Breathless pace

Breathlessness can be caused by exercise, but can be symptomatic of a heart attack.

Breathlessness is common — at the gym, sprinting for a bus, lugging heavy shopping bags.

When you’re under strain, like during exercise, oxygen is pumped around the body, and carbon dioxide removed more quickly, and our lungs and hearts work harder. The fitter the person, the more efficient the process. Stress and anxiety can also cause breathlessness. Knowing what’s normal is not easy.