What is breathlessness?

Breathlessness is an uncomfortable feeling of difficulty when breathing. Some people describe it as ‘shortness of breath’, ‘tightness in the chest’ or ‘just not getting enough air’.

Everyone feels breathless from time to time, often during heavy exercise when the lungs, heart and muscles need to work harder.

This sort of breathlessness is normal. However, breathlessness can also occur with some illnesses. You can feel this type of breathlessness during light exercise or at rest and it can affect your daily activities.

What causes breathlessness?

There are many causes of long-term breathlessness. It can be due to lung disease, heart conditions, cancer, long COVID-19, anaemia, being overweight, and lack of physical fitness.

People with lung or heart problems have breathlessness that can develop over a long period. For some people, breathlessness is caused by a combination of several medical conditions.

How can breathlessness affect you or your loved one?

While breathlessness itself does not harm you, it can be very frightening. Some people also feel embarrassed, worried or frustrated because they get out of breath easily. This can lead to issues with anxiety and low mood, which may need treatment. These feelings can also make your breathlessness worse.

Breathlessness can make you feel tired and may have a big impact on what you can do each day. You may avoid certain activities to prevent breathlessness. There are a number of simple strategies you can use to help cope with breathlessness.