Stop breathing as you fall asleep ?

[Dubbmented]

I've been doing great this past 6 months, got over my major panic attacks. But there is one thing still bothering me.. just wanted to see if anyone else experiences this before, I start paying out my pocket for Sleep specialists and so on.. *Sigh*

I'm only 22 years old firstly, and my partner has said she sees no signs of Sleep Apnea of when I'm asleep, and even researching it for myself, It' doesn't seem this is what I have.. But some nights, (especially if I have taken some kind of medication; cough syrup, strong pain killers, or even alcohol) I have a very hard time falling asleep.. I will be physically exhausted and actually want to sleep, but every time I feel like I'm about to doze off.. I feel like I've stopped breathing.. a very alarming feeling, that makes me jolt up and gasp for air, and feel my pulse. Obviously, this makes me panic a bit.. and I really zone in on my breathing, and it can go on and on and on for hours, till it reaches say 6am.. Where my body is just so tired, I don't even remember falling asleep..

I wake up the next day and I feel fine ? .. and some nights I sleep like a baby. This is really puzzling and is affecting my sleep..
Anyone experience this or have any suggestions ??

[HoneyLove]

This has happened to me a fair bit, suddenly noticing you're not breathing and then taking a gasp. And afterwards a feeling like you're focused on your breath or like you have to physically make yourself breathe.

I know that it is a symptom of sleep apnea, but since it doesn't happen to me all of the time I don't think this is the issue. If either of us had apnea we would probably be a lot more exhausted and run down during the day.

I do however notice that it can be worse if I am going through a stressful patch, and I believe it happens for two reasons.

1) breathing problems are very common with stress and anxiety because of how we hold ourselves so tightly, the muscles in our chests get tight making breathing more laboured.

2) I have an acid reflux problem and when this is acting up the acid comes up at night and affects my breathing. When my stomach is upset my breathing also becomes affected because of the acid and a swollen stomach (I have a hiatus hernia too, so that makes it worse). The apnea like gasp always happens when the reflux is acting up which can be due to stress or other factors.

So I guess what you need to ask yourself is if there is a pattern to when this happens for you. Are you particularly stressed when it happens, have you eaten very close to bedtime, did you eat spicy foods, that kind of thing. It may help you figure it out. I know that things like certain medications, alcohol and other stimulants can make the acid problem worse, so maybe this is why you're experiencing it when you have those things. I do remember reading that alcohol can make nighttime reflux worse because it can relax the muscles at the top of your stomach and allow acid to flow back up more freely.

If it's happening on a regular basis and you find yourself run down and tired during the day, or feeling like your sleep quality is very bad, then the only way you'll really know is to talk to your doctor and have a sleep study done.

I know what a scary sensation it is, so I feel for you, it's obviously settin off a rush of fear for you when it happens. If it happens again try doing a gentle breathing exercise to take your mind away from it and relax again.