Breathing Pattern Disorder (BPD) occurs when breathing becomes inefficient, often involving over-breathing, upper chest dominance, or irregular breathing patterns. After illnesses like Long COVID, many people notice ongoing breathlessness, fatigue, chest tightness, or “air hunger” even when medical tests are normal.

These symptoms are not always due to lung damage, but rather how the breathing system is functioning. When breathing becomes dysregulated, it can increase stress on the body and make recovery feel slower or more frustrating.

Physiotherapy can help retrain breathing patterns, improve diaphragm function, and reduce symptoms so you can feel more in control of your breath again.

👉 Learn more about Breathing Pattern Disorder and Long COVID support.

Exercise Induced Laryngeal Obstruction (EILO) is a condition where the structures of the throat temporarily narrow during high-intensity exercise, making it feel difficult to breathe in.

People often describe:

• Throat tightness
• Noisy breathing during exercise
• Sudden breathlessness at high intensity
• Feeling like the airway is “closing”

EILO is often mistaken for asthma, but it affects the upper airway rather than the lungs, and inhalers may not help.

With the right assessment and breathing strategies, many people can significantly improve symptoms and return to exercise with more confidence.

👉 Read more about EILO

Yes — breathing plays a key role in regulating oxygen delivery, nervous system balance, and stress response, all of which influence overall health.

Shallow or rapid breathing patterns can increase stress on the body, while slower nasal breathing helps support relaxation, better oxygen exchange, and improved recovery.

Good breathing habits may also support immune function indirectly by reducing chronic stress load and improving sleep quality.

Improving breathing patterns is a simple but powerful way to support overall health and resilience.

👉 Learn more about breathing and immune health

Breathing patterns often change after a concussion, especially if the nervous system remains in a heightened state of stress. This can contribute to symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, and difficulty concentrating.

Many people unknowingly develop shallow or overactive breathing patterns after injury, which can keep the body in a “fight-or-flight” state and slow recovery.

Improving breathing mechanics can help calm the nervous system, improve oxygen regulation, and support more complete concussion recovery when combined with appropriate rehabilitation.

👉 Read more about breathing and concussion recovery

Yes. In conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or generalized hypermobility, the connective tissues that support posture and breathing mechanics may be more flexible or less stable.

This can lead to:

• Reduced rib cage stability
• Increased reliance on accessory breathing muscles
• Fatigue with breathing
• Poor coordination between breathing and core control

These factors can contribute to inefficient breathing patterns and symptoms like breathlessness or fatigue.

Physiotherapy can help improve breathing efficiency, postural control, and overall stability to support better function in daily life.

👉 Learn more about EDS and breathing

Breathing and pelvic floor function are closely connected through the pressure system of the trunk. The diaphragm, pelvic floor, abdominal muscles, and deep spinal stabilizers work together as a coordinated unit.

When breathing is efficient, the diaphragm moves well and helps regulate pressure through the core. When breathing is dysfunctional, it can contribute to:

• Pelvic floor tension or weakness
• Core instability
• Back or pelvic discomfort

Improving breathing mechanics can often improve both core stability and pelvic floor coordination.

👉 Read more about breathing and pelvic floor function

Yes. Anxiety can significantly affect breathing patterns, often leading to faster, shallower breathing or frequent sighing. This can create sensations such as:

• Air hunger (feeling like you can’t get a full breath)
• Chest tightness
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Frequent yawning or sighing

These symptoms are driven by changes in breathing chemistry and nervous system activation, not necessarily a lung problem.

Learning to slow and regulate breathing can help calm the nervous system and reduce these symptoms over time.

👉 Learn more about breathing and anxiety

Breathing has a direct mechanical and neurological influence on digestion. The diaphragm moves up and down with each breath, gently massaging the abdominal organs and supporting gut motility.

Efficient breathing also helps regulate the nervous system, shifting the body into a “rest and digest” state, which supports better digestion.

Poor breathing patterns, especially shallow or tense breathing, can contribute to:

• Bloating
• Slower digestion
• Abdominal discomfort

Improving diaphragmatic breathing can support both digestive comfort and overall core function.

👉 Learn more about breathing and digestion

A simple way to assess nasal airflow is using the “Knife Test,” where you observe condensation patterns on a cool metal surface while exhaling through your nose.

This can give you a rough idea of whether both nostrils are equally open or if one side has reduced airflow. While not a diagnostic test, it can help you become more aware of nasal breathing patterns.

