If someone is sighing often, what does that mean?

Boredom, probably.

Sometimes it’s a passive aggressive way to get someones attention.

Need more information. Describe the situation(s): age of sigher; time of day; general life situation.

Frustration/exasperation, often. Exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which releases tension. So a deep, protracted exhalation is a way of self-calming.

Unrequited love.

It could be a lack of oxygen.

Anything from plagued by frustrating memories to having trouble breathing.

I sigh when I’m tired. It only means I’m tired.

@marinelife is onto something. “Lack of oxygen”. I knew a fellow in his 60’s who would sigh and yawn especially toward the end of a day of sitting. His doctors told him it was due to heart valve leakage that made his heart a bit less efficient than it would otherwise be. But that was his main symptom and they did not recommend any remedy and it was not an indicator against exercise or activity.

Most likely a sign of incipient depression, what they use to call “melancholia.”

It’s a sign of depression.

that they like breathing….?

I do it all the time and its not because of depression, its more or less just a habit. If there aren’t any other signs of depression, just ignore it.

Could be many reasons as have been mentioned, and yeah, the passive aggressive thing, ” Oooh, I am SO overburdened and misunderstood, please NOTICE me and acknowledge my suffering..” Gah!

What @thorninmud said, “Frustration/exasperation, often. Exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which releases tension. So a deep, protracted exhalation is a way of self-calming.”

It’s saying good riddance to stress as in “sigh-onara”. < sigh > Or a natural reaction to a bad joke? < sigh >

Could be many reasons, but I think the most likely is to get attention. I don’t think it is necessarioy passive aggressive as @Judi suggested, but can be. And, not necessarily get attention because they are overly needy, maybe the other peron in the room is withdrawn, and the sigher feels lonely with the other person right there 5 feet away.

Boredom, tiredness, frustration or anger. Usually…

The 2011 Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology was awarded to Karl Teigen for his work on why we sigh. He discovered that, ‘we sigh when we’re ready to give up…’

@rpm_pseud0name GA.

It could be a sign of depression.

Could someone do it often because they are overweight (out of shape).

This question is not about me.

Or, low iron?

Low iron can cause fatigue, lethargy, and exhaustian. But, I don’t associate it with sighing. Possibly feeling out of breath or unable to get enough oxygen, but that is different than sighing. Is the person low in iron, or just hypothesizing?

It is not sighing (I thought that it was). They feel as though they have to take deep breaths. They are a bit overweight and just started taking pills for low iron.

@Jude So taking deep breaths because she feels like she does not have enough air? That can be many things, but low iron can contribute to it. She also may have a slow thyroid, low heart rate (which can come from a slow thyroid, or other things) or a pulmonary problem. Being overweight could cause her to feel sluggish or be putting pressure on her lungs. Does she feel like she can fully take a deep breath into her lungs, just not getting the oxygen she would expect from the deep breath? If so I definitely think her iron could be contributing to her condition, but she should have her thyroid checked in my opinion, especially if her heart rate tends to be slow, or if her blood pressure is high.