Health Library

Breathing Pattern Disorder

Breathing Pattern Disorder Causes

Breathing pattern disorder can affect people of any age. It has no specific biological or physical cause. In some people, it can be triggered by exercise, stress, anxiety, allergies, cold weather or strong smells.

To diagnose breathing pattern disorder, doctors first rule out other conditions. Issues like asthma and heart disease are known to cause irregular breathing. Most people have breathing pattern disorder symptoms during or just after physical activity. Some have breathing pattern disorder while they are at rest. Some patients may need to have an exercise test so a doctor can watch their breathing after physical activity to confirm a diagnosis of breathing pattern disorder.

Breathing Pattern Disorder Symptoms

Patients with breathing pattern disorder have breathing that gets out of sync with regular breathing patterns. These dysfunctional breathing patterns can result in a range of physical symptoms. These include:

• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Tightness in the chest
• A racing heart sensation
• Tingling in the fingers

These symptoms of breathing pattern disorder can feel scary, but they are temporary and not serious. Breathing pattern disorder symptoms resolve on their own, once normal breathing patterns are restored.

Breathing Pattern Disorder Treatment

There is currently no standard breathing pattern disorder treatment. Treatment for breathing pattern disorder can include therapies to support regular breathing, including guided breathing practice. Speech therapists and other specialized clinicians can offer these types of support.

Some people may benefit from mental health counseling. It can ease feelings of anxiety that can spike during a breathing pattern disorder episode. Many people have also found that meditation, yoga or other targeted relaxation strategies can limit breathing pattern disorder anxiety. These also help reduce how often and how badly breathing pattern disorder flare-ups occur.

Breathing Pattern Disorder Prognosis

Breathing pattern disorder doesn’t lead to any long-term health problems. Still, symptoms can be disruptive in the moment. Current research suggests that about 20% of teens with unexplained shortness of breath could have breathing pattern disorder.

People can experience occasional breathing pattern disorder episodes for weeks, months or years. The length of symptoms varies from person to person. Doctors do not currently know if patients are likely to outgrow their breathing pattern disorder diagnosis. This is an area of ongoing study.

Parents of children with breathing concerns should discuss their child’s symptoms with their pediatrician. You can also find treatment support through resources such as Cincinnati Children’s Cardiorespiratory Sports Clinic. At this clinic, families can access specialists in cardiology and pulmonary medicine. The focus is to deliver comprehensive care to middle school and high school athletes.