Shortness of Breath
By the AllHealth UK editorial teamLast reviewed Next review due Compiled from published NHS and NICE guidance. Not reviewed by a clinician.
Immediate action required: call 999 or go to A&E if
- Sudden severe breathlessness without obvious cause
- Lips, fingertips, or face turning blue (cyanosis)
- Breathlessness with chest pain or collapse
- Your chest feels tight or heavy
- You feel suddenly confused
- You are having an asthma attack and you feel worse at any time, you do not feel better after the maximum dose of your reliever inhaler, or you have no inhaler with you
- Choking or airway obstruction
- Severe allergic reaction with throat swelling
Key facts
Shortness of breath (dyspnoea) is the feeling of not being able to get enough air. It can come on suddenly or develop gradually. While often caused by exercise or anxiety, persistent breathlessness needs medical evaluation.
Most often affects:People with asthma/COPDSmokersObese individualsElderly adults
What commonly causes shortness of breath
- Asthma — wheezing and tightness, often worse at night
- Anxiety or panic attacks — hyperventilation
- Respiratory infections (bronchitis, pneumonia)
- Physical deconditioning — lack of fitness
- Allergic reactions
- Anaemia (low haemoglobin)
- Heart failure or pulmonary embolism
- Smoking, and smoking-related lung disease (COPD) — breathlessness that has crept up over months
- Less commonly, lung cancer or scarring of the lungs
What helps at home
- Sit upright and lean slightly forward with hands on knees
- Try pursed-lips breathing: breathe in gently through your nose, purse your lips as if blowing out a candle, and breathe out for as long as is comfortable — do not force your lungs to empty.
- Some people find a handheld fan directed at the face helps them feel less breathless — it is worth trying, but it does not treat the cause. The NHS says always see a GP rather than trying to work out the cause yourself.
- Stay calm and focus on slow, controlled breathing
- Avoid triggers like smoke, strong perfumes, or allergens
- If asthmatic: use your reliever inhaler (blue) as prescribed
When to get help
These three levels are different. Getting the level right is the single most useful thing this page can do for you.
Non-urgent advice: see a GP if
- Breathlessness has come on gradually over weeks or months
- You get out of breath doing things you used to manage easily
- You have a long-term cough or wheeze alongside the breathlessness
- You smoke or used to smoke and want your lungs checked
Urgent advice: ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if
- You have become breathless over a few hours or days and it is getting worse
- You are breathless at rest, or after walking only a few steps
- You wake in the night gasping for breath, or need several pillows to sleep
- Your ankles have swollen and you are more breathless than usual
- You have pain or swelling in one of your legs
What to do next
Do not wait this one out. If shortness of breath is severe or getting worse, get it looked at today.
Questions people ask about shortness of breath
Reducing the chance of it coming back
- Don't smoke — and avoid passive smoke exposure
- Stay physically active to maintain lung fitness
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Take asthma medication as prescribed — don't skip preventer inhalers
Conditions this can be part of
Listed alphabetically, not by likelihood — this page does not tell you which one you have.
- Asthma
- COPD
- Heart failure
- Pulmonary embolism
Sources and further reading
This page was written from the following published guidance. All links checked 26 August 2026.
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