Hi, im just looking for some reassurance as my anxiety is bad at the moment. About 6 weeks ago i started with a really dry mouth that just wouldnt go away. But now ive started the need to keep clearing the back of my throat due to feeling that i have phlegm stuck and its making my chest feel tight, dry and wheezy. im fit and non smoker. Could this be my anxiety? This has been going on for a week or so. It doesnt get worse if im moving around. it just wont go away :( Thank you
Maybe allergies?
Do you feel like you have phlegm? Or are you actually coughing up phlegm?
not coughing up anything. just chest feels tight and feels like phlegm is stuck at the back of my throat with a major dry mouth.
Also feel out of breath at times. even when sitting down. This has just come out of nowhere
I assume there is no fever or cough.
Try some light exercise or talking in the phone to distract yourself. If you can manage them fine then there is no shortness of breath.
no fever and not really a cough just always trying to clear throat. been walking and cycling and not feeling to out of breath on flat but defo gets worse when i think about it. Its just a very weird sensation. also all okay on phone. Is it anxiety? can anxiety cause this? thank you
could be allergy ! Its allergy season . Post nasal drip
yes, it most probably is anxiety. the length of time you have had it, is an indication that its anxiety. if it was phlem or obstruction, it would be gone by now. did you notice this feeling about the same time they shut everything down due to COVID virus? a lot of people got put on edge and anxiety soared. first, you are not going to die. it is a common symptom we anxiety sufferers have. i dont know why it affects the throat like it does, causing more anxiety and panic, but it does. try to relax, drink lots of water, this will do two things, cure your cotton mouth and make your throat feel better for a few. take a hot shower, try to relax, put your mind on something else, think of the words to your favorite song, but sit down, breathe. if the problem persists, i would call my GP, and maybe he can get to the bottom of it. anxiety and depression do weird things to the body. it feels horrible, i know.
Thanks all. Its all started to get worse since being indoors with whats going on. started off with just phlegm and now its turned into breathlessness. i suffer with heath anxiety as it is. been thinking i have lung disease / COPD and its make things 100 x worse. thanks for the reply. its like i know its anxiety but the minds telling me its a lot worse and then symptoms get worse!
yes, the mind loves to play tricks on you with anxiety. so it started when you had to stay indoors for the lockdown, hmmm, thats when mine acted up too. i think it has to do with being bored. we get lost in our own minds, especially we anxiety sufferers. we are super sensitive to what our bodies do and tell us anyway. what i do, and i dont know what your lockdown restrictions are like, but i have a fire pit outside and i tromp through the woods find sticks to burn, then i go light the fire, sticks burn really quick, so before long i am looking for wood again. its repetitive but its excersise and it keeps me busy and out of my own head. this probably wont help with your specific throat irritation, but it relaxes me. for my throat, i will take a hot shower (which loosens up mucus in my head) which is good if the flem is caused by allergies or sinuses and is relaxing. i might say a hot bath would do the same. i also drink lots of water, which gets rid of cotton mouth and lubes and cools my throat. sometimes my throat will feel like that right before it rains, something to do with the barometric pressure and my sinuses i think. i cough and try to get something up but its usually nothing. i will get a stomach ache from the onset panic of having that something stuck in my throat feeling. i have had the same problem with acid reflux, but that usually burns and is gone the next day. i mean it couldnt hurt to see an ear, nose and throat doctor just to see whats going on. but i will bet its anxiety in your case. most probably caused by thinking too much and boredom. i am a medicated anxiety sufferer, so i have xanex, which does nothing to help your throat, but it does help with panic and that breathless feeling you are describing. so i had a really bad week, two weeks ago, i was scared from the virus, i was alone, i was in the house for days, when the symptoms hit me. i got shaky, my heart raced, my throat felt like it closed up, i felt like i had a 100 pound weight sitting on my chest, my arms and legs got achy and weak, which in turn caused my head to spin and my mind to race. hot and cold sweats and cold clammy sweaty hands, upset stomach and loss of appetite. I ended up calling my therapist and she talked me down, but it took about a week before the symptoms went from a 10 (being the highest anxiety and panic attack) to a 2 (where i am now) and that was medicated, mind you, so i can imagine what someone without meds can go through.
l know a few people who have had a throat problem, including me. It has been around for quite some time. It seems to be a dry cough, slight sore throat that doesn't come to anything, slight runny nose and generally feeling tired. l suffer with anxiety but l know people who have it who don't have anxiety.
Could be Anxiety 50-50. Anxiety can causes A-Z diseases.
i have this also, with persistent swallowing. it makes my throat dry that makes me cough and panics me into thinking its corona and then my chest goes tight.
could be allergies, it is pollen season and just like anxiety a lot of people dont know they have allergies until it hits them. just saying.
you could get tested for Corona, and rule that out and make yourself stop worrying about it. its pollen season and Allergies can also affect your throat with post nasal drip and mucus just sitting right by your airway causing you to panic. when this happens, i drink lots of water. water does two things, it lubricates your throat and thins out any mucus. i would suggest tea, but caffeine is bad for anxiety as well as sugar. gargle with warm salt water or listerine. try to take your mind off of it. easier said than done, i know. hope this helps
thankyou david
Thanks. Don't think it's pollen as l have had it a few months and have a couple of friends who are similar.
well, you definitely have something irritating your throat causing anxiety. how do you know its not allergies? doesnt have yo be pollen, could be mold or dust you are allergic to and possibly dont even know it. experiment, try an over the counter allergy medicine like benedryl, allegra, clariton, zertec, etc, see if it helps. if your symptoms dont ease in a week, stop taking the meds. i mean its worth a shot and then you can rule out allergies and just concetrate on the anxiety.
Thanks for the useful reply.
Thanks for the comments!! my dry mouth and throat are still acting up. Drinking makes it better for a few mins but then comes back. also feels like ive got a knot in my stomach/throat. My anxiety has been pretty bad for a few months with constant dry mouth but its just getting worse and seems to be effecting other areas of the body. Anxiety can make you feel like youre dying and if you think about something for too long it starts to happen. Strange but ive got to tell my self it will go away again like it has before. just no time frame.