Tachypnea

Tachypnea is rapid, shallow breathing that occurs when your body takes in too many breaths per minute. While it can be normal during exercise, it can also signal serious health problems when it happens at rest, affecting everyone from newborns to adults.

Table of contents

• What is Tachypnea?
• Signs and Symptoms
• Causes of Tachypnea
• Tachypnea in Newborns
• How Tachypnea is Recognized
• Treatment Options
• When to Seek Emergency Help

What is Tachypnea?

Tachypnea is the medical term for rapid, shallow breathing. It describes a breathing rate that is higher than normal for your age.^[1] When you have tachypnea, you feel like you cannot get enough air, even though you are breathing quickly.^[2]

The normal breathing rate for adults at rest is 12 to 20 breaths per minute. If you take more than 20 breaths per minute while resting, you may be experiencing tachypnea.^[1] For children and newborns, the normal breathing rate is naturally higher because their bodies need more oxygen and must remove more carbon dioxide (a waste gas your body produces) due to their smaller size.^[1]

Tachypnea is sometimes confused with tachycardia, which means a fast heart rate. However, these are different conditions. Heart rate relates to how your heart pumps blood, while breathing rate relates to how your lungs take in air.^[1]

Tachypnea is not a disease itself but rather a symptom. It can happen as a normal response to physical activity like exercise, or it can be a sign of an underlying health problem.^[3] If your breathing is fast but then returns to normal, this is called transient tachypnea.^[2]

Signs and Symptoms

Tachypnea involves rapid and shallow breathing. Adults normally take 12 to 20 breaths per minute, but with tachypnea, this rate increases to more than 20 breaths per minute.^[3] In newborns, doctors define tachypnea as more than 60 breaths per minute.^[3]

When you have tachypnea, you may notice several symptoms beyond just breathing faster. You might feel like you cannot get enough air, even though you are taking many breaths. This sensation can make you uncomfortable and anxious.^[2]

Your skin, nails, or lips may take on a blue or gray color. This happens because your blood is not carrying enough oxygen to your body’s tissues.^[2] You may also experience chest pain or tightness, making it feel harder to breathe deeply.^[4]

Other common symptoms include feeling dizzy or lightheaded. This occurs because your brain is not getting enough oxygen to work properly.^[4] You may feel tired or weak because your body is working harder to get the oxygen it needs. Breathing fast takes energy, and over time, this can leave you feeling exhausted.^[4]

In newborns with tachypnea, you may notice the head bobbing with each breath, flared nostrils, chest retraction (when the chest pulls in with breathing), or grunting sounds. The area around the baby’s mouth may also turn blue.^[3]

Causes of Tachypnea

Tachypnea can result from many different causes. Understanding what triggers rapid breathing helps determine whether it is a normal response or a sign of a health problem.

Normal Causes

Not all tachypnea indicates illness. Your body naturally breathes faster during physical activities like exercise or strenuous activities such as running. This happens because your body needs more oxygen and must remove more carbon dioxide during increased activity.^[2] This type of rapid breathing is normal and expected, and it goes away once you rest.

Anxiety or panic attacks can also cause rapid breathing. When you feel anxious or panicked, your body enters a “fight or flight” response, which can make your breathing faster even though there is no physical need for extra oxygen.^[2]

Medical Conditions

Several medical conditions can cause tachypnea as a symptom. Lung-related problems are common causes. These include asthma (a condition that narrows the airways), pneumonia (a lung infection), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD (a group of lung diseases that block airflow).^[2][3]

Other respiratory conditions that can cause rapid breathing include a pneumothorax (collapsed lung), pulmonary embolism (a blood clot blocking an artery in the lung), and lung cancer.^[3]

Heart problems can also lead to tachypnea. When the heart does not pump blood effectively, the body tries to compensate by breathing faster.^[4]

Serious infections throughout the body, such as sepsis (a life-threatening response to infection), can trigger rapid breathing.^[2] Diabetic ketoacidosis (a severe complication of diabetes) and other conditions that cause acid buildup in the body can also result in rapid breathing.^[2]

