Why does a child inhale? The child is breathing heavily: possible causes, diagnosis and treatment

Babies are born with the ability to yawn and take deep breaths. Already in the womb they demonstrate this skill after 11 weeks of fetal ripening. From birth, babies love to yawn after sleep, when they are very tired or decide to copy their mother’s action.

But if the baby breathes intermittently and yawns all the time, parents should be wary. Why does a child take a deep breath, what is the reason for strange behavior, and how to help a child when he is choking, you will find out in our article.

Taking deep breaths through your mouth provides your lungs with more oxygen. In the process of yawning, the facial muscles tense and then relax, blood circulation and brain activity are activated.

A deep breath relieves fatigue, stress, and psycho-emotional tension. In pathological conditions, frequent yawning is an alarming symptom. Informs the baby's parents about health problems or extreme fatigue.

Why does a child constantly sigh and yawn?

If a child sighs heavily and yawns deeply three to four times a minute in a short period of time, the mother needs to pay close attention to this fact. There are several reasons for the baby's strange behavior.

Neurological pathologies

Nervous children sleep poorly, throw daily tantrums at their parents, have difficulty making contact, and are easily excitable. With the help of deep breaths, the baby tries to relax the tense, tight muscles and calm down.

A child with such symptoms should be shown to a pediatrician. If the disease is detected in time, it is cured faster and more effectively. After examination, the neurologist may suspect the following disorders:

  • Asthenoneurotic syndrome; The child is depressed, weak, and constantly tired. The cause of the pathological condition is stress. Asthenia can be intrauterine in nature or acquired during life.
  • Nervous tic; Provokes yawning in moments of emotional stress, with severe fatigue. It goes away with adequate treatment at puberty.
  • Hyperventilation syndrome; Ventilation of the lungs increases several times in 1–2 minutes. The person breathes at a rapid pace, but he does not have enough air. The pathology is classified as a psychoneurological type. The attack is provoked by stress, fear, allergic reactions, and malfunctions of internal organs. It is extremely rare in children.

On a note! In rare cases, frequent yawning is accompanied by epilepsy. Simultaneously with gasping for air, you can notice other symptoms of “falling sickness”: convulsions, numbness, attacks of rage, apathy.

Lack of oxygen in the blood

Hypoxia is typical for newborns, children under 4–5 years of age with a stuffy nose, adenoids, and older adults. The lack of oxygen can be explained by the following reasons:

  • Increased heart rate. Heart rate increases for natural reasons or due to heart pathologies.
  • Slow metabolic processes. A slowdown in metabolism occurs due to viscous blood; it needs to be thinned with medication, and you need to drink more fluids. Lack of microelements, vitamins, and lack of sleep also negatively affect the functioning of internal organs and systems; the body cannot cope with the load and reduces the speed of work.
  • Nervous tension. Stress and unpleasant situations shake up the central nervous system. The system needs more oxygen to restart. Feelings of suffocation and dizziness may occur.
  • Sudden hypothermia, overheating. At elevated or lower temperatures, the brain turns on the brakes. Oxygen moves through the cells, the blood more slowly. Hypoxia occurs. The man wants to sleep. Once thermoregulation is restored, oxygen levels stabilize.

Overwork

  • Emotional or physical burnout syndrome. In simple words, the child is tired. Constantly lacks sleep. Chronic fatigue provokes yawning. Babies often sigh while awake because they have not slept at night due to colic, itching, diaper rash, hunger due to a lack of mother's milk.
  • Static pose. If a baby sits in front of the TV, is frozen in one position with toys, or lies in a crib for a long time without his parents, he will yawn. The muscles become numb, oxygen does not circulate through the blood in a normal rhythm. The body needs physical activity.
  • Monotone. Yawning, due to the same cycle of mechanical actions, occurs more often in adults. This is how the body signals the need to change the rhythm of work, shake yourself up, and rest.

Congenital and acquired physiological pathologies

The culprits of the obsessive state, frequent yawning and loud sighs are dysfunction of internal organs or temporary disruptions in their functioning.

  • Diseases of the thymus gland. These are DiGeorge syndrome, hyperplasia, myasthenia gravis, tumors. Children with a congenital defect get tired quickly, become out of breath if they climb stairs, and suffer from ischemia and arrhythmias.
  • Vegetovascular dystonia. The functioning of the autonomic nervous system is disrupted. The person sleeps poorly, feels pain in the heart area, and the body temperature is unstable. Another common symptom is STS (sad sigh syndrome). In patients with VSD, the functioning of the respiratory system is disrupted, and the person experiences short-term suffocation. All symptoms are part of the internal experience, the stress of the body.
  • Ventilation failure. A child with this disorder experiences frequent shortness of breath. First during physical activity, then at rest. Newborns are diagnosed with pathology immediately after leaving the womb. The baby cannot breathe the first breath of oxygen on his own; resuscitation comes to the rescue. The cause of the disorders is prematurity and immaturity of the lungs.
  • Asthma. It is more often diagnosed in children prone to allergies, with weak immunity, and who have had pneumonia at an early age. With asthma, temporary asphyxia and shortness of breath occur, and the rhythm of the lungs and bronchi is disrupted.
  • Adenoids. The tonsils, enlarged three to four times, block the passage of air. The baby is forced to breathe through his mouth. Lack of oxygen provokes periodic deep sighs and coughing.
  • Cardiac pathologies. Defects and heart failure in infants manifest themselves externally in the form of difficulty breathing, deep sighs with sounds.

