If you’re having difficulty breathing and it’s not related to exercise, seek immediate medical help.
Labored breathing is a general term used to describe when breathing is difficult.
The term can be applied to any number of conditions in which breathing is physically impaired.
It can also be used if the underlying cause is psychological.
Rather, it is a term that most people understand to mean “hard to breathe.”
It also explains how labored breathing may be diagnosed and treated.
When labored breathing is brought on by the blockage of airflow,suffocationcan occur.
Both can lead to the same thing: death.
How to Treat Labored Breathing
The treatment of labored breathing can vary based on the underlying cause.
If symptoms are severe, you may receive treatment even if the underlying cause is not yet known.
Primary treatments for labored breathing include:
These are just a few examples of treatments for labored breathing.
Due to the wide range of conditions that can cause labored breathing, treatment will differ for each individual.
Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Labored Breathing?
They can then decide if additional tests and procedures are needed.
It may be due to a physical condition like COPD that directly interferes with respiration.
Or it could be a psychological one like a panic attack that does the same.
Labored breathing has many different causes.
It can take time and extensive testing before the condition is diagnosed and the appropriate treatment is delivered.
A Word From Verywell
Labored breathing is rarely considered “normal.”
Reducedexercise tolerance(ability to withstand exercise) is a red flag for many chronic health conditions.
These can range from COPD to heart failure.
These include muscles called thescalene muscles,sternocleidomastoid, pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, andtrapezius, among others.
Breathing difficulty is almost always considered a medical emergency.
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