I had this for a long time. It's really horrible. I found that the lack of breath made me panic and the panic made the lack of breath worse, so try to relax as much as possible. I know it's really hard, but tell yourself that you are getting enough air and you don't need to be anxious. If you can't distract yourself then maybe meditation would help. Obviously, it's important to check out with a doctor to make sure your lungs are okay.

I think it's a symptom of CFS, a type of fatigue of the lungs. When I had it I was actually living in a very mouldy flat and I think that had something to do with it. I didn't realise that the mould was affecting me at the time. Once I moved out it went. The other thing that helped was to get lots of rest and to rest my voice. I've never had it again, so it can go and isn't permanent necessarily.

Yes, this happens to me. My husband always asks me if my asthma is acting up. But I don't think it is that. I just suddenly realize I haven't breathed for a very long time and I take in a deep gasp. When I got my cpap, I realized that I breathe about half as much as it wanted me to. It kept pushing me to breathe and I was still exhaling the last breath. I think it is part of CFS for some people, but it is highly disruptive and unnerving, I know. Much love.

yes, I have had this off-and-on for years. It is a part of CFS neurological dysfunction. I finally realized I was not breathing enough: not deep enough or often enough. My breathing was irregular, and I would go for a long time without a breath. When I get it I rest a lot and then sit and breath. I concentrate on deep regular breaths.

I think I have something similar except I just start hyperventilating. It seems to correct something. It's reduced lately but I used to have several days of feeling worse than usual and minor episodes of increased breathing. Then suddenly full hyperventilation would hit and if I go to the ER they just say panic attack so I quit going. Eventually it stops, often with my body tingling, and then I feel great. I feel better for days. All measurements of blood oxygen including withdrawing blood from an artery were pretty much maxed out but my lungs still demanded I do this extra breathing for awhile.

I've had trouble with this for years and years. I feel like I'm suffocating and I get super-anxious and panicky. It's a terrible feeling.

I also think it's some kind of neurological dysfunction from our illness. Just reading the descriptions here is making it happen a little for me. I think we feel like we can't get enough air, so we start to panic...which is, after all, a normal reaction to that feeling.

It is a vicious circle like Lupin said. You have to break the circle with distraction or something to relax. I have beat it at times by getting angry...I tell myself that I'm not going to let this crazy thing ruin my evening/afternoon. It mostly happens to me at night.

Seems as though if we flood our brains with some other emotion like anger, the anxiety is less. Sometimes you can control it by sheer will power if you catch it right at the beginning. Just say to yourself..."This is an illusion and I'm really OK."...and repeat for as long as it takes to convince yourself.

I'm always more stable mentally in the daytime. It's the nights when I get really depressed, anxious, and panicky.

It used to happen in the evening so I'd go take care of my animals for the night until it was gone. That way I didn't pay attention to it. I wasn't that emotionally stressed though. Not enough you could call it a panic attack. It was more concerned confusion because you just don't know if you really are getting enough air if you don't have a oxygen monitor. I wanted to just go sit in the ER waiting room with a pulse oxy so I could stare at it saying my oxygen level was fine without all that goes into being admitted.

I also used to be very sensitive to my mouth and nose covered. I'm not as bad now but I used to be near panic at basic stuff like scarves, kissing, and I couldn't hide under blankets without a breathing hole.

there are fingertip oxygen do-hickeys called oximeters. They measure your oxygen levels in percentages. six months ago, when I was having a lot of this, I got one. Very useful. And not expensive. Amazon has them starting at $19. Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=fingertip+oxygen+sensor&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=12804460427&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9113565958475049053&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5ua0euju0p_b

I had told in my room growing up and for about 6 years in a past house and my ocd is around mild exposure now, often if I think I've been exposed my breathing goes bad and its hard to tell if I'm breathing funny because of actual mold or anxiety,
But normally once I have a shower etc it goes back to nor!al, but this has lasted days now, I want to enjoy Xmas and this is an awful symptom
I have ordered one of this finger oximeters and hope that that will help
Luna x

I take potassium supplements for this, cause is a sodium-potassium channelopathy on the cell walls.