For as long as I can remember, I can rarely completely fill my lungs with air (or, at least, it seems that way). However, occasionally I’ll take an extra deep breath or yawn that will seem to fill them completely.
I read someone else describing the sensation as like a “click,” only without it being an actual “click”–I don’t think I’ll fare any better in my description. It just feels like my lungs are actually at capacity, instead of say, 95% capacity.
Is this normal? I’ve never had any other breathing problems, and for some reason, the idea occurred to me today that perhaps this isn’t how everyone experiences it.
So what’s the deal?
ETA; Incidentally, merely writing about yawning caused me to yawn like 3 times, 2 of which “clicked.”
If you practice 3-stage breathing: 1) diaphragmatic, 2) intercostal, and 3) clavicular, you can fill all the way up and achieve the click that is not a click, when the clavicular stage is completed. It’s such a satisfying feeling that once you’ve done it you’ll always want to do it. Been practicing it for most of my life and I can pretty much produce it at will. Ahhh that feels awesome
What you are describing sounds like mild asthma. I’ve had it all my life, and never had a classic “asthma attack”. Instead I often find myself short of breath, and if I relax and take a few deep breaths the airways eventually expand and I can fill my lungs. In the worst cases it might take half an hour before I can draw full breath, but I’m not in any way incapacited in the meantime, it just feels very uncomfortable. When the airways do finally relax, a “click” is a good way to describe the sensation of being able to inhale fully.
If I can yawn it almost always results in the lungs filing.
Physiologically, there is is a reflex that prevents you from filling your lungs, which also prevents you from tearing your lungs. At least it is supposed to. If you try to take the deepest breath possible, your nervous system will actually prevent you from inhaling any further at some point. However if you hold the lungs at that inflation, the reflex will subside and after a few seconds you will be able to inhale more deeply still, despite the fact that you inhaled as deeply as possible initially.
You can actually keep repeating that cycle of breathing as deeply as possible, holding then breathing in some more for multiple cycles. Its a technique used by some athletes to increase lung capacity. Do not do this without expert supervision. You can easily over inflate the lungs and tear them. If you are lucky you will then end up with a collapsed lung and be in immense pain. If you are unlucky the lung will stay inflated and you will build up scar tissue each time you try it. As you get older the scar tissue will thicken and you will end up with all sorts of breathing problems. Worst case scenario is that the scar tissue welds to the lung wall and you don’t want to know the problems that can cause.
In short, you should go and see a doctor. If you have asthma as I suspect then you probably should be diagnosed. If you don’t then your continued attempts to overinflate your lungs could be causing problems.
I wouldn’t describe ever feeling short of breath though–I never feel like I’m not taking in enough air, except maybe during some most intense workouts, and even then, I don’t think it’s attributed to that.
I don’t often try to fill my lungs 100%, it’s just something I noticed.
