Three in 10 Brits left gasping for air after walking up a flight of stairs, study finds

A third of all Brits admit to being left gasping for air - after walking up a flight of stairs, a study has found.

Researchers revealed the average adult will be left feeling breathless six times a week, often as a result of 'light-to-moderate' exercise.

Four in 10 have had to take a breather after running for a bus while one quarter get out of breath during sex.

Another 16 per cent admit playing with a child is enough to leave them puffed out and nearly one in 10 struggle to pick something up off the floor without needing to catch their breath afterwards.

More than a fifth of employees have even felt light-headed during the course of a workday, when the pressure and stress became too much.

Mike McKevitt, Director of Patient Services for the British Lung Foundation, said: “It’s worrying that so many people found themselves out of breath performing simple actions.

"Breathlessness doing everyday tasks could be a symptom of lung disease and is something that shouldn’t be ignored.

“There are many people in the UK who may have a lung disease but do not have a diagnosis - who feel breathless daily - but have not been to the doctors.

“Even though more than four in 10 people think they’re fit and healthy, you can see from the results this may not be the case.

"If you’re breathless doing every day tasks that’s not right. Lung health is so important to our overall wellbeing.”

Breath test

The British Lung Foundation wants to encourage people to take their simple online breath test to see if they might need to see a GP.

The study, of 2,000 adults, found more than 25 per cent exercise less than once a week, with just one quarter saying they’d be comfortable to play a game of football or netball at their current level of fitness.

Worryingly, a third of the population say they wouldn’t be able to run a mile ‘if their life depended on it.’

One in four Brits has even had a friend or colleague comment on them being completely out of breath after a moderate amount of exertion.