Yesterday’s post served as a sort of introduction to the topic of how hypermobility can affect breathing, and today’s post will be an extension of this conversation. I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone by providing too much information in a single post, which is how I navigate the length of most of my entries. So, today we will delve into the nitty-gritty regarding how being overly flexible can actually lead to shortness of breath.
Once again, the following information comes from jeanniedibon.com.
“Breathing problems are commonly reported in hEDS and EDS (as well as other subtypes of EDS). These are something that should be discussed with your medical team.
“hEDS and HSD have been associated with (1):
- Asthmatic symptoms
- Shortness of breath (Dyspnea)
- Reduced inspiratory (inhale) muscle strength
- Dysphonia/hoarseness, and weak voice
- Throat pain
- Breathing difficulties
- Airway collapse
- Chest wall deformity
- Cough (though this could also be related to GERD – Gastroesophageal reflux disease which is also common in EDS)
- Sleep apnea
- Nocturnal cough or wheeze
“We know that proprioception – or the ability to sense where we are in space – is impaired in EDS. A recent study found this impacts the breath as well (6). Researchers found in a small group of people with hEDS, compared to controls, they were less precise at perceiving their lung volume – particularly at moderate volumes (they did a different range of volumes).
“The researchers also found that people with hEDS breathed differently during thinking tasks, changing both how fast and how deeply they breathed. They believe this happens due to the lack of proprioception because this affects how the nervous system controls breathing (6),” the web page explains.
I’ve noticed that when I start to feel as though I can’t inhale properly, or deeply enough, adjusting my posture can make a tremendous difference.
Here’s hoping this information can be of assistance to hypermobile folks everywhere.
Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash
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