placing her hands below her ribcage and breathing in through her nose.

As you do this you should feel your diaphragm (a dome-shaped muscle that sits below your lungs and heart) move down towards your stomach, she said.

“Now, hold your breath for about five seconds before you breathe out from pouted mouth,” she added.

Make sure you try and get “every last bit of air out” while doing this, she said.

“The feeling of air hunger will stop once you are breathing at a normal rate and the balance of gasses in your brain and blood go back to normal.”

When to get help

Shortness of breath might not be anything to worry about, but sometimes it can be serious and you’ll need to get medical help.

You should seen your GP if your shortness of breath gets worse when you’ve been doing your normal activities, or when you lie down, accoridng to the NHS.

But if you have severe difficulty breathing difficulties and are not able to get any words out, you should call 999.