Shortness Of Breath Causes Mayo Clinic But if you experience extreme shortness of breath or have to stop, it's a sign your lungs are suffering at least some distress, even if it's the heart's fault. i recommend that you do this test every month, as a way of periodically checking your lung function and gaining insights of your overall fitness level. Pulmonary function tests (pfts) are lung tests. they show how well your lungs work. they’re noninvasive, which means that the doctor doesn’t cut you or put any tools inside your body. integrated breathe easy shirebrook swansea bay tameside & glossop breathing and lung function tests overview getting ready for your test measuring breathing British Lung Foundation The Uks Lung Charity For this reason, a breathing test, called spirometry, is often done to further evaluate the health of the lungs. spirometry can tell you how much air is going into the lungs and how rapidly air is inhaled and exhaled in the lungs (airflow). ...