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3. Shortness of Breath
Medically known as dyspnea, shortness of breath is a frightening symptom because when you are unable to get enough air it can feel like you are suffocating. Although it can be felt in various situations, like during strenuous exercise, when it is very cold or very hot, or at high altitude, shortness of breath usually involves an underlying medical condition like asthma, pneumonia or heart disease.
During an asthma attack, the shortness of breath can be severe enough to cause intense anxiety and make a person instinctively sit upright and lean forward to be able to better breathe. Sweating and fatigue are also common because of the effort of breathing.
Resources
Merck Manuals (Asthma)WebMD (What Is Cough-Variant Asthma?)Merck Manuals (Asthma in Children)Sleep Foundation (Asthma and Sleep)
Asthma and COPD both make breathing difficult, but it can be unclear how they differentiate from each other. Learn more about asthma vs. COPD here.