If you notice consistent restriction, it may be related to congestion, allergies, structural differences, or habitual mouth breathing.

Improving nasal breathing can have a positive impact on sleep, energy, and overall breathing efficiency.

👉 Learn more about the Knife Test and nasal patency

Feeling short of breath despite normal oxygen levels is often related to how your breathing system is functioning rather than a problem with oxygen supply. In many cases, this sensation is linked to dysfunctional breathing patterns, stress activation of the nervous system, or inefficient diaphragm use.

When breathing becomes shallow or overactive, the body can interpret this as “not enough air,” even though oxygen levels are completely normal. This mismatch between sensation and physiology is often described as air hunger.

Breathing retraining can help restore a calmer, more efficient breathing pattern so the sensation of breathlessness decreases.

Chest tightness with normal lung testing is commonly associated with breathing pattern dysfunction, muscle tension, or heightened nervous system activity rather than structural lung disease.

When breathing becomes more upper chest–dominant or rapid, the muscles around the rib cage can become overworked and tight, creating a sensation of restriction or pressure in the chest.

This is often reversible with breathing pattern retraining, rib mobility work, and nervous system down-regulation strategies.

Yes. Stress has a direct impact on breathing patterns. When the body is in a stressed or anxious state, breathing often becomes faster, shallower, and more focused in the upper chest.

This can reduce CO₂ tolerance and increase symptoms such as chest tightness, sighing, breathlessness, or air hunger.

Over time, stress-driven breathing patterns can become habitual even when you are no longer consciously stressed.

Learning to regulate breathing is one of the most effective ways to calm the nervous system and reduce these symptoms.

👉 Learn more about how our breathing and nervous system are connected.

Feeling breathless while talking can happen when breathing efficiency is reduced or when the respiratory system is already working harder than necessary at rest.

Talking requires coordinated breath control. If breathing is shallow, fast, or overly upper-chest dominant, it can become difficult to maintain speech without feeling out of breath.

This is often seen in dysfunctional breathing patterns, anxiety-related breathing changes, or post-exertional breathing fatigue.

Improving diaphragm function and breath pacing can significantly reduce this symptom.

This sensation, often called “air hunger,” is very common in dysfunctional breathing patterns. It does not usually mean there is a lack of oxygen, but rather that the breathing system is not fully satisfying the brain’s need for a slow, complete breath.

Contributing factors can include:

• Over-breathing
• Chest-dominant breathing patterns
• Stress or anxiety
• Reduced diaphragm mobility

The good news is that this is often highly responsive to breathing retraining and nervous system regulation techniques.

Yes. Anxiety is one of the most common triggers of air hunger. When the nervous system is in a heightened state, breathing often becomes faster and more shallow, which can reduce CO₂ levels in the blood.

This chemical change can create a strong sensation of needing more air, even when oxygen levels are normal. This can feel uncomfortable and sometimes frightening, but it is a reversible pattern.

Learning slower nasal breathing and restoring diaphragm control can significantly reduce symptoms over time.

👉 Learn more about how our breathing and nervous system are connected.

Dysfunctional breathing refers to an inefficient or unhelpful breathing pattern that does not meet the body’s needs. This can include over-breathing, irregular breathing rhythms, or excessive use of the upper chest and accessory muscles.

It is not a disease of the lungs, but rather a coordination issue between the diaphragm, rib cage, and nervous system.

Symptoms can include breathlessness, fatigue, chest tightness, dizziness, or frequent sighing.

With assessment and retraining, breathing patterns can often be significantly improved.

👉 Learn more about Dysfunctional Breathing Pattern.

Yes. Physiotherapy can be very effective for breathing-related issues, especially when symptoms are linked to dysfunctional breathing, anxiety-related breathing changes, post-concussion symptoms, or exercise-related breathing difficulties.

Treatment may include:

• Breathing pattern assessment
• Diaphragm retraining
• Rib cage mobility work
• Nervous system regulation strategies
• Exercise integration

The goal is to improve breathing efficiency so that symptoms like breathlessness, chest tightness, and air hunger reduce over time.

Frequent sighing or yawning is often a sign that the body is trying to reset breathing patterns or correct subtle imbalances in carbon dioxide levels.

This is commonly seen in dysfunctional breathing, stress, or habitual over-breathing patterns. While sighing can temporarily feel relieving, frequent repetition may indicate that the underlying breathing pattern is not efficient.

Improving nasal breathing and diaphragm control can reduce the need for frequent “reset breaths.”