Do you get a tightness or heaviness in your chest sometimes? There are a bunch of reasons you might feel this way. You may have a cold, or it could be something more serious. Talk to your doctor to find out what's going on. He'll want to know if you have other symptoms that can help pinpoint your condition.
You might get:
- Short of breath, especially when lying down
- Tired and weak
- Coughing spells, especially at night
- Swollen legs and ankles
- Weight gain
Call your doctor right away if you notice any of these signs.
It's a lung infection that you get from a bacteria, virus, or fungus. Sometimes it starts out as the flu. You may feel short of breath or get other symptoms like:
See your doctor if any of those happen to you or you think you might have pneumonia.
You're probably all too familiar with the sneezing, coughing, and stuffy nose that go along with a cold. But it can make your lungs congested, too. Your airways get inflamed and make extra mucus. You might start coughing some of it up.
Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids, which helps thin the mucus in your lungs.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
When you have COPD, the airways in your lungs get inflamed and thicken, which means less oxygen comes in and less carbon dioxide goes out. Over time, the shortness of breath gets worse.
Most of the time it's caused by smoking. Your symptoms may include:
If you have it, your swollen airways are sensitive to things you're exposed to every day, like allergy triggers such as pollen, air pollutants, or chemicals in your workplace. The disease tends to run in families.
With asthma, you may notice a wheezing sound when you breathe. Sometimes you only have it after you exercise or when you have a cold. Your chest may also feel tight. And you might have a cough at night or get short of breath.
A lot of medicines can help, including inhalers that you breathe in to give you quick relief.
Anything you're allergic to can make it harder to breathe, and result in a congested chest, watery eyes, and wheezing. Pollen, dust, and pet dander (tiny flecks of skin shed by animals) are some common culprits.