Everything from smoking, obesity, and respiratory conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to heart disease or even anxiety could be causing you to feel like you can’t breathe during sex. Despite the fact that you and your partner are stationed in one space during physical intimacy, sex involves physical exertion and works your muscles, lungs, and heart. So any underlying health condition that may have the symptom of breathlessness with physical exertion could be the culprit too.
In the case of an asthma flare-up, you might experience a tightness in your chest, trouble breathing, coughing, or wheezing, shared co-director of Asthma and Allergy Associates in Chester, Pennsylvania, Sandra Gawchik (via Everyday Health).
Another possible reason could be long COVID. Being short of breath and tired during sexual intercourse or any other physical activity is one of the symptoms of COVID that last months after you’ve had COVID, per the experts. Now that you know about the surprising things that can happen to your body during sex, how do you navigate feeling like you can’t breathe when you’re supposed to be having a good time?