Lump in my throat?

[m2b]

Let me explain. When I do a full inhale before seeing how long I can hold my breath while lying in bed I end up giving up not because of the urge to breathe or contractions but rather instead because of a "lump in my throat" that forms that just keeps getting bigger and wanting to put more pressure on the back of my throat. I've not really noticed it while diving, granted I don't think either one of two things occurs while diving:

1) I don't think I take as deep of a breath
2) I am moving about in the water so I wouldn't notice the pressure build up as easily as I would while lying still

I do notice that if I don't take a full breath but maybe a 90-95% breath that I don't get the pressure build up and I can end up holding fine right into contractions.

What is about the full breath that causes this build up and is there any easy way to reduce it while still taking the full breath?

[sanso]

Hey m2b,

my guess would be that You feel the strain on Your epiglottis and/or neighboring muscles. A full inhale takes some effort to be kept in the lungs and it's plain muscle work to do that. So what You feel might just be fatigue or overexertion of the muscles involved.
These muscles can be trained. For example some pranayama excercises will do that, but there are non-Yoga things to do as well. If You try this and, after a couple of weeks, the feeling lessens or appears later in the hold, that would support this theory.

But again, please be aware that this is just a guess.

Please post Your results, maybe there's a lesson to be learned here.

[deep thinker]

A probable reason for not feeling this pressure in the water, could be the pressure of the water and also the cold water on your face so your body reacts to the breathhold differently.
While doing statics try swallowing and or tucking your chin to your chest this should take some of the pressure off.
Let us know how you get on...

[azapa]

if you are practicing dry you could try the following to relieve the tension:
- breathe out a little
- swallow

either will provide some relief but may not improve your times.

instead off filling till you burst:
- relax completely before you start, at least 5 mins, maybe 10, ALL your muscles should be relaxed, back, shoulders, net, legs etc
- breathe deeply but calmly before the attempt
- on the last breath breath in a comfortable amount without stuffing your lungs
- close your eyes and relax - time will fly by, keep your whole body relaxed, check once every 10 seconds to see if any muscles are tense.

good luck