If you or your child have ever gone to the doctor with a cough, you may have been asked if you have noticed anywheezing. Wheezing is a shrill whistle or course grumble that occurs when there is swelling in the airways, making it more difficult to breathe.
Wheezing is a sign that someone is not breathing as well as they should. It could mean the person is not getting as much oxygen as they need. This article discusses different types of wheezing, including wheezing coughs, conditions that can cause wheezing, and when you should seek medical attention for wheezing.
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What Wheezing Sounds Like
Wheezing is simply a whistling or grumbling sound made when breathing. It is typically heard when a person exhales (breathes out) and sounds like a high-pitched whistle. It can also occur on the inhale, which is especially common with a wheezing cough.
Conditions where wheezing often occurs include:
What to Do
Treatment depends on the severity of the illness and how much difficulty she is having with her breathing.
If you feel that you are wheezing, contact your healthcare provider or seek medical attention. If you have a history of wheezing, then you should have a treatment plan in place and know what to do. If you follow your plan and it does not help, seek medical attention right away.
If you do not have any medications available to treat wheezing, sitting in a bathroom with the shower turned on as hot as it will get may help.Make sure you close the door and don’t sit in the water, just sit in the bathroom and breathe in the steamy air.
If you have signs of a severeallergic reactionthat occurs with the wheezing, such as tongue or lip swelling, vomiting, dizziness, rash or feeling like the throat is closing, call 911 or seek emergency medical attention right immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wheezing while laying down commonly occurs with asthma, allergies, anxiety, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or sleep apnea.
If you experience wheezing when lying down and are not diagnosed with any of the above, see your healthcare provider to determine the cause.
It can. COVID can present in many different ways depending on the person and the variant or strain of coronavirus. In some people, COVID causes lung problems that can present as a wheezing cough.If you experience a wheezing cough, talk to your healthcare provider.
It can. COVID can present in many different ways depending on the person and the variant or strain of coronavirus. In some people, COVID causes lung problems that can present as a wheezing cough.
If you experience a wheezing cough, talk to your healthcare provider.
If you or your child experience wheezing, call your healthcare provider for guidance. Seek immediate medical attention for wheezing if it:
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Al-shamrani A, Bagais K, Alenazi A, Alqwaiee M, Al-harbi AS.Wheezing in children: Approaches to diagnosis and management.Int J Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2019;6(2):68-73. doi:10.1016/j.ijpam.2019.02.003U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Wheezing.Mayo Clinic.Wheezing.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Additional ReadingMedical Encyclopedia. MedlinePlus. US National Library of Medicine. US Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health.Wheezing.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Al-shamrani A, Bagais K, Alenazi A, Alqwaiee M, Al-harbi AS.Wheezing in children: Approaches to diagnosis and management.Int J Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2019;6(2):68-73. doi:10.1016/j.ijpam.2019.02.003U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Wheezing.Mayo Clinic.Wheezing.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Additional ReadingMedical Encyclopedia. MedlinePlus. US National Library of Medicine. US Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health.Wheezing.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Al-shamrani A, Bagais K, Alenazi A, Alqwaiee M, Al-harbi AS.Wheezing in children: Approaches to diagnosis and management.Int J Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2019;6(2):68-73. doi:10.1016/j.ijpam.2019.02.003U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Wheezing.Mayo Clinic.Wheezing.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.
Al-shamrani A, Bagais K, Alenazi A, Alqwaiee M, Al-harbi AS.Wheezing in children: Approaches to diagnosis and management.Int J Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2019;6(2):68-73. doi:10.1016/j.ijpam.2019.02.003
U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Wheezing.
Mayo Clinic.Wheezing.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.
Medical Encyclopedia. MedlinePlus. US National Library of Medicine. US Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health.Wheezing.
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