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

lucysposaro
lucysposaro Posts: 132 Member
edited October 6 in Health and Weight Loss
I just wanted to see if anyone else has the problem were they wake up in the middle of the night and they struggle to breahte then your heart raceses for a bit? Its like ur asleep then all of a sudden you jump half put of ur bed because you feel like your chocking or something? This has been happinh every few nights and im not sure why its not often only sometimes and my last episode was night is this because of my weight maybe?
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Replies

  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Years ago this happened to me. For me it had nothing to do with weight.
    For me it was allergy induced asthma.
    See a DR, they can check how irritated your lungs are, which is a sign of this.
    There are some simple medicinal treatments.

    Good Luck
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    That's happened to me a few times. Not enough that I've sought medical treatment. Don't think it has to do with your weight. Also wondered if it's a mild case of sleep apnea.
  • dalgal26
    dalgal26 Posts: 781 Member
    Sounds like apnea to me. Unchecked can lead to heart disease. Know this from experience. May want to let your doctor know.
  • loved1
    loved1 Posts: 206 Member
    When i was pregnant.
  • PKempy
    PKempy Posts: 14
    Sounds a bit like obstructive sleep apnoea.

    I have that condition and one of the symptoms I had was like you described. (I am OK now thanks to a CPAP machine)

    You need to get this checked out by a doctor (try googling sleep apnoea / apnea)
  • netchik
    netchik Posts: 587 Member
    Sounds like Sleep Apnea. Get it checked, as oxygen deprivation can have bad effects on your health. GP can refer you to a sleep clinic if he agrees with your suspicions.
  • ashnm88
    ashnm88 Posts: 748
    Go see your doctor.
  • lucysposaro
    lucysposaro Posts: 132 Member
    could it really be sleep apnoea when its really rare that it happens
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
    Sounds like apnea to me. Unchecked can lead to heart disease. Know this from experience. May want to let your doctor know.

    I agree with this - go see your doctor. it's not an uncommon problem. You may be stopping breathing in your sleep - which (fortunately) wakes you up. I'm not sure about the link to heart disease.

    If you are waking up with difficulty breathing then it is more likely to be asthma or similar. Either way, you need to go and see your doctor.
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
    could it really be sleep apnoea when its really rare that it happens

    yes.
  • emmiexjay
    emmiexjay Posts: 146 Member
    yes plus do you have anyone else in your house/room with you? while your asleep? snoring extremely loudly and waking in the middle of the night gasping for air are the critial causes of apena. my drs thought i had it but i didn't wake in the night or snore mine was based on my allergy asthma attacks.
  • lucysposaro
    lucysposaro Posts: 132 Member
    I spoke to my partner about it he said when i do that im breathing normal but i wake up and i fele liek i cant breathe,,,,because im usally asleep before him and he sees me do it almost everytime...hes like u were breathign normal but my hearts racing at the time and im catching a breathe any ideas on to maybe what that is i dont have heart probs iv had my heart checked many times because my dad has that prob.I dont have asthma but my child does
  • lucysposaro
    lucysposaro Posts: 132 Member
    oh and my partner said i snore sometimes but not all the time.
  • LisaRussell27
    LisaRussell27 Posts: 20
    I get that a few times. I was checked by doctors who said its caused by being overweight and putting excess strain on the oesophegus. I was told to sleep with my mattress propped up which as helped. But anything like that should be checked out by a doctor.
  • Tori_356
    Tori_356 Posts: 510 Member
    Could be anxiety. Best advice I can give you is to go see a doctor. Good Luck.
  • Quarantined
    Quarantined Posts: 50
    My boyfriend does this sometimes. He stops breathing for a little while then coughs and splutters himself (and me) awake. D: Scares me half to death.
  • cnsmith2
    cnsmith2 Posts: 539 Member
    It sounds like apnea... but honestly your best option is to go see a doctor. If it is apnea, it isn't something to mess with. If it isn't, you'll want to get to the bottom of it either way. It isn't "normal."
  • RoosterB
    RoosterB Posts: 214 Member
    I had that once a couple of hours after taking Night Nurse capsules. Very scary at the time.
  • Manysongs
    Manysongs Posts: 137
    Sounds like it might be sleep apnea..my advice? See a Doctor! :)
  • pixydoodle
    pixydoodle Posts: 54
    when you fall right asleep and go immediately into REM sleep this can happen. During REM sleep your breathing slows way down so this can happen if you are not deeply enough asleep and you wake out of that first REM sleep cycle.
  • sewedo1
    sewedo1 Posts: 200 Member
    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: 913 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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: 8,331 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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!
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