Colds, viral diseases

ARVI, tonsillitis, pharyngitis cause cough, sore throat, and pain. During the acute course of the disease, the tonsils become inflamed and block the passage of air. The baby experiences mild suffocation and lack of oxygen. The child is forced to swallow it in large portions. Inhalation looks like a yawn.

Other reasons

  • Allergies. Dust, wool, and products hazardous to children cause difficulty breathing and rhinitis. The most dangerous scenario is Quincke's edema. Severe shortness of breath, blue lips, panic, swelling of the skin of the face and limbs accompany the attack. You need to urgently call for medical help.
  • Curvature of the spine, osteochondrosis. The irregular curvature of the spinal column puts pressure on the internal organs (lungs, bronchi). To breathe deeply, the baby sometimes raises his shoulders and straightens his back. Makes deep yawns and breaths. Scoliosis has a bad effect on sleep, the child constantly experiences pain in the back and legs, and gets tired quickly.
  • Pain in the stomach, gastritis. The increased volume of the stomach prevents the respiratory organs from functioning fully. The child is breathing intermittently. May cough.
  • Helminths. Cause extensive intoxication of the body. Coughing, sighing, and difficulty breathing are symptoms of an advanced stage of the disease.
  • Recovery period after pneumonia, sore throat, pharyngitis, laryngitis. Rehabilitation after acute conditions takes 1–2 months. Infrequent sighs during this period are not a dangerous sign.

Note to parents! You should not hold back a yawn or sigh in moments of extreme fatigue. The brain is actively looking for a way to restore strength.

How often during the day does your child take deep breaths?

Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

What to do if your child sighs often

Acute asphyxia occurs in several cases:

  • A child has an asthma attack.
  • If there is intolerance to drugs, products, volatile substances, if too many allergens have accumulated in the blood.
  • The baby has Quincke's edema.
  • A foreign object has entered the oral or nasal cavity.

In such cases you need to act quickly:

  1. Call an ambulance.
  2. Calm the child down.
  3. Establish a calm breathing rhythm.
  4. Soak a towel in cold water and place it on the baby's forehead and throat.
  5. Pat your baby on the back to make him feel protected.
  6. Help him spit the object out of his mouth.

In this case, you cannot turn the baby upside down, make any movements, or induce vomiting. Place the victim on the floor with his back up, and slap him between the shoulder blades with your palm several times. As soon as the child begins to cough and randomly push the object out, stop tapping.

  1. Hold the baby reclining.
  2. Move obvious allergens away from the baby and give antihistamine drops.

Important! You cannot leave a suffocating baby alone for a second. The parent leaving the room will cause panic and increase shortness of breath. Wait for the doctor together.

To identify the source of breathing problems, parents should contact a clinic.

  • If regular sighs or frequent yawning appear in children, make an appointment with a pediatrician. The local doctor will refer you to a specialist and prescribe tests. You shouldn’t wait for it to go away on its own or make diagnoses using grandma’s advice.
  • Intermittent breathing and an extraneous sound in the lung area are a clear sign of pneumonia. Take your child for an x-ray immediately, even if there is no fever or cough.
  • Undergo a detailed examination by a neurologist, cardiologist, or allergist to exclude or confirm pathologies and begin treatment for disorders.
  • A neurologist and psychologist help cope with nervous tics and syndromes. Take your child to see a psychotherapist regularly, and do not refuse drug treatment for neurological disorders.

If, after examinations and conversations with doctors, no pathologies are identified, and the baby continues to sigh, pay attention to the child’s sleep conditions, daily routine and rest. The following tips will help you create a comfortable atmosphere in your home:

  • Ventilate your room regularly before going to bed and during the day.
  • Use a humidifier, especially in winter, when the air in the apartment is dried by radiators.
  • Adjust your drinking regime. A 3-year-old child needs to drink 1300–1500 ml of water per day, and a 4-year-old child needs to drink at least 1.5 liters.
  • Walk at least 2 hours a day.
  • To go out into the yard, choose the time from 10.00 to 11.00 in the morning, from 16.00 to 20.00 in the evening.
  • Walk through parks and squares, and not along the roadway.
  • The baby should fall asleep and get up at the same time. Establish the correct daily routine.
  • Talk to nervous children kindly, don’t take them to noisy shows, and protect them from stress. At night, if you have difficulty falling asleep, give glycine, a mild herbal sedative.
  • Get a preventive massage from a pediatric specialist. Kneading helps correct the curvature of the spinal column, relaxes the muscles, and tones the body.

