I have this. I'm 38, RN, and have had this happening for years on and off. For me, it's a psychological breathing disorder. I too would feel this uncomfortable sensation in my chest that begs for a deep, satisfying breath. But giving into that need only causes too much oxygen to enter the blood and in response: an increase of CO2 output. Low CO2 levels in the blood cause this to become a vicious cycle- we need this in the proper amounts. And the more deep breaths I allow myself to take, the faster the whole cycle can begin again, even after feeling normal for a time. More deep breaths cause more air hunger because your body knows exactly how it needs to breathe and you must let it autonomically do this or the blood gasses destabilize. Blood chemistries aren't alarming, but I wonder what your blood gasses would look like when you're really having a hard time. When I feel that need to take a deep breath, I do, but then I wait a few seconds before inhaling again to allow the CO2 levels to go back up. Then I tell myself, I'm not doing this, and distract myself so that my body can resume its natural breathing. And it leaves me alone for the most part. But it's there, sometimes flaring up yet I have control of it now that I understand it.

I'm really glad to see I'm not alone, thank you so much for your post! Let me know how you're doing and I hope this helps some.