Breathlessness Clinic

What is Breathlessness?

People who have shortness of breath describe it in different ways. Some people say that they feel like they can't take a deep breath in or get enough air. Other people might feel like their chest is tight or they have to work harder than usual to breathe. The medical word for shortness of breath is "dyspnea."

Evidence suggests that how breathless you feel doesn’t always match up that well with the results of lung function tests and scans. This is because it’s not just lung function that affects how out of breath you feel. Breathlessness is also affected by the way you breathe, your lifestyle and how you think and feel about your breathing.