Cant draw a deep breath hours/days after hard workout

If I have a heavy workout i have trouble to draw a deep breath after excercise. This can happen hours after ended workout, but also the day after. I cant get the relaxing feeling of a deep breath. Anyone feeling this?

Yes! And often times I feel my limiter on the bike is my lungs not my legs. I’ve found this gets better as the season goes on and I get more outside rides in. In my case, it happens more on outside rides than inside.

I explained this to my doctor and she advised I use an inhaler before exercise and had me go for some pulmonary testing. Everything came back as normal and the inhaler still helps 3-5% per the test. I’m still trying to get to the bottom of this so I wish there was more I could share.

Have you brought this up with your doctor yet?

I know the feeling and you just reminded me of something I read before. This is a quote from “Beyond Training by Ben Greenfield”
“ “Another interesting adaptation that takes place in your blood during recovery is an increase in eosinophils (white blood cell components that can detox inflammation-inducing substances and destroy allergen-antibody complexes) and lymphocytes (white blood cells that fight infection)(8). This is one reason people who are underrecovered not only get sick more, but also tend to be more susceptible to food allergies and food intolerances.
So if you’re sick a lot or short of breath often, your blood is probably underrecovered.”

Excerpt From
Beyond Training
Ben Greenfield
https://books.apple.com/us/book/beyond-training/id850443941
This material may be protected by copyright.”

Great read for anyone on this forum, IMO.

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If you are worried about your breathing you should speak to your doctor.

I had a feeling like this after long or intense rides, although it felt more like I couldn’t exhale fully without wheezing or coughing which limited me to shallow breaths. Eventually I went to the doctor. After a few months of monitoring my breathing through daily peak flow tests I was diagnosed with asthma. I am now on a daily steroid inhaler which almost completely removes those symptoms.

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Thanks everyone. Today, two days after the hard workout it is gone. Maybe I should contact my doctor to check if it is asthma.

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The other possibility is diaphragm fatigue. It’s a muscle like any other and has to contract/relax with each full breath. There is ways to strengthen it on my plans to try after the summer is over. I already do some breathing practice within my yoga and meditation practice.

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I had this sensation for years, I thought it was normal. My wife (gf at the time) recommended I talk to my Dr. Turns out I have exercise induced asthma. Albuterol seems to help alleviate the symptoms the best for me. Best of luck!

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First race this year, I went on an attack (+ bad air quality due to western US wildfires) and promptly blew up, coughing, and had to pull off because I felt like I was drowning in mucus. Luckily I still had my inhaler from when I had bronchitis a few years ago and that helped, but I was hacking my lungs out for two days after

Talked to my doctor and he said it was exercised induced asthma, gave me a new Albuterol script, and to take a puff or two 20 minutes before a hard workout. Haven’t had a problem since. I carry it on me now just in case I do have an attack while riding.

*note: I would also get coughing fits in cold weather. Hoping this alleviates that.

Also, I do a lot of diaphragm work / expanding the rib cage / breathing, etc. and that has helped alleviate any muscle spams from hard breathing.