Other causes include allergic reactions, carbon monoxide poisoning, blood clots, pleural effusion (fluid buildup around the lungs), and choking.^[2][5]

Tachypnea in Newborns

Tachypnea is particularly common in newborn babies, especially those born prematurely. About 1 in 100 preterm infants and up to 6 in 1,000 infants overall experience tachypnea.^[7]

Before birth, a baby’s lungs are filled with fluid. During labor, hormones cause the baby’s air sacs in the lungs to absorb this fluid. Most of this fluid is released from the baby’s lungs during vaginal delivery.^[2]

In some newborns, the body does not fully absorb the fluid quickly enough. When excess fluid remains in the baby’s lungs, it causes tachypnea. The baby increases their breathing rate to compensate for reduced oxygen absorption.^[2]

Transient tachypnea in newborns is more common in babies born at 33 to 36 weeks of pregnancy. About 10% of babies born at 33 to 34 weeks and 5% born at 35 to 36 weeks are affected. It occurs in less than 1% of newborns born after 36 weeks.^[3]

In most cases, symptoms in newborns resolve without treatment within 24 to 72 hours. Infants usually recover from transient tachypnea within two to three days.^[2][3] However, some cases may require treatment depending on the baby’s overall health and the severity of symptoms.

How Tachypnea is Recognized

You can check your breathing rate at home by counting how many breaths you take per minute. Simply count each time your chest rises during one full minute. The normal breathing rate for an infant is between 40 to 60 breaths per minute. Adults have a normal breathing rate of 12 to 25 breaths per minute at rest.^[2]

Tachypnea in a newborn occurs if the baby has a breathing rate of more than 60 breaths per minute. In adults, you could experience tachypnea if you take more than 25 breaths per minute at rest.^[2]

Healthcare providers can sometimes observe tachypnea without measuring the rate. They may notice if you are using accessory muscles (extra muscles in your neck and chest) to help you breathe.^[1]

When tachypnea is measured as part of a medical evaluation, the value is called your respiratory rate.^[1] Doctors consider whether you have pre-existing health conditions and the context in which the rapid breathing occurs to understand if it is a normal response or indicates a problem.

Treatment Options

Treatment for tachypnea depends on what is causing it. In many cases, treating the underlying cause resolves the rapid breathing and prevents it from coming back.^[2]

For younger children and infants, a healthcare provider may give oxygen through a mask or a tube placed in the nostrils. This treatment helps ensure the body gets enough oxygen.^[2]

For older children and adults, treatment often involves taking slow, deep breaths to stop hyperventilation (breathing too quickly and deeply). You can breathe using your diaphragm (the main breathing muscle below your lungs) by slowly breathing in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth or nose. This breathing technique helps your lungs fill completely with air and can help you relax.^[2]

If tachypnea causes severe breathing problems, emergency medical treatment may be needed. This might include pressurized oxygen delivered through a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, or air from a ventilator (a machine that moves air in and out of your lungs).^[2]

Depending on the underlying cause, specific treatments may include taking medicines such as antibiotics for infections, anticoagulants (blood thinners) for blood clots, or antihistamines for allergic reactions. You may need to use an inhaler with bronchodilators (medicines that open the airways) for conditions like asthma. For tachypnea caused by anxiety, participating in cognitive behavioral therapy may help.^[2]

After treatment for the cause of tachypnea, older children and adults usually recover quickly. However, tachypnea can come back if the underlying cause is not properly treated.^[2]

When to Seek Emergency Help

Tachypnea can be a sign of a medical emergency. If you or your baby has trouble breathing, call emergency services immediately or visit the emergency room.^[2]

You should seek emergency help if rapid breathing occurs along with any of these warning signs: a bluish or grayish color to the skin, nails, gums, lips, or the area around the eyes; severe chest pain or pressure; high fever; labored or difficult breathing; confusion or changes in mental state; or symptoms that are getting worse.^[13]

Not all causes of tachypnea can be prevented. However, understanding your breathing patterns and recognizing when they change can help you seek medical help promptly when needed.^[2]