Yawning and sighing in the evenings, after a walk or a hearty dinner should not cause concern to parents. After a couple of such actions, infants and younger preschoolers quickly fall asleep.

If you have an alarmingly frequent desire to yawn, you cannot hesitate to sigh intermittently. Seek medical help at a children's clinic. In case of a false alarm, based on excellent tests, make sure once again that the child is in good health.

IMPORTANT! *when copying article materials, be sure to indicate an active link to the original

Many people are interested in the causes of heavy breathing in children. Any, even minor, change in the child’s condition causes concern among parents. Babies breathe differently than adults: they sigh during sleep, the tummy and chest move more often, but this is a physiological norm. Anything is called difficulty breathing, and it is this factor that is decisive when choosing treatment tactics. In this article we will talk about what disorders in the baby’s respiratory system you need to pay attention to and how to help if the child is breathing heavily.

Breathing process

Breathing is a complex physiological process. It includes two varieties: external and internal. The respiratory process is divided into the act of inhalation and exhalation. Inhalation is the active part, during which the diaphragm, respiratory muscles of the chest, and muscles of the anterior abdominal wall contract. At the same time, the ribs protrude forward, and movement outward of the chest and abdominal walls is felt. The passive part of the process is exhalation. The respiratory muscles and diaphragm relax, the ribs move down and inward. The physiological respiratory rate is directly dependent on the age of the child: the younger he is, the higher the frequency. With age, this figure approaches that of an adult.

It happens that a small child breathes heavily. Why is this happening?

Diagnostics

If the breathing process is complicated by symptoms such as confusion, increased chest movements, unusual sounds, it is necessary to pay attention to this and clarify the reasons. Sometimes such manifestations can be caused by nightmares or a common cold, but sometimes heavy breathing indicates a much more serious problem and requires immediate treatment. In most cases, heavy and noisy breathing occurs due to a false or viral infection. Symptoms and treatment will be discussed below.

Childhood infections

Sometimes this can be a manifestation of childhood infections such as measles, chickenpox, rubella, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and whooping cough. The inflammatory process of the larynx and tracheal mucosa acts in such a way that the lumen narrows. The child begins to experience air deficiency when breathing. This is what causes heavy and deep breathing, the voice changes, becoming hoarse. A barking cough also appears. Damage to the respiratory system always causes damage, but depending on the situation and the nature of the pathology, the treatment required is different. Doctors categorically prohibit self-prescription of inhalations for a child. Such self-medication can negatively affect the baby’s health and cause a crisis.

Allergy

A very common cause of hard and heavy breathing is allergies. In this situation, it is necessary to determine the type of allergen and try to exclude the child from contact with it. You should also consult your doctor about medications that can be used to relieve attacks. The risk of allergic reactions is reduced if you adjust your diet and introduce as many vitamins and minerals into your diet as possible in order to strengthen the immune system.

In addition to painful conditions, the fact that a child is breathing heavily may be a physiological feature of the body. This is typical for children under the age of one and a half years. In this case, the reason lies in the high elasticity of the tissues of the respiratory tract. If the child eats normally, sleeps soundly and grows well, there is no need to pay attention to these features. Upon reaching one and a half years, the cartilage of the larynx will thicken and the difficulty of breathing will go away by itself. But it’s still worth bringing this to the doctor’s attention at your next appointment to make sure there is no pathology.

Causes and treatments

So, the child is one year old and is breathing heavily, what should you do?

Naturally, the specialist selects treatment depending on the reasons that caused the breathing pathology. If the baby’s condition does not cause serious concern at the moment, you need to make an appointment with a pediatrician. If the baby’s condition rapidly deteriorates and he cannot breathe normally, then you should call an ambulance. This must be done if hardness of breathing is accompanied by difficulty passing air, blueness of the nasolabial triangle, inability to make sounds, lethargy and drowsiness.

If difficulty breathing is caused by a cold or acute respiratory viral infection, it is usually accompanied by nasal congestion, cough, sore throat and fever. It is necessary to call a doctor to confirm the diagnosis; before this, the child is given plenty of warm drinks and provided with bed rest. The doctor will prescribe treatment, and the difficulty in breathing will disappear as treatment progresses and other symptoms of the disease disappear.

Bronchiolitis

It happens that a child breathes heavily in his sleep.

Another reason may be a disease such as bronchiolitis. It is viral in nature and affects the bronchi. Most often occurs in infants of the first year of life. The condition is accompanied by a persistent, prolonged cough, which not only makes breathing difficult, but makes this process very problematic. With this pathology, the child does not breathe, but frequent and deep sighs. At the same time, the appetite decreases, the baby is capricious and sleeps poorly. It is necessary to call a doctor who decides whether hospitalization is necessary. When the disease is cured, breathing returns to normal.

