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stop breathing while awake

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Q: I stop breathing while awake, what can I do?
I find that I often stop breathing while I’m awake… and I suppose at times when I’m asleep since I sometimes wake up feeling really awful. My doctor says I have generalized anxiety disorder and that these are panic attacks and she prescribed me an SSRI… however the medication made me an absolute zombie and the side affects were terrifying. I’d also just rather not be on this sort of medication if I can help it – does anyone know fo anything else I can do to treat this?
Thanks, I do find that I’m probably not sleeping enough – my own fault and usually involved TV or the net. This might be part of it then – there aren’t any decent yoga classes where I live, but I have a DVD… I’ll try using that regularly too. If that doesn’t work I suppose a second consultation with my GP.

A: Try taking a class in hatha (breath) yoga. It should not only help with the anxiety disorder, it should also help your breathing as that is what hatha yoga is all about.

Q: What happens if you stop breathing while your asleep?
if you stop breathing long enough while your awake you’ll pass out of course. but what if you stop breathing while your asleep? you cant really pass out from already sleeping….

i had a dream once where someone was drowning me. because i thought i was surrounded in water i didnt breathe. then my alarm clock went off and i woke up gasping for breath. what if my alarm clock didnt go off? what would have happened?

A: This is basically what happens in sleep apnea. You stop breathing. If your body is in good working order, you’ll wake up and start breathing again. If not, you’ll die.

Q: I sometimes have trouble breathing while asleep and while awake, can anyone help me?
When I am sleeping, I ocassional(less than once a month) Will stop bbreathing while asleep, and will wake up coughing and gasping for air before my breathing returns to normal. Also when I am awake normally when I am doing alot of physical activity, my breathing becomes very shallow and I struggle to get enough air into my lungs(normally lasting a minute or 2). I was tested for asthma when I was younger but I was told I was fine. Ive also looked into sleep apnea but it really doesnt sound like what Im experiencing at all. I am thinking of going to a doctor soon because my boyfriend is worried about me….But I was wondering if anyone had any ideas what this could be?
P.S. I am otherwise a very healthy physically fit woman(age 21)

A: Sleep apnea is a common disorder, and it can be quite frightening to witness a person who is suffering from it. A person with sleep apnea takes pauses in his breathing while asleep. It often seems as if the person stops breathing–then, moments later, he inhales what seems like his last breath of life. Many people who have this condition aren’t even aware of it. Sleep apnea is generally a chronic disorder, but it is treatable.

You say “less than once a month”, that would be that you are aware of. This is likely happinging a lot more than you think. I have sleep apnea and I have a co-worker who had symptoms axactly as you describe and he was diagnosed with sleep apnea after a sleep study. He thought he stopped breathing maybe 4 or 5 times a year and even though he never was aware of it, his wife complained of his snoring. During his test, he had 1 central and over 200 obstructive apneas/hyponeas. Your doctor would be the right resource, talk to her/him and let them do what they do best.

Q: I stop breathing while sleeping…?
Okay i remember when i was 8yrs old i stopped breathing for like a couple seconds…then when i was 13 or 14 it started to get worse to the point i was sleeping w/my eyes open and half awake paralyze couldn’t move or even blink or even talk…for a min…it was painful i thought i was going to die…my sister and my friends and mom…would witness this also…until i thought i was going to die i would try to kick…and they will see me kicking finally when my brain finally got the message,and wake me up…what is this? i got it threw out my yrs until it stopped around age 16…now I’m 19 and i experience it for the first time again except,it felt longer that i was to the point i started to see darkness…i thought i wasent breathing for 20 min witch i know it wasn’t that long but that’s how i felt…my body was so heavy like weights were on it and this time i could move,the only thing moving was my head until i open my mouth to get air…and i couldn’t sleep cause i was scared my cats were looking at me like i’m crazy…

A: This is a disorder that is actually very common. You need to see a doctor about it because it can actually make your heart stop for a few seconds and that is never a good thing. The doctor will most likely give you a oxygen mask to wear at night time.

Q: I stop breathing the moment I fall asleep, but I don’t think it’s apnea?
For the past month or two, I’ve had this really bizarre sleeping problem. The very moment when I crossover from being awake to falling asleep, I completely stop breathing and violently wake up gasping for air. It feels like that “falling feeling” you get in bad dreams, only much more intense. This usually happens about 5-10 times each night before I finally fall asleep successfully. Once I’m asleep, I’m just fine. I wake up plenty rested and don’t have any other breathing problems throughout the night. Hence why I don’t think it’s apnea. During these episodes, I have to monitor my breathing while I fall asleep, which is very annoying.

I’ve found a few other people online having the same problem, but nobody seems to have an answer other than “go see your doctor.” That’s the obvious answer and that’s not what I’m looking for. What I’m looking for is if someone has any more info about this. A name for it? Something? I dont have insurance so a doctor isn’t possible right now.

