Wakeing up in the middle of the night gasping for air?

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  • sewedo1
    sewedo1 Posts: 200 Member
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    Any kind of respiratory distress, especially when accompanied by heart irregularity should immediately be checked by your doctor. Your heart racing likely means it was having it work extra hard because you were not getting enough oxygen. Fortunately, you were awakened. Sleep apnea, blood clot in the lung, allergy/asthma, heart failure or dysrhythmia, lung disease are a few of many reasons that could lead to these symptoms.
  • FitMama2013
    FitMama2013 Posts: 919 Member
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    I had this happen twice within a few months just before I started losing weight - for me, I also felt like I was going to throw up and that is what seemed to cause my lack of ability to breathe. I think for me it had to do with acid reflux because I was eating so terribly - since I started losing weight I haven't had any issues.

    I agree with the others though and since you're having this repeatedly, I'd definitely talk to your doctor ASAP to ensure nothing more serious is going on! Good luck!
  • dakitten2
    dakitten2 Posts: 888 Member
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    See your doctor. Sounds like me before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, where you stop breathing and then when you start breathing again you wake up gasping and coughing for air. Overweight people have a tendency to have sleep apnea. My doctor sent me for a sleep study and yes, I had sleep apnea. I now use a cpap machine and havent had any episodes since. There could be something else is wrong, but my guess would be sleep apnea. Either way, go see your doctor. It's not something that will go away.
  • q3m9vtj
    q3m9vtj Posts: 8 Member
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    Sounds a bit like sleep apnoea ... had the same thing a few years ago .. got a cpap machine ... no problems sleeping now ... fell much more rested ... and it lowers blood pressure too ... bonuses all around ... by the way don't go cheap ... you get what you pay for
  • zuyddyk98
    zuyddyk98 Posts: 52
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    sleep apnea. I have it too. visit the sleep disorder office in ur area. they'll record u sleeping overnight & then provide u treatment following the results. I now have a CPAP machine. it pushes air into my lungs as I sleep. best decision I made in some time. I sleep amazing now.
  • Meggles63
    Meggles63 Posts: 916 Member
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    That happened to me when I was pregnant. The Dr. said it was anxiety attacks, brought on by hormones! A little prozac took care of it.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,234 Member
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    could it really be sleep apnoea when its really rare that it happens

    Yes it could. Either way this is something that needs to be checked out.
  • lizgreenhill
    lizgreenhill Posts: 185
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    Yeah i belive you have sleep apnea. You need to make an appt with your dr so they can run tests on you. What they will do is monitor you while you sleep to see when the problem happens and they will probably give you a breathing mask for while you sleep, since you are oxygen deprieved ( thats why you wake up gasping for air). So i would highly suggest calling your dr today to see when he can get you in the longer you wait the worse it will get. Good luck to you
  • warneg
    warneg Posts: 12 Member
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    Def get it checked out--see your doctor. I have (mild) sleep apnea and didn't even know it. I was waking up only occasionally also. If you are lucky, it will ease up if you lose enough weight. Don't ignore it, just because your heart is OK now, doesn't mean it will stay that way if this is apnea. Good luck!
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
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    See your doctor. Start with your primary care doctor; they can run some initial tests to eliminate certain things. Then they can refer you to a sleep clinic if they suspect sleep apnea. Do NOT leave this unchecked. If you are having trouble breathing, even for a short amount of time, it could be a sign of trouble. I'm sure it's terrifying to wake up unable to breathe. The sooner you get checked out, the sooner you can get some relief from it. You don't want to play around with your health, especially when you've worked hard to develop a healthy lifestyle! And if your doctor minimizes your concerns, seek a second opinion.

    Good luck!
  • LauraRose03
    LauraRose03 Posts: 140
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    Yes, I definitely have this. But I have asthma and 2 dogs that I'm allergic to (didn't find out I was allergic until after we got them). I have an inhaler, which is a godsend. But my Dr. also put me in singulair, which works wonders. As long as I take the singulair, I don't need the inhaler nearly as much, although I do take it occasionally and its comforting to know it's there. Maybe have an allergy test done? It could also be the sleep apnea thing, like someone else said. Best to get it checked out. Good luck!
  • ceannesjourney
    ceannesjourney Posts: 250
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    Yes, definately sounds like sleep apnea. I have it and have a sleep apnea mask now. It sure helps with the sleep though it isn't pretty...
  • thor1god1of1awesome
    thor1god1of1awesome Posts: 481 Member
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    see a doc, get a sleep study done then you will know for sure JMO
  • Crystal_R84
    Crystal_R84 Posts: 88 Member
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    Could be Sleep apnea...happened to my mom and she has it. go see a doctor asap
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
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    I was on a C PAP machine due to the throat blubber clogging my breathing while I slept. I was choking and waking up 30 times each hour. But after I went from 262 down to 225, suddenly the issue vanished.

    I am now 199 lbs - no problems sleeping.
  • HisPathDaily
    HisPathDaily Posts: 672 Member
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    Yes, but also could simply be reflux ... I occasionally have it (but it's been a while thank goodness as it's not exactly a fun experience) but I started to notice that it was when I ate (or drank something acidic) before bed ... a couple times in a row it happened when I enjoyed a nice big margarita and shortly went to bed (some would call it passed out but let's not go there) ;) ... but anyway, yes it could be apnea, but also reflux ... give yourself a good amount of time before you eat/drink before heading to bed .... since I've been more conscious of that it hasn't happened ... but again, I'm not a doctor, but for me that's what it was.

    ~Matt
    could it really be sleep apnoea when its really rare that it happens
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
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    Go see your doctor.


    ^^^^THIS a thousand times THIS^^^^
  • twooliver
    twooliver Posts: 450 Member
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    Besides apnea it could also be related to gastric reflux...

    They thought I had apnea...but what I had was gastric reflux - the acids were jumping up into my esophagus causing gagging in the middle of the night...

    bottom line - go to the doctor!
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
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    SLEEP APNEA, GO GET CHECKED OUT!....................Please.
  • CJK1959
    CJK1959 Posts: 279 Member
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    This used to happen to me...at first only sporadically, then more and more often. It turned out to be obstructive sleep apnea and after a sleep study, it was discovered that I stopped breathing on average 20 times a night. I now sleep with a CPAP machine and mask and sleep better and feel better than I had for a long time. Whatever is going on with you, please seek medical attention as soon as you can Good luck to you!

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