What causes difficulty breathing when lying down?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have shortness of breath whenever I lie in bed on my left side. I feel panicky when I think of some problem, followed by shortness of breath.

Kindly help me.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern, and I hope you are doing well. However, to give you a more accurate answer, I need to know more about your complaints. Do you have any chest pain or other complaints?

The symptoms that you describe can come from different causes:

Cardiac conditions.
Related to the respiratory tract, lungs, and chest wall.
Neuromuscular conditions.
Other causes are anemia, obesity, and abdominal wall hernia.

As you have described, it seems like you may have generalized anxiety or a panic attack. Please do not neglect it, but consult with a doctor because it is necessary to rule out other possible differential diagnoses and do some questionnaires regarding anxiety to determine its severity.

After that, you will decide on the appropriate medication and the dosage, if necessary.

In the meantime, physical activity will help, and have time with people who give you joy. Try not to take too many responsibilities during this time, but delegate some of them, take time for yourself to do things that you enjoy, and do not feel bad because we all go through anxiety situations at some moments in our lives.

Please let me know about everything. I hope the answer was helpful for you, and I wish you all the best.

Take care.