Having tight chest muscles can definitely disrupt your life. Aside from keeping you from doing some everyday physical activities, it’s also something that can make it seem as though you are not able to breathe properly.

Take note that feeling like you cannot breathe properly because your chest feels tight should be taken seriously. It’s a good idea for you to report the problem to your doctor right away to make sure that it’s not something that can put your life in danger. Don’t risk it — pay your doctor a visit ASAP!

You can heave a sigh of relief if you’re told by your doctor that it’s not caused by your heart or lungs, or any other medical condition that needs monitoring and treatment.

Oh, wait — you can’t heave a sigh of relief because your chest feels tight!

Since you have just been given a clean bill of health, then there is really no need to panic. It may feel as though as you are not able to breathe properly, but you actually are breathing properly — it’s those tight chest muscles that are giving the impression that you do not have the ability to fill your lungs to their full capacity.

You can easily tell that your lungs are actually working properly simply by looking at your fingernails or lips. If they’re not bluish, then it means that you are getting all the oxygen you need.

Now here are some of the things that you may do to attain relief from tight chest muscles:

Reduce Physical Activities

If your chest muscles are tight, it usually means that they are overworked. It’s exactly for this reason why you should give your chest muscles some much-needed rest. If you are into sports or fitness, consider giving your body a break.

Besides, having tight chest muscles can keep you from giving your all.

Consume Anti-Inflammatory Foods

There are certain foods that can help make chest muscle tightness go away much faster, and they’re anti-inflammatory ones — they help reduce inflammation taking place inside you.

Some of the most effective anti-inflammatory foods are oily fish, courtesy of the loads of omega-3 fatty acids they pack. You can obtain good amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from various nuts and seeds, too. There are also plenty of herbs and spices with anti-inflammatory properties, such as ginger, turmeric and cinnamon.

Lower Stress Levels

We all know that chronic stress can cause all sorts of complications, and one of those is tight muscles. It’s exactly for this reason why you may end up with tight chest muscles if you are leading a very stressful life every single day.

Avoid as many stressors as you can — write down the things that tend to leave you stressed and see which of them you can dodge. Also, consider engaging in various stress-relieving activities. There are so many of them, ranging from attending yoga classes, listening to music, getting a massage to reading a nice novel.

Calm Down Your Body and Mind

Do you have anxiety? Then it’s very much likely for you to experience chest tightness on a regular basis.

Just like stress, anxiety is something that can cause the muscles of your body to tense up, including those that are in your chest. This is the reason why you should look for ways to deal with your anxiety. Make sure that you pay a therapist or psychiatrist a visit if your anxiety is keeping you from having a normal life.

Use Warm or Cold Compress

Can you point exactly where it feels tight the most? Then you may consider applying warm or cold compress on it. A lot of people prefer to go for alternating warm and cold compresses for immediate relief from chest tightness.