Shortness of breath

[OakLeaf]

Stress test, but no breathing test?

If you have a friend with asthma, borrow their peak flow meter and test yourself before and during a workout, then if it does appear you have exercise induced asthma, show your doctor the results. If you don't know anyone you can borrow one from, I think you can get one from a drugstore without a prescription - they're only like $25, and a good thing to have around if you have or suspect you have asthma.

[shootingstar]

I hope you will get more info. about your breathing patterns...and heart rate. Get that checked too..

I've been practicing taking long breaths while I am at home. Maybe I just need to practice more. You will think this is very funny, I do. I started singing songs like Mary had a little lamb or Row, Row, your boat when I am riding. It seems to really help. LOL

I agree that relaxing oneself, to control breathing when working up some effort on the bike, is very helpful. I'm sure most people here would concur, especially when ie. tackling a difficult hill /mountain ascent. It's a mistake to breathe too quickly while grinding along on a bike.

Relax your grip on your handlebars too, as well as relax posture of body not to be too stiff and tense. The journey will be easier.

[Kiwi Stoker]

You don't have Reynards disease by any chance? (limited blood flow in you hands and feet). A friend of mine with it has also found it has affected her lungs as well and huffs and puffs. She's on asthma medication to help open the airways and the blood flow (not asthma).

Was your blood pressure also OK? Low blood pressure could be an issue too.

[Catrin]

You could have exercise induced asthma... +100 on getting a breathing test and you don't need a prescription for a peak flow meter. Do you ever wheeze, even a little bit? Tightness in the chest at all? You may, or may not, be aware of this. Back when I was having asthma problems I wasn't always aware of it since I was so accustomed to it...

[alexis_the_tiny]

+200 on checking the breathing test. Another thing to chip in, do you have allergies of any sort? I used to get really breathless while cycling, walking, running or climbing up the stairs. It was only this year that I started getting the congested, irritated feeling somewhere in my chest and having difficulty drawing a full breath. My doctor's verdict was that my allergies are bad and frequent enough to make me vulnerable to asthma.

If nothing is wrong health-wise, it could be that you need to build aerobic capacity. Long steady effort rides with an easy recovery ride the next day could help.

[Raiza]

Get your iron levels checked as well. Low iron, even without full-blown anemia, can cause shortness of breath when the lung function tests come back fine. No amount of special breathing will help. Fortunately it is fairly easy to fix.

Best of luck.