Coughing when holding breath

[skycatblue]

I have a problem that affects me often: When I fill my lungs to capacity, I often have to cough. Sometimes I can hold it back and the sensation goes away, but often it doesn't and I have to cough, thereby expelling all my air. I suppose it's part of my general lung anatomy. I've had a problem all my life with upper respiratory infections, both viral and bacterial, and I almost never get a cold without it moving to my lungs, so something's going on there. Does anyone else have this problem? Has anyone else had this problem and found a way to overcome it?

 

[cdavis]

Wanting to cough on big inhale or exhale basically means you are trying to force the lungs into doing something they don't want to do, makes'em uncomfortable. In your case, that is almost surely related to your upper respiratory problems. It should be fairly easy to fix, but might take a while. Try inhaling deeply several times a day. Don't push it much beyond the ticklish feeling of wanting to cough. Keep doing this every day, just barely pushing up to the point where you want to cough. Over time, probably a few months, you will stretch your lungs to the point that they are comfortable with larger and larger inhale. Viola, no cough.

Connor

 

[skycatblue]

Conner, That's as good an explanation as I've heard. I try to breathe deeply in general, but I suppose some focused work would help. I'll definitely give it a try. Thank you!