A: I am a sleep lab technician and your condition does sound like apnea. I think one of two things could be happening. You may either have apneic episodes only with sleep onset (beginning of sleep) or you only notice them with sleep onset and sleep through the rest of them. I see it all the time. I have patients who wake up choking the first few minutes they are asleep then they usually sleep the rest of the night (most with continued apnea, some without).

Since going to the doctor is out of the question right now, the only thing I can suggest is purchasing a pulse oximeter and having someone watch it while you are asleep. They are kind of pricey, yet still cheaper than going to a sleep lab. The pulse oximeter is a probe that sits on your finger or ear and monitors your oxygen saturation levels. If you have sleep apnea, your oxygen levels should rise and fall repeatedly throughout the night. Although, this will be a good indicator, the only way to truly know if you have it (or what type you have) is to have a sleep study done.

Hope this helps.

Q: Sometimes i stop breathing in my sleep?
Sometimes while im asleep i just stop breathing.. It freaks me out and usually wakes me up and my eyes are wide awake and im panic and tell myself to breathe. Im not over- weight in anyway im a collegiate soccer player. Its been happening all my life but it stopped for a few years and just recently came back up. Ive heard of sleep apnea but i thought that was more for people over-weight. What might be the problem?

A: Although sleep apnea is more common in over 40 y/o overweight men, it can occur in anyone at any age, and there are several different forms. The hallmark symptoms are cessation of breathing, caused by a complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway, dozens of times throughout the night. Once breathing stops, carbon dioxide levels build up in your system, eventually alerting the brain that something is wrong, and it goes on “high alert”, waking you with a grunt or gasp to get your oxygen levels back up again. You need to go get a sleep study–talk to your doctor about this.

Much more about sleep apnea here:

http://thesleepapnearx.com

L. Earl, MD

Disclaimer:  None of the information presented on this site, in articles written by Dr. Earl, email communications or comments is meant to take the place of direct advice and consultation with your physician or medical provider.  All material is presented for informational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat any individuals’ particular condition, and in no way confers a physician-patient relationship.

Q: Could your baby die of SIDS while you are holding them, or?
Could your baby die of SIDS while you are holding them, or is it okay to let them sleep on their stomachs while on your chest (if you are awake)? I mean, you would notice the baby stop breathing, right? Sometimes while I’m relaxing with my baby he falls asleep on my chest, but I got myself all worried about it.

A: If you are awake, then it shouldn’t be a problem. I lost my son to SIDS a little less than a year ago. He was in his crib though. My grandma lost a baby to SIDS, or what they assumed was SIDS (the technology wasn’t as good back then) And she was holding the baby at the time. But yet again, it could have been anything as that was 50 years ago. I have been a big researcher of the subject, and haven’t found anything on SIDS when the parent is holding the baby and they are awake.

Q: Sometimes during sleep I stop breathing and am frozen?
This used to happen all the time when I was maybe 12, now I’m 22 and it happened again and scared me. I will be asleep when all of a sudden I’m completely awake because I noticed that I stopped breathing. My body is frozen, while my mind is screaming to wake up, but I can’t move. Usually I start by trying to move my feet but it takes about ten seconds, and inside I’m screaming for something to happen. Then the rest of my body follows and I move around frantically… what is happening?!?! I’m not overweight btw

Thanks

A: Although I’m not a doctor, I have had a similar experience twice so far (I’m 21).

The others answers have suggested sleep apnea, which is quite likely because it is characterized as having to wake up because of shortness of breath or pauses of breathing (“apnea”).
The very fact that you wake up because you notice you stopped breathing strongly indicates sleep apnea, but there may be other things going on since you mention body paralysis.
I will suggest some other reasons for your problem.

One is a night terror. Night terrors are when you experience severe discomfort during sleep much like a nightmare but you are unable to regain consciousness for a while. Upon waking, many people gasp, moan, and scream.
Since it seems that you actually awaken after your episodes, I doubt that a night terror is responsible. But it is still worth looking into.

The other probable cause is sleep paralysis. Which is similar to a night terror but much like you said, you are actually awake and cannot move your body for a while. This is what I think I had (twice so far). I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t move my body and I started freaking out when I saw a ghostly apparition right in front of my face. It looked like the thing from “The Ring” and I finally managed to close my eyes and wriggle myself free.
After talking to some of my friends, and also a psychology professor, they said that it was most likely an episode of sleep paralysis.
The defining characteristic of sleep paralysis is a sense of dread or seeing a monster/ghost in the corner of your eye, all the while being paralyzed. They say this is because your brain is awake but your body is yet to regain mobility since you just abrubtly awoke. The sight of the monster/ghost is your mind rationalizing your feeling of dread and fear of not being able to move all of a sudden.