If a child has asthma, then his breathing will be difficult, he coughs and chokes at the slightest physical exertion. As a rule, the child's closest relatives have asthma or allergies. In this case, only a doctor can prescribe effective and, most importantly, appropriate therapy for the condition. With this disease, self-medication is especially dangerous.

Breathing difficulties may occur with croup. In addition, the condition is accompanied by a barking cough, hoarse voice and fever. Breathing worsens at night. It is necessary to call an ambulance, and before it arrives, try to alleviate the child’s condition. To do this, you need to pour hot water and close the door tightly, then bring the child into the bathroom and let him breathe warm, humidified air. This helps to expand the airway lumen. If this does not have a beneficial effect, you can take the child outside and let him breathe in the fresh night air.

Pneumonia

Another common cause of heavy breathing is pneumonia. In this case, the child very often sighs hoarsely, coughs heavily, and the temperature can rise above 38 degrees. As you inhale, you can notice how the skin retracts into the intercostal spaces. Urgent hospitalization is required here; treatment of pneumonia at home can lead to serious complications.

This is what harsh breathing in a child means.

All of the above reasons are pathological conditions that require drug treatment, but other circumstances may also occur in which breathing will be difficult. For example, the impact may cause the baby to become harsh, intermittent, and wheezing. In this condition, emergency assistance from a specialist is required.

Adenoiditis

There may also be diseases that interfere with normal breathing, which require surgical intervention. This type of pathology includes adenoiditis. The larger the size of the adenoids, the more they interfere with free breathing. With this disease, the child's sleep is accompanied by snoring and hoarse sighs. The baby breathes through his mouth all the time, due to the fact that his nose is stuffy, in the morning, when he wakes up, he looks sleep-deprived and irritated, and often suffers from colds.

In this situation, it is necessary to consult an ENT doctor, who will prescribe treatment. If the child’s condition is critical, then surgery to remove the adenoids is prescribed. In addition to all this, this condition can occur due to basic dry air in the room or inhalation of smoke from cigarettes. When a child is breathing heavily, how can you help him? More on this later.

How to alleviate the child's condition?

There are ways that can alleviate the child’s condition and help prevent drying out of the larynx and relieve spasms:

  • humidification of indoor air using special devices;
  • inhalation of warm, humidified air;
  • inhalation with mineral water, soda or saline solution.

For inhalations, you can use aerosol and steam inhalers; in hospital settings, steam-oxygen tents. We remind you once again that inhalations can only be done after consulting a doctor.

Croup in children: symptoms and treatment

Croup is characterized by a triad of symptoms:

  • barking paroxysmal cough;
  • stridor (noisy breathing), especially with crying and excitement;
  • hoarseness of voice.

In addition, the appearance of secondary signs of the disease is noted - severe anxiety, palpitations, nausea, hyperthermia.

As respiratory failure increases, all signs worsen, the child’s skin becomes gray or bluish in color, salivation increases, wheezing can be heard even at rest, anxiety is replaced by lethargy.

Children with this diagnosis require hospitalization. The first thing doctors should do is restore the airway. To do this, it is important to reduce swelling and also free the lumen from accumulated mucus.

Drug therapy is prescribed:

  • Glucocorticoids are required to reduce laryngeal edema (through a nebulizer, for example).
  • Drugs that relieve spasms of the respiratory tract (Salbutamol, Atroventa, Baralgina).
  • Inhalations with Ambroxol are performed to remove sputum.
  • If necessary, use antihistamines.

In difficult cases, tracheal intubation or tracheotomy with artificial ventilation is required.

If a child has difficulty breathing, now we know what to do.

A child can happily attend several clubs or sections, but he doesn’t have enough strength for this. The situation may be aggravated by possible problems in the family, kindergarten, or the child’s corresponding temperament.

Frequent sighing can also be a symptom of autonomic dystonia. In this case, additional signs should appear. Usually this is a disorder of cardiovascular activity, rapid fatigue, poor tolerance of heat or cold, bedwetting, change in complexion or sweating when excited. Another symptom is shortness of breath - children complain of tightness in the chest or lack of air. Most often, shortness of breath occurs due to disturbances in the functioning of the respiratory, nervous or cardiovascular systems.

The problem may also be associated with difficulty breathing through the nose. In this case, the child must be checked for the presence of adenoids. In addition to difficulty breathing, symptoms such as decreased hearing, runny nose, sore throat, nasal speech, regular colds or otitis media may appear.

Finally, the most harmless reason for frequent sighing may be a common habit that the little one picked up from someone else. Many children often sigh and cough “for fun.” In this case, the main criterion for the baby’s health is his good health, restful sleep and appetite.

Is it possible to deprive a 2-3 year old child of anything as punishment? Further

Good afternoon. My girl is five years old. She began to sigh frequently after she couldn’t stop the nosebleed for a long time in kindergarten. Apparently she was stressed. We're leaving soon for three months. I hope the change of environment will have a positive effect.

