What It Means, What Is Happening, and What You Can Do to Help
Feeling out of breath happens to everyone. It can happen after walking up stairs, running, or being out in the cold. In most cases, it’s a normal reaction. Your body needs more oxygen during physical activity or in certain weather. But if you’re short of breath often or it’s worsening, it could point to a health issue like COPD.
Lesley Williams, a Registered Respiratory Therapist at Apria with 35 years of experience, states, “Shortness of breath may seem simple, but it’s often the body’s signal that something deeper is happening. Recognizing and addressing these early signs, especially in conditions like COPD, is key to improving health and preserving quality of life.”
How Breathing Works
Breathing is a team effort between your nose, mouth, lungs, and blood vessels. When you inhale, air moves through your nose or mouth and down into your lungs. There, it enters small sacs called alveoli. Oxygen from the air moves through the alveoli walls and into your blood. This oxygen helps your body and organs work. If something blocks this process, breathing can feel harder.
How to Measure Breathlessness
Doctors often use the MMRC Dyspnea Scale to measure shortness of breath. It’s simple and helps describe how hard it is to breathe:
- Only feel short of breath during strenuous exercise.
- Feel winded when walking fast or uphill.
- Walk slower than others or stop to catch your breath.
- Stop after walking about 100 yards or after a few minutes.
- Too breathless to leave the house or while getting dressed.
This scale helps doctors understand how much breathing problems affect your daily life.
COPD and Why It Affects Breathing
COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It includes two common lung problems: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Both can make breathing harder.
- Emphysema damages the walls between air sacs in the lungs. This makes it harder to move oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. It lowers lung capacity and causes tiredness and breathlessness.
- Chronic bronchitis causes swelling and thickening in the airways. It also creates too much mucus. The airways get clogged, making it hard to breathe and clear the lungs.
Other Reasons for Shortness of Breath
Other health problems can also cause or worsen shortness of breath:
- Asthma – inflamed airways and wheezing.
- Respiratory infections – like bronchitis or pneumonia.
- Anxiety – can lead to fast, shallow breathing.
- Obesity – extra weight can limit lung movement.
When to See a Doctor
Getting a little out of breath after activity is normal. But if you’re short of breath doing everyday things, or it’s getting worse, talk to your doctor. Early help can make a big difference. It can improve symptoms and protect your lungs.
Understanding the cause of your breathlessness is the first step. Tools like the MMRC scale can help guide your care and treatment plan.
References
Lewthwaite, Hayley, Dennis Jensen, and Magnus Ekström. “How to Assess Breathlessness in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 3, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8184148/.
O’Donnell, Denis E, Kathryn M Milne, Matthew D James, Juan Pablo de Torres, and J Alberto Neder. “Dyspnea in COPD: New Mechanistic Insights and Management Implications.” PubMed Central, January 2020. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6979461/.
Pahal, Parul, Akshay Avula, and Muriam Afzal. “Emphysema.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, March 28, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482217/.
Widysanto, Allen, Jennifer Goldin, and George Mathew. “Chronic Bronchitis.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, February 6, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482437/.
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