Struggling to catch your breath always wanting to gasp for air can be caused by the lungs, the heart, or a mental illness such as anxiety. Lung causes include asthma, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Asthma usually comes on acutely after exposure to allergens and can be relieved by inhaled hormones; dyspnea caused by pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease needs to be treated for the primary cause. Cardiac causes may be diseases such as myocardial ischemia and heart failure. Myocardial ischemia is usually caused by coronary atherosclerosis; heart failure can be caused by high blood pressure or heart valve diseases such as mitral regurgitation and aortic stenosis. Dyspnea caused by any of the above diseases needs to be treated for the primary cause. Psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, may cause hyperventilation. Acute episodes are usually characterized by agitation, labored breathing, fear, and numbness of the limbs, while chronic episodes include deep and frequent sighing, and are treated with cognitive therapy and anxiolytic medication. If there is always a gasping effort always want to gasp performance, it is recommended to go to the hospital in a timely manner, clear cause, timely standardized treatment.