Write a comment Cancel

    © Magazine for parents “Cat and Whale”. For advertisers and for cooperation.

Ask a question

Constant sighs in a child

Please advise. Girl, five years old. Sighs. Deep. Literally every five to ten seconds. It started a week ago, I sighed for three evenings in a row. The pediatrician listened - the lungs were clear, the heart rate did not cause any concern. Then I breathed like a human for a couple of days, but then it started again. At the same time, at night, during sleep, breathing is normal. What could it be connected with? Where to dig, who to go to?

Maybe she had some experiences?

Thank you. Obviously not, but I'll try to dig.

I had a similar experience when I was 10 years old. You try to breathe, but you can’t seem to take a deep breath, so you try again. We checked everything we could. Only sedatives helped.

Yes, it looks like we need to look in this direction. Thank you.

Just don’t emphasize this to your child under any circumstances.

Of course I won't, thank you.

And for me, since I was 6 years old. The diaphragm was tightened and the air could not be inhaled; this still happens sometimes, from stress, when drinking very strong tea or coffee. What the neurologist prescribed helped. And oddly enough, sometimes we use mineral water and gases on the recommendation of a therapist. I can’t explain the principle.

I’m not a doctor, but I’m familiar with the topic. if the emotional background does not change, then still try to check your heart better. echo, holter.

Thanks, we'll try it. So far everything has been fine except for the false chord.

maybe not false, but additional?

And we are registered with a neurologist regarding febrile seizures, we consult regularly, but nothing.

this may be a manifestation of paroxysmal activity of the brain, and given your febrile seizures.

Thanks, we'll look in this direction. True, they just literally did an encephalogram, everything is fine, no paroxysmal activity was noticed.

I’m not a doctor. I had the same thing when I was 8 years old, I was treated by a neurologist, the diagnosis was obsessive-compulsive neurosis. It went away without a trace after medical therapy, although the situation at home did not improve then.

Thank you. A conversation with a child psychologist is already planned for tomorrow. Let's start small.

If possible, send your child to the choir. Helps a lot.

For now she only agrees to dancing. But he sings regularly and without a choir. Will be working. Thank you.

The point is to learn to breathe with your diaphragm. It is unlikely that she can do this herself. 🙂

Yes. Thank you, we will try to convince you of the beauty and necessity of the choir.

To a neurologist. Something akin to hyperkinesis (so-called “tics”)

It looks like a tic, consult a neurologist.

Thank you. Already gathered.

This is a respiratory neurosis.

I need to see a neurologist.

and how she sighs: describe in more detail.

When does he sigh, is his mouth open?

When he sleeps, does he sleep with his mouth open?

Thank you for participating. He sighs, yes, with his mouth open. Sleeps - with it closed. And the rest of the time he breathes through his nose. Breathing is not difficult. Out of fear, I’ve already dropped tizine (xylometazoline) into my nose to check for swelling of the mucous membrane, but it doesn’t help.

ENT won't hurt.

but in general she needs to move.

The child is skinny and moves in such a way that you can’t catch him. We'll go to the ENT specialist, thank you.

I'm not a doctor, but... But about two years ago I got the same strange diagnosis of “vegetative-vascular dystonia”. Some of the symptoms are the same - I was suffocating. But there was a good pediatrician and a neurologist - I don’t remember, I don’t know how, but by the age of 12 years had passed. Try contacting doctors in these specialties.

PS: they gave me injections, I lay under a drip, slept at lunchtime, that is, they treated me seriously, but I didn’t feel like an “unhappy” child.)

In September she went back to the garden; she didn’t see any hysterics like last year’s, but she doesn’t want to go to the garden, she cries. and A week or two ago, deep sighs appeared, at first isolated, and now more and more often.

I read that this is also a form of nervous tic. If so, how can you help your child and yourself? It seems to me that blinking did not strain her, but from these sighs her chest probably already hurts. Today I said - Mom, my tummy hurts. I ask - where? Points to the chest

Thanks, if anyone can help with advice

I just read about the so-called respiratory neurosis, it seems like we meet all the criteria. Or is there no such concept in neurology?

At first I turned to neurologists, but they sent me to pediatricians.

My daughter, 3 years and 2 months old, began to take deep breaths frequently, at first only once, but now more and more often. I decided that it was neurological (I read on the Internet about such a thing as respiratory neurosis). This phenomenon just started after we went to the garden after the summer break, he was very nervous, crying and didn’t want to go. When we went a year ago, we got a nervous tic in the form of blinking. But over the summer, until we went to the garden, the blinking went away. In September we went again, these respiratory phenomena appeared. I wrote to neurology, but the doctor told me to go to pediatricians. I'm confused, what could this be? Sorry for the confusion and thanks!

