“This Is What Asthma Feels Like” 7 Responses from the Asthma Community

“It feels like fire and cotton in my lungs.” Kerri MacKay enlisted the help of the asthma community to describe the condition using physical descriptors. These seven responses tell us what asthma actually feels like.

Many people have metaphors, similes, or other comparisons to describe what asthma feels like to them. I'm not sure how to express how my asthma feels, though.

My asthma flares happen slowly rather than a rapid "attack" of chest tightness. In my case, exercise causes these rapid-onset attacks to occur more often. During an asthma flare, I'll have increased shortness of breath, coughing, and somewhat of a tight chest. My symptoms generally get worse over the next few days. 

Everyone with asthma experiences symptoms differently. To help those who don't have it understand what asthma feels like, I asked some of my friends to think of creative ways to describe the symptoms. 

Here's a selection of those responses, focusing on physical descriptors that someone who doesn't have asthma can imagine.

What does asthma feel like? Answers from the community

I only expected a few friends to respond when I posted this question on Facebook. But I received so many responses — my friends have far more creative minds than I do! 

The first response from my friend Russ here in Winnipeg was short and straightforward:

"Asthma feels like a 500-pound gorilla is sitting on my chest… Sometimes I wake up in the morning and have such a hard time breathing that it's a chore to get out of bed." 

Slightly more succinctly, Shayn from Pennsylvania said

“It's like fire and cotton in my lungs." 

Amy, who lives in Northern Manitoba, said:

"My upper back becomes itchy between my shoulder blades as my coughing becomes more frequent and tighter… this has been an asthma sign for me since the age of three!" 

Rob from Kitchener, Ontario, described asthma this way:

"It starts by feeling like I'm in a really stuffy room with lots of dust bits in the air. Every time I breathe in, the bad stuff feels like it's travelling deeper into the lungs, and coughing it out doesn't work.

“You need to keep breathing, of course, because you need oxygen, but those breaths do not go in as deeply as you know is possible. It's like being unable to find a source of fresh air until the rescue medication relaxes the muscles to let the air get in deeper."

Jewls from Melbourne, Australia, says:

"Asthma feels like someone [has placed] a brace or corset filled with heavy rocks around my chest and is slowly tightening it."

Kortney used this classic example:

"When I was a kid, I would tell my friends it was like trying to [breathe] through a straw."

Lastly, Sara from Massachusetts — who was experiencing an asthma symptom flare as she wrote to me — broke her asthma flare symptoms into two categories.

"There are those that come on quickly, and I likely know the source of the trigger. Many of those are quickly dealt with using my fast-acting inhaler."

She notes that using maintenance medications has cut down these flares for her, which are sudden feelings of being unable to breathe. 

"Those generally feel like someone has wrapped a huge rubber band around my chest. … Even my reaction to cold air has moved from a trigger to a long flare, to just my lungs yelling at me most of the time."

But, according to Sara, the bad days with asthma involve drawn-out, long-term flares, "usually started by a cold or allergy issue." This is the type of flare Sara was experiencing when she wrote to me:

"A long-term flare feels like something is sitting on my chest. I can't get a decent breath in. Every few minutes is punctuated by a cough that rattles my bones.

“Some coughing spasms are short, but there are some that feel like they will never end."

Finding my own creative descriptor

I want to say that asthma feels like having just run a race, minus the running part. However, This description doesn't work because my breathing becomes shallower, too. 

While people who don't have asthma may feel breathless, they may not experience the same sensation of tightness. Many people with asthma also feel temporarily unable to breathe fast or deep enough (dyspnoea) due to exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.

In these types of flare situations, I often get tightness in my upper back muscles, too. It's like double the post-exercise components with none of the exercise benefits. 

It’s of course possible to run a race with asthma. Please see your doctor and ensure your asthma is well-controlled before starting a new exercise regime.

The best description came from my friend Stephen Gaudet on the symptom of "air trapping." 

To see what it feels like, inhale and then only exhale half of what's in your lungs. And repeat.

It's like the air gets stuck in your lungs, and often, it involves "waiting it out." Even though my doctor has prescribed treatment that helps relieve this, it can sometimes go on for days.

Describing asthma this way only sometimes works, but it fits many situations where I'm short of breath for hours or days. It's a miserable waiting game until the flare finally breaks, like feeling cool, crisp air after days of sluggish humidity.

It's bad enough when you're sitting still, but even worse when you have to move around and do something. Moving on from asthma attacks like these take resilience, patience, and self-kindness.

The takeaway

Describing asthma in ways that are easier for people without it to understand can help break the stigma and increase awareness of what we experience daily. One day, I'll figure out how to describe my asthma symptoms like my friends have. For now, it's still a mystery — even to me.

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The individual(s) who have written and created the content in and whose images appear in this article have been paid by Teva Pharmaceuticals for their contributions. This content represents the opinions of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect those of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Teva Pharmaceuticals does not review, control, influence or endorse any content related to the contributor's websites or social media networks. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice or recommendations. Consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and before beginning or changing any treatment regimen. 

Date of preparation: August 2023
D: COB-GB-NP-00141 (V1.0) / T: COB-GB-NP-00168 (V1.0) / M: COB-GB-NP-00167 (V1.0)