Whatever you think you may have, I highly suggest that you go see your doctor about this. If it is frequent, you should seek treatment because good sleep is essential to a healthy life.
Most likely, you have some predisposition to these episodes, and they may be triggered by environmental or stressful incidents in your life.

Q: My breathing problems while I sleep are scaring me !?
well, this had happen to me so many times ,
when I sleep I stop breathing and I try to move or talk but I can’t even hear my own self, i tried to stand up and breath again and I get so desperate, because i feel that If i don’t try to get some air I’m gonna die I been having this problem for a long time now, and I thought it wasn’t that serious until
it happened more then once.
I do not have obesity I weight 120, and I’m almost 20
I don’t know what can this be?
one day when i was sleeping I tried to wake up but I stayed in bed
and went back to sleep again
until this happened again I was trying to scream but i couldn’t ‘ hear my self
or move at all , then my mom told me that she heard me but she thought I was playing.
I’m really concern and I’m not sure if is b/c when i was in 7th grade I had alot of breathing problems I breath really hard and sometimes is hard for me to have a normal breathing, so when I went to the doctor
he told me I had beginnings of asthma, and I used an inhaler and some tube to connect the inhaler with .
Then after a lil i stop my treatment and is been a while now.
my mom don’t take this serious,because she says that I might be dreaming lol but im pretty sure that im awake!

A: check yourself for sleep aptmia

Q: Why do I involuntarily stop breathing during my sleep?
I go to sleep without thinking about anything before I go to bed. Then, in the middle of the night, while I’m still asleep, I can’t breathe at all (usually the stopping of breathing coincides with a nightmare I’m having). I subconciously stop breathing all together like I’m holding my breathe underwater or something. Even as I am sleeping, I keep telling myself in my mind to breathe, but my body won’t listen to me. I try my hardest to open my eyes, or yell for help, but I can’t move my body at all as if my motor skills have been paralyzed or something. It’s as if my body is fully sleeping, but my mind is fully awake, as I clearly know for a fact at the moment it’s happening that if I don’t breathe, I’m going to die. I really fear that I will die in my sleep this way someday. What is wrong with me, and what can I do? I feel like I’m being smothered with a pillow, or drowning underwater. Please help me. 10 points for best, thorough answer! Thanks in advance.

A: To me this sounds like either sleep paralysis or sleep apnea. When I was a teen I experienced sleep paralysis and it was like you described but without the cessation of breathing. The second possibility is you are experiencing sleep apnea and your dreams about not breathing are triggered by you actually not breathing.
Sleep paralysis is not well understood but you could use a search engine to research. Sleep apnea on the other hand is well understood. In addition to reading up on it online I would make a bee line to my doctor to get a referal to a sleep center for a sleep study. They can advise you if you have apnea and if it’s fixable or treatable. Don’t delay.

Q: I involuntarily stop breathing during certain phases of sleep…why is this happening to me?
I go to sleep without thinking about anything before I go to bed. Then, in the middle of the night, while I’m still asleep, I can’t breathe at all. I subconciously stop breathing all together like I’m holding my breathe underwater or something. Even as I am sleeping, I keep telling myself in my mind to breathe, but my body won’t listen to me. I try my hardest to open my eyes, or yell for help, but I can’t move my body at all as if my motor skills have been paralyzed or something. It’s as if my body is fully sleeping, but my mind is fully awake, as I clearly know for a fact at the moment it’s happening that if I don’t breathe, I’m going to die. I really fear that I will die in my sleep this way someday. What is wrong with me, and what can I do? I feel like I’m being smothered with a pillow, or drowning underwater. Please help me. 10 points for best, thorough answer! Thanks in advance.
the stopping of breathing often coincides with a nightmare I’m having.

A: you MAY have sleep apnea, depending on the severeness of the case it can be dangerous to your health.
something you can do is go to a sleep specialist and have them observe you.
if they determine that you do in fact have it, you might be eligible for a surgery, or there is a device that can assist you breathe during the night.

i know this because my father suffers from sleep apnea, after he found out what was wrong he got the breathing device and has been sleeping soundly ever since!