It's not about blinking at all. A face-to-face (= not online) consultation with a pediatrician is needed regarding sighs and complaints of chest pain.

From a psychological point of view, a tic is a chronic muscle tension resulting from unprocessed stress.

Mavlieva Radmila Ruslanovna

Mavlieva Radmila Ruslanovna

Comments to the post:

There is no pathology on the medical side.

This means that the origin of sighs is emotional.

Comments to the post:

Mavlieva Radmila Ruslanovna

Try it. There will be difficulties - write.

Mavlieva Radmila Ruslanovna

Where can I go with my illness?

The child takes deep breaths often

like he's running out of air

We were treated by a neurologist. 2 years after treatment we do not observe such symptoms.

surround with attention and care.. Everything will pass.

I remember from myself, it happened to me too (in elementary school), when I saw that adults were breathing like that (or sighing heavily) and I also tried it, liked it and became an obsessive habit. But my mother gave me a suggestion and I tried to control myself, and that’s how it went

The baby has a hard time breathing, there is not enough air. Reasons and what to do?

The baby takes frequent and deep breaths, he lacks air, and has shortness of breath. What to do about this, how dangerous is it, and how to improve the baby’s condition? What could be causing a child’s lack of air, what needs to be changed in their lifestyle, does it need to be treated, or will it go away on its own? Read the answers to these questions in our article.

Why does a child sigh frequently and deeply? The main causes of lack of air

There can be many reasons that cause difficulty breathing in a baby.

The table contains the most common of them

Quincke's edema, as one of the types of allergies, is the most dangerous disease in this case. If a child begins to experience swelling of the skin, especially on the face, redness, and difficulty breathing, you need to call an ambulance immediately!

To make the wait easier, you can reduce the likelihood of exposure to the allergen, most often a food allergen, and cool the swollen areas with a cold, damp towel.

In addition to difficulty breathing, the following symptoms appear:

  • Blue skin.
  • Rare or rapid pulse
  • Pain in the left side under the ribs or under the shoulder blade.

When is it necessary to see a doctor urgently?

Difficulty breathing can manifest itself in different ways.

  • Cardiogram.
  • Spirography, that is, checking lung volume.
  • Chest X-ray to rule out problems with the structure of the lungs.
  • Perhaps a visit to an orthopedist to rule out serious problems with the spine.
  • EEG to rule out epilepsy.
  • Allergen tests.

What to do if a child has difficulty breathing and lacks air?

If there is an acute lack of air, you should urgently call an ambulance. In such situations, panic on the part of parents is contraindicated! Under no circumstances should the child be left alone and, if possible, provide first aid.

  1. If the child is already big, the confident support of parents will help, who should try to normalize the breathing rhythm with the help of breathing exercises.
  2. Cooling the body a little with a damp towel will also help take the edge off the process.
  3. A soothing massage can help restore breathing.
  4. If a child is choking, you should help him spit out the foreign object without making sudden reverse movements. It is best to place the baby stomach down on a hard surface and sharply slap him between the shoulder blades 2-3 times. It is unsafe to use other methods; if it doesn’t work, wait for the doctors.
  5. It is not recommended to lie down if you have difficulty breathing; it is better to take a reclining position.
  6. You should not allow your child to fall asleep or lose consciousness during an attack! You need to keep ammonia on hand.
  7. In case of allergies, it is necessary to immediately remove the possible allergen from the child, give an antihistamine, rinse the nose, and rinse the mouth.

It is important to remember that only correct comprehensive diagnostics will help the doctor make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.

If your child has breathing problems, be sure to consult a specialist!

Read also:

One comment:

Everything is written in great detail! My sister had breathing problems as a child, she sighed so deeply, deeply - several times (as if she was gasping for air). After long visits to doctors, they determined that it was nervous. Previously, there was no access to sources of information. And here everything is described so clearly that just by looking at some cumulative symptoms, it becomes clear which doctor to go to.

Health to everyone!! And to the kids.

Add a comment Cancel reply

appropriate to your specific health circumstances and does not constitute medical advice.

© Site materials are protected by the laws of the Russian Federation on copyright and related rights.

When using or reprinting material, an active and indexed link to the site is required!

Reasons for frequent sighs in a child

I didn't notice it before. Three days ago she complained that she felt like she couldn’t breathe deeply. I didn’t complain in the following days. but I began to notice that I often took deep breaths.

During sleep, breathing is calm, only if you change the position of your body during sleep you can take a deep breath.

Active, cheerful. Has anyone come across what this could be? A cardiogram was done in June at a sanatorium - the norm.

How does yours explain this?

I repeat once again, before digging in the direction of VSD (as it turned out to be for me), be sure to comprehensively check the child’s health.

My daughter had this at an earlier age. This happens to me often (VSD is my friend and my emotionality is increased).

Calming lung + physical activity + rest from mental work + fewer new impressions and bright emotions. No stress, everything is calm and positive.

