# Does anyone have reduced ability to hold their breath?



## rob35235 (Feb 21, 2009)

I'm always exploring physical symptoms as they may relate to Dp/Dr. One thing I've noticed since I've had DR is that I can literally not hold my breath at all without an instant headrush.....same thing if I do any deep breathing (like when a doctor is listening to your lungs). So, if you breath all the way in and hold your breath, how long can you hold it? Weird thing is, when I was younger in swim class I was known for being able to hold my breath longer than anyone else.


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## 2deepathinker (Aug 17, 2009)

rob35235 said:


> I'm always exploring physical symptoms as they may relate to Dp/Dr. One thing I've noticed since I've had DR is that I can literally not hold my breath at all without an instant headrush.....same thing if I do any deep breathing (like when a doctor is listening to your lungs). So, if you breath all the way in and hold your breath, how long can you hold it? Weird thing is, when I was younger in swim class I was known for being able to hold my breath longer than anyone else.


I can definitely relate to this. This is an interesting post. For me, I believe this originated with my panic attacks. I don't know if you suffer from anxiety, but I tend to get quicker light headed now with the panic attacks. I make sure I always eat, so I know it isn't a problem with sugar. I also have checked my blood pressure when this has happened with me (getting light headed) and my blood pressure goes up during this. With actual fainting, you faint because your blood pressure drops. I have finally determined that it has to do with my breathing. I don't think in general I take deep enough breaths, nor do I always take them with the belly. I think I hyperventilate without realizing it. I started to practice kundalini yoga more, and I realized that I had/have a lot of pent up tension around my chest when I try to breath deeper. Working with my breath more is something I would like to explore more in regards to DP.


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## Coraline (Apr 13, 2010)

rob35235 said:


> I'm always exploring physical symptoms as they may relate to Dp/Dr. One thing I've noticed since I've had DR is that I can literally not hold my breath at all without an instant headrush.....same thing if I do any deep breathing (like when a doctor is listening to your lungs). So, if you breath all the way in and hold your breath, how long can you hold it? Weird thing is, when I was younger in swim class I was known for being able to hold my breath longer than anyone else.


very interesting. at first when i got dp and it was severe i'd find myself holding my breath until i consciously made myself breathe again.. now i can't down a bottle of water because i can't hold my breath..hmm i wonder why??


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## peachy (Feb 9, 2008)

lol omg i can so relate to this. i can hold my breath under water for maybe 2-3 seconds best. we measured lung volumes and lung capacities in my class when i was in high school and mine were like 1000 below everyone elses! lol i asked my teacher why and she asked if i smoked and i told her no. she said it's probably because i'm a little person (5'2") but my gosh ahah. my friends made fun of me when i tried to smoke hookah once cause it always looks like measley attempts. but i really am trying my hardest! don't really know why this is but it's probably just what i was born with. maybe i can blame my lungs for my terrible long-distance running ability


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## gaddis (Sep 18, 2005)

peachy said:


> lol omg i can so relate to this. i can hold my breath under water for maybe 2-3 seconds best. we measured lung volumes and lung capacities in my class when i was in high school and mine were like 1000 below everyone elses! lol i asked my teacher why and she asked if i smoked and i told her no. she said it's probably because i'm a little person (5'2") but my gosh ahah. my friends made fun of me when i tried to smoke hookah once cause it always looks like measley attempts. but i really am trying my hardest! don't really know why this is but it's probably just what i was born with. maybe i can blame my lungs for my terrible long-distance running ability


 This relates to Dr. Donald F. Klein's False Suffocation Alarm Theory of Panic Disorder.
Klein proposes that people with PD have an oversensitive CO2 sensor in the carotid body near their lungs, and just slightly elevated levels of CO2 in their lungs sets off a "suffocation false alarm" that shoots up to their brain stem, and the result is a panic attack,whose symptoms of course can include DP and DR as well as hyperventilation, feeling like you're gonna go crazy, etc...
I took part in a research study at Columbia University/NYS Psychiatric Institute where I had to inhale a mixture of O2 and CO2. The result was intense hyperventilation.
The research doctor, Laszlo Papp, was ecstatic at my response.
He was yelling "This is great! This is great!", as I sat there hyperventilating like mad!
I took part in a whole bunch of experiments there, and they even paid me $200 for my life story.
I received a year of free treatment for my PD, and today am completely free of panic attacks and anticipatory anxiety (and DP) as a result of drug treatment for PD. 
Back then they used Xanax, and when that didn't work out so well, imipramine.
Klein doesn't write a lot about DP; the only mention was in "Mind , Modd and Medicine" where he says something like:
There are a subgroup of PD sufferers who have symptoms which include feelings of unreality, or depersonalization.
They are a rather strange group, compared to the majority with purely physical symptoms, but they can be treated successfully also.


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## Johnny Dep (Feb 8, 2009)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammalian_diving_reflex

I know this is an old thread but I searched for Kundalini and up it came.

Anyway, I also notice my ability to hold my breath declining. I wonder if this just due to old age because the Mammalian Diving Reflex is known to be strongest during childhood. I know that only kicks in when your face is wet, but still.

The weird thing is that I also have the problem of not being able to finish a glass of water off because of lack of air but then when I do Kundalini Yoga sometimes my breath just stops naturally and it doesn't bother me.

I realize none of these observations are anything special but I'm just wondering if its really just a part of getting older and maybe the other old farts here can chime in.


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