Feel like I stop breathing when falling asleep?

[Lpurdon777]

It doesnt happen super often but when it does it scares the crap out of me. I will be laying down starting to drift off and its like i get this "dropping" feeling in my stomach and it feels like im struggling to breathe? Like I cant breathe or something..

Does anyone know what this is?

[Careful1]

I dont know what it is but it has happened to me before.. I have also woke up gasping for breath before.. Neither one happen often though.... Once in a blue moon.

[EmmerLooeez]

I have this sometimes. I have had people watch me fall asleep and I never stop breathing. When it first started it would happen every night, every time I fell asleep.. I went to the doctor and she told me I was having panic attacks in my sleep. It didn't happen again for a good while after that. X

[struggleandwin]

I have this too - for a long time I have put it down to asthma, but after many tests it is most likely a type of sleep panic. I know how scary this is, I just have to keep telling myself I have survived 100% of them before - then I have to go touch wood because even saying that makes me anxious!

If you can get a referral, apparently a sleep clinic can really help.

I was prescribed antacids as apparently if you have GERD the acid can creep up your throat at night and make you cough really badly.

Practical things I have tried were completely decluttering the room (no, I didn't have time to do it properly either, I just dumped stuff in another room!) Also air quality can help - this time of year we sleep with windows shut and that builds up stuffiness and mould. I bought two air purifying plants at the weekend but haven't tried them out yet.

Its hard but try not to fear the night, or sleep. Tonight *could* be a night with no recurrences, tonight *could* be the first night of no recurrences ever again. You never know. Wishing you all the best.