The same method was used to treat all nervous tics - and blinking, and twitching of the nose, and heckling, and noisy exhalations through the nose - whatever happened, there was only one treatment option. As I wrote above

I can’t relate it to stress and nervousness.

But I associate it with stooping. I went to a chiropractor once, he adjusted my vertebrae, and it helped for a while. But working at the computer, my back immediately starts to sink.

I also noticed that it was due to the weather. When it’s frosty outside, it’s hard to breathe, when it’s warm, everything is ok. In the summer I don’t remember this at all, but in the summer I don’t have much work.

That’s when the manual technician helped in the winter

Although it’s warm now, it’s hard for me, although 2 days ago everything was ok.

In general, I don’t know the exact reason.

I can only breathe normally through yawning. I yawn like this all day long.

I can’t find a place for myself, out of the blue a problem with sighs appeared, how to get rid of them.

1. calm down, nothing bad happened, it was not for nothing that I wrote to you about the back above. This happens to me when, let’s say, I’m sick and lie down for several days, there are almost no movements and “difficulty breathing” appears, it all comes from the spine. The second follows from this.

2. Definitely! doing something active - dancing, aerobics, it doesn’t matter what, it will also strengthen your nerves.

3. When it seems to her that she cannot breathe, she must hold her breath and not breathe as long as she can, and then breathe as usual, this relieves the discomfort.

I just didn’t have this, and I can’t imagine this condition for my eldest either.

Last night we were in a taxi, she sighed continuously, we got out and said let’s take a walk, I don’t have enough air.

Today she also sighs, she came home from a matinee at school, either sad or tired. I bite my tongue so as not to draw attention.

Tell me, if the pediatrician listened yesterday, it means the lungs are normal, if she didn’t say anything?

1. Pneumonia

2. Brochnial spasm, as a consequence of an allergic reaction.

To exclude them, you can do a blood test. Inflammation and allergization will definitely be reflected. To calm down, you can give up and forget about these options. By the way, show the normal result to the child and say that she is not sick with anything, she just needs more physical activity.

3. Scoliosis. She has it.

4. Nerves. It’s not very bad with this, she’s suspicious and anxious and so are you (I don’t want to offend you even once, I’m like that myself)) And in anxious mothers, children almost always inherit these traits.

Sedentary lifestyle. For me to do. I would buy a disc with some kind of gymnastics exercises and make me do it every day during the day or in the late afternoon. 15-20 minutes, no more needed. And I would definitely add dousing with cold water. Just pour yourself out of a basin or bucket in the morning. This is very beneficial for vascular tone and nerves.

You can, of course, go to a pulmonologist to calm down, but I suspect that the reason is still the back + nerves + adolescence.

Now she often takes deep breaths and says that there is not enough air when inhaling. Yesterday I went to bed and fell asleep calmly, breathing too, I counted my inhalations and exhalations to 20. At 4 o’clock I started tossing and turning and sighing even in my sleep. Girls, to be honest, I worked myself up a lot, thank you for the advice!

They donated blood and urine - tests were normal.

They took an x-ray of the lungs - normal.

We take medications prescribed by a neurologist: Magne B6, Mexidol, Tenoten. The doctor actually prescribed Adaptol, but when she found out that we started taking Tenoten, she said take it instead of Adaptol. I read about adaptol, it’s a tranquilizer, but I don’t want to give it yet.

They did an ECG and showed moderate respiratory arrhythmia.

They did an echocardiogram - it was normal.

He still sighs, sometimes he says there is not enough air.

The sighs have been going on for a month now; I no longer have the strength to hear them. Girls, who has any thoughts?

That year we encountered the youngest. We checked everything, we even visited Bakulevka. my son was getting worse and worse. Then we accidentally ended up at the Morozov Neurology Center, checked everything, and prescribed medicine for us. On the 3rd day of taking it all stopped))

The child sighs often, has anyone experienced this?

Show comments

At first I thought maybe it would go away on its own, but she only began to sigh more often (2-3 times per minute). The kindergarten teacher has already noticed these sighs.

I want to ask if this has happened to anyone? What they were doing? Which doctor did you see? How were you treated?

In general, I’m very worried, please advise.

This happened to me as a child and still happens sometimes. As I understand it, this is something nervous, like a nervous tic (well, that is, obsessive actions, like people blink, for example, and then sigh). I’m not treating it in any way, I just know that if you distract yourself, it will go away.

So my husband reassures me, he says he, too, had all sorts of strange things in his childhood.

In general, she is, of course, an emotional young lady, impressionable and very big-booted.

  • brain encephalopathy

    Due to certain circumstances and a difficult birth, from the moment the baby was born, I worry about not overlooking some of his deviations. I know that, for example, brain encephalopathy is very difficult to diagnose in children. Mine is almost 5 months old now. Sometimes I notice that the child has difficulty falling asleep and is capricious for a long time before bed. and sometimes he cannot focus on any subject for a long time. What examination would you recommend to undergo to rule out encephalopathy, thank you!

