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Can Stress Worsen Asthma Symptoms?
I have both anxiety and asthma. I am in the middle of college finals so I am under extreme stress and have had a full 3 hours of sleep in like 3 nights. And I understand that stress can trigger asthma symptoms...as well as anxiety. Starting last night my chest began feeling tight and feels hard to breathe. I wasn t particularly anxious before this nor did I have other anxiety symptoms, but I had been up for two days straight at this point and was exhausted. I ve taken my anxiety medication and been using my inhaler, but not much relief. I can t tell if I m anxious over having an asthma flare up or if I m having asthma-like symptoms because I m under anxiety and stress. Is this worth going to urgent care for?
Fri, 2 Jun 2017
hello there, thank you for writing in your query. Yes, stress can precipitate asthma symptoms. At present you are suffering from exam anxiety. Anxiety symptoms often presents with panic symptoms which can trigger breathing difficulty and ultimately your asthmatic symptoms will worsen. As you are already taking your anti anxiety pills, I will suggest you to consult your psychiatrist again and explain your symptoms. You may require some other anxiolytic agent. Meanwhile you make proper schedule for reading, fixed duration of sleep, do some relaxation and meditation. All the best
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