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Breathing and ventilation

Air hunger

The particular feeling of not getting enough air, which is a sensation rather than something a breathing test measures.

What it means

A sensation rather than a measurement, and it does not always match what tests show. Two people with similar test results can feel very differently, and the same person can feel it change through a day.

Why you might hear it

Palliative care teams use the phrase when asking what symptoms are troubling you.
Clinic letters may write the broader word, dyspnoea.

What it is not

Not the same as breathlessness after effort, and not the same as a low oxygen reading. It is a description of how breathing feels.

People who may help

Where Compass goes into this

About this explanation

These are plain explanations of words you may come across, not advice about your own situation. Where a word matters to a decision, the question pages go into it properly, and your own team is the place to take it.