  • hyperactive child

    What to do with a hyperactive child? Doctor, advise me what to do, I no longer have the strength to take care of my third child. The birth was difficult, almost immediately after the second pregnancy. The third child was born premature, but has now more or less gained weight. And now he is almost a year old, there is literally not a minute of peace. He crawls, howls, if I don’t look at him or don’t work with him, he starts screaming, crying, banging his head on the floor ((We did soothing baths, massages, everything helps for a while. Is such hyperactivity a reason to prescribe special treatment? And it’s possible Is it possible to get by with home methods? thank you very much

The baby sighs often and deeply, he does not have enough air, and has shortness of breath. What to do about this, how dangerous is it, and how to improve the baby’s condition? What could be causing a child’s lack of air, what needs to be changed in their lifestyle, does it need to be treated, or will it go away on its own? Read the answers to these questions in our article.

Why does a child sigh frequently and deeply? The main causes of lack of air

There can be many reasons that cause difficulty breathing in a baby.

The table contains the most common of them

Cause Description
Allergies to wool, dust and other household items can cause shortness of breath and a similar unpleasant and even frightening sensation.

Quincke's edema, as one of the types of allergies, is the most dangerous disease in this case. If a child begins to experience swelling of the skin, especially on the face, redness, and difficulty breathing, you need to call an ambulance immediately!

To make the wait easier, need to reduce the likelihood of exposure to an allergen , most often it is food grade, and cool the swollen areas with a cold, damp towel.

Epilepsy There are cases of manifestation of the first signs of epilepsy , consisting precisely in the feeling of lack of air. But this option is unlikely and occurs only together with other symptoms, for example, convulsions or numbness of the limbs.
Asthma can cause difficulty breathing. Most often the disease is inherited .
Thymus disease Infants may often have breathing problems related to the thymus gland. Older children have thymus diseases, but less often. It is necessary to consult a therapist and exclude the possibility of this disease .
Heart diseases Poor heart function can cause shortness of breath and shortness of breath in the baby.

In addition to difficulty breathing, the following symptoms appear:

  • Blue skin.
  • Rare or rapid pulse
  • Pain in the left side under the ribs or under the shoulder blade.
Angina The tonsils become inflamed and enlarged. Attacks of suffocation appear, breathing becomes difficult, sometimes fingers and lips turn blue .
Gastrointestinal disease: gastritis In addition to stiffness during breathing, it also manifests itself as pain in the abdominal area. The first is due to an increase in the volume of the stomach, the second is due to the release of a large volume of digestive juice .
Neurological abnormalities Stress or emotional overload can cause a similar reaction in the body. Accompanied by restless sleep and increased hysteria . In addition, the child’s general “twitchiness” indicates that his nerves need rest.
Curvature of the spine, osteochondrosis If a child has a curved spine, the airways or lungs may become compressed and not function properly. Osteochondrosis will cause pain in the back and thoracic region .
Lung diseases There are different options, this and perinatal disorders, and acquired lung diseases . For example, pulmonary embolism. Blood clots accumulate in the lungs and blockage with blood clots occurs.

When is it necessary to see a doctor urgently?

Difficulty breathing can manifest itself in different ways.

If a child gasps for air and literally suffocates, calling an ambulance is the first thing parents should do.

As prescribed by your doctor, you will need to undergo examinations such as:

  • Cardiogram.
  • Spirography, that is, checking lung volume.
  • Chest X-ray to rule out problems with the structure of the lungs.
  • Perhaps a visit to an orthopedist to rule out serious problems with the spine.
  • EEG to rule out epilepsy.
  • Allergen tests.

What to do if a child has difficulty breathing and lacks air?

If there is an acute lack of air, you should urgently call an ambulance. In such situations, panic on the part of parents is contraindicated! Under no circumstances should the child be left alone and, if possible, provide first aid.

What will even out your breathing before the doctors arrive?

  1. If the child is already big, the confident support of parents will help, who should try to normalize the breathing rhythm with the help of breathing exercises.
  2. Cooling the body a little with a damp towel will also help take the edge off the process.
  3. A soothing massage can help restore breathing.
  4. If a child is choking, you should help him spit out the foreign object without making sudden reverse movements. It is best to place the baby stomach down on a hard surface and sharply slap him between the shoulder blades 2-3 times. It is unsafe to use other methods; if it doesn’t work, wait for the doctors.
  5. It is not recommended to lie down if you have difficulty breathing; it is better to take a reclining position.
  6. You should not allow your child to fall asleep or lose consciousness during an attack! You need to keep ammonia on hand.
  7. In case of allergies, it is necessary to immediately remove the possible allergen from the child, give an antihistamine, rinse the nose, and rinse the mouth.

It is important to remember that only correct comprehensive diagnostics will help the doctor make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.

If your child has breathing problems, be sure to consult a specialist!