I've been having trouble breathing recently and I don't know what might be causing it. It's been happening in situations where I feel relaxed, like when I'm just lounging around and reading or watching television, then suddenly I start to feel a discomfort in my chest and my heart feels like its tensing up, sort of as if its being squeezed. I have a hard time taking deep breaths when it happens and I end up gasping for air. I also start to feel lightheaded, weak, and sometimes dizzy, and my arms and legs start to feel numb. It makes my mind have a "fuzzy" feeling, I guess that's the best way I can describe it, and I feel like I'm kind of fading out. My heart rate speeds up and sometimes when it happens I can feel my temperature increasing too. I've tried to calm myself down when it happens and stretch to get back some composure, but it doesn't help. I end up just waiting for it to pass.
My mom said that they may be panic attacks, but I'm not sure. I looked up my symptoms online, and a lot of websites said the causes behind difficulty breathing can be minor and non-threatening, but their could also be something major causing it in some cases. I think going to ask a doctor about it would be comforting so I can know what the reason for it is and what I should do about it, because its starting to freak me out. I haven't been to the doctor for a check-up in years anyway.