No, I tend to do the opposite....take deep breaths, to try to relax muscles....Does holding your breath help?

It always fascinates me how we do such different things to cope! HUGS from down south :)

Sometimes and it's not good for you to do that. By doing that you hold toxins in and by deep breathing you can release endorphins into your system.

At least....this is what I have been told. Not saying it as gospel truth!

Gentle hugs.....

I do hold my breath sometimes too but like BasketMoon said, it's not good to do that. I hold mine w/o realizing it.

When you hold your breath, you do not release CO2 which can very rapidly mess with your pH balance. In return, it can make your pain worse b/c your red blood cells are not trading off O2 particles like they should. When our nerves sense pain, our body sends NK cells to that site and they need O2 to work properly. Of course they can not respond like they would in a normal body b/c we have FM but they do help to eliminate some pain.
Like Cajun Tiger said, it's better to take deep relaxing breaths to get as much O2 into our bodies as possible. This helps relax muscles. When our pH balance becomes more acidic, our muscles will tense because they are not getting the O2 they need.

I also hold my breath when I'm excercising w/o thinking but it's not good to do that either b/c of the same concept and your muscle will feel worse.

Yes, When in Pain, Anxious, Stressed.

As SOON as I Realize I am Doing this, I Switch Gears, and FOCUS on "Belly Breathing". My "Magic Trick" to Easing All Negative Affects.

So Now I do that Several Times a Day, when I am NOT Stressed/Anxious OR in Pain..I Just Do It (Belly Breathing) and this has helped me Control Stay in Control. I Been doing this for Several Years now, you would Think I would Automatically Go to Belly Breathing at the First Sign of Pain/Stress...But I Don't, I Still Auto Hold My Breath,

Yes I do that too and have forced myself to become more aware of it because it's not good for you to do. But for me it is a gut reaction, especially when I am upset.

I've always wondered if others do this and thank you for asking!

I do find myself holding my breath constantly - it could even be the reason why I've fainted many times - even now when I type I hold my breath and clench my jaw - it's pain, stress and anxiety for me

I'm more conscious of it now, but it has been a hard habit to break. Deep breathing exercises and a new position of my jaw.

GUILTY. Then I HAVE to take deep breaths, very consciously, for about ten minutes to get my body back on track. Nice to know I am not alone, I was kinda thinking I was a total freak! Whew. Turns out I just have FM;-)

Me too!!! I catch myself holding my breath and clenching my teeth. I have a mouth guard to wear but can't find it. I think one of my cats got hold of it when I took it out in the middle of the night and hid it really good. I then try to take deep breaths and put my tongue to the roof of my mouth to keep from clenching. I have actually chipped several teeth. I also do the deep breathing if I feel myself having an anxiety attack.

Yes! I do that a lot too. My mom finds it weird because if i stub my toe on a table or something, instead of screaming or yelling like my siblings (and her), i cringe my face, hold my breath, and close my eyes until the pain subsides. Sounds weird, but i feel like yelling and screaming only makes it worse. I find myself doing it a lot when i'm in school, sitting in those hard chairs..

I find myself doing this more and more. I can't help it.

Wow, so I am not alone. Yes, I too realize this is not a good practice, and when I realize I am doing it, I stop breathe deeply and controlled, and yes UNCLENCH my teeth! Anyway, I think it is a reflex for me, unhealthy yes, but you can't stop something unless you are aware of it. Hope we all practice better pain relflexes, it might just help my anxiety, huh? Thanks to all that responded. julie

Yes, I hold my breath and clench my teeth, and often I find my shoulders up a round my ears. "Belly breath" does help, but 5 minutes later I'm all tense again. This has gotten worse over the years, especially when I don't have time to meditate in the morning. Bootsie, I don't think I'd want my mouth guard back after the cat's had her way with it.....!

I find myself restricting my breath without being conscious of it all the time! I have to concentrate on fixing it when I notice.

Yes. Exactly like you describe. I also hold my breath or breathe shallow when I smell something unpleasant.

When I hold my breath, I tense up and by the end of the day, the muscles in my shoulders are like an over-tuned violin string, ready to snap. My ears hurt from the tension.

When I'm alone and doing something like cooking or writing a report, I set a little gadget I have to ding once every 7 minutes. The dings remind me to relax my shoulders and take a cleansing breath. I don't know what else to do. Has anyone ever heard of a breathing specialist?

Sometimes, when I get really bad spasms in my back or my bladder I do that because it hurts to breath out. Also, I have this pain in my side that is usually pretty mild, but there are times when it becomes almost unbarable and get sharp pains combined with a persistant, dull kid of pain, I hold my breath, too.

I also do a lot of deep breathing when I am extremely tired(which is pretty much all the time, lately)