Q: Awake while having nightmares?!?
Last night I heard some strange animal like sound,snickering and screaming..kinda like a cat growling but that’s only what I can make it out to be.Then I swore I heard something run across my room and into the hall!!! I was too afraid to look..the screaming laughter only lasted a second..So I tried to make sense out of it and I thought of my cats that I let outside and how fast coyotes slaughter…and I got really upset and imagination turned into reality! I saw my cat laying there on the end of my bed all torn to bits and bloody and I saw my brother chewed up and my parents and my boyfriend! I wanted to scream so much!!! I tried and I fucking tried and nothing came out! I fucking freaked the hell out!!! I just wanted it all to stop…I was breathing hard and crying,my cat seemed to form different injuries…like she was chopped in tiny bits..and my brother had a hole in his head and his eyes were bleeding! I hated it!! I don’t know what the fuck happened!! It wouldn’t go away.I tried everything I screamed more I drank water to calm myself down..but nothing worked..I ended up cutting myself like I was making a deal with the nightmare! If I hurt myself it would go away..I didn’t know what I was doing either!! I did but..I didn’t have any control…I just wanted it to stop..I guess eventually I past out and the next morning everything was fine…I checked on my cat and she was fine! I don’t know what I happened…All I can say is that it could have been a severe panic attack..Sometimes it happens when I start getting my period..but others usually at night it happens..so the first time it happened it was only like someone was following me and watching me..the second time it felt like hands crawling up between my legs…and certain parts of my body! Now this!! I’m thinking it could be a guy that’s really been harassing me..and I’m letting it get to me but I’ve never EVER gone to these kind of measures!! I feel so helpless and I don’t know what to do…

This isn’t a stupid scary story that I made up cause’ I was bored..I really need some advise..Please..even if you think this is stupid just consider an answer for me!

A: Well, it’s the wrong category but that’s not the point. Honey, that’s a sign of schizophrenia and/or psychosis. What you just described above was auditory and visual hallucinations, which can be treated with medication. You need to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist.

Q: I have a Gaurdian Angel for sure.. I have sleep condition where I sometimes stop breathing and I wake up all?
out of breath and my heart is racing.. It happens now and again and most times its mild but at times it is bad .. Last night while asleep I heard someone speak into my ear .. It was a male voice and it was clear and it was a Gentle voice .. It called my name.. I immediatly awoke and I knew I had stopped breathing again and it was a bad one this time.. I looked around the room and of course there was no one there.. It was three in the morning .. I know for certain that a voice woke me up to help me .. It was not a voice I knew .. It was like someone you know wakeing you up by calling your name and of course that person would be there standing over you….I believe it was my Gaurdian angel .. Has anything like this ever happened to you , if so I would like to read your story.. Of course I know im going to get the usual smart a*se answers of some of you..
Shamalia Im a Catholic and we believe in Gaurdian Angels as God told us we have.. I will not be telling my angel to go away.. Why would something evil try to help you anyway, this angel helped me because I was in trouble..

A: You may have Sleep Apnea. See a sleep specialist as soon as possible. You could have a heart attack when you are trying to get your breath. This is serious. God bless and guide you.

Q: Is it possible I died and came back to life while sleeping?
I am used to the fact that I stop breathing in my sleep sometimes. But one day, this was weird. I can’t tell if I was awake or asleep, but I felt my heart stop beating for a few seconds… then I felt really powerful hitting against my chest and my heart began to beat again. I sat up then in my bed, but it was dark and no one was there.

I know I’m not crazy, what happened? Did I die? Was it a weird really realistic dream?

A: I’m not exactly sure what happened, but here’s two things I think could have happened.

For one, you might of had sleep paralysis. Nothing serious, but I think its just when you wake up mentally, but your body is still sleeping. And when you are asleep, your body cannot move. This usually happens to me in the morning sometimes, and after about 15 seconds it goes away and I can move.

Another thing that is a possibility is a certain disease in which the individual briefly stops breathing in their sleep. I don’t know the exact name for the illness, but my aunt and grandfather both had it.

Q: Epilepsy Hospitalisation.?
I have had epilepsy since I was a very, very small child. In my entire life, my seizures have always been absence, then I developed Simple and Complex Partials, and then Myoclonic jerks. Recently, I was having a series of Complex Partials very close together as well as almost constant myoclonic twitches through the left side of my upper torso (sometimes radiating through to both sides) and it culminated in a grand mal. I have never had one before and I had to be taken to the hospital for them to stop. What confuses me is the fact that before the treatments, I was given an EKG and continually monitored. With epilepsy, why were they monitoring my heart and not my brain? I thought it would be more likely to have an EEG attached.

Second question- my EKG was slightly abnormal… is this normal after seizures?

Third- Is it normal after seizures to just stop breathing while you’re resting? Ever since I was younger, even awake it’s like my body decides I don’t need to breathe. It’s not like I hold my breath, it’s just that after I exhale, it seems like I don’t need to waste the energy to breathe in again. My body doesn’t seem to miss it, no lung burning like I’m holding it. Just stops for a while and starts up again. And it’s how I relax… the more relaxed I get the more likely I am for my lungs to relax too. I don’t know if this is dangerous, but it scares my friends.
Thanks. My main confusion is the fact that they did an EKG and no EEG. Seeing as epilepsy is a brain thing, monitoring my heart instead seemed rather out of place.

A: All of the symptoms you mention seem pretty normal to me for an epileptic.

The tests you had in the hospital are standard also.

Also, you need to have a sleep study at a sleep study center to see if you have sleep apnea.

Take care of you.

Peace.

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