Choking in my sleep

[inha]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had experience with waking up choking.

I think I do have a mild case of acid reflux, but this seems different. I do not feel acid in my throat.

What happens is that I wake up with the sensation that my throat (just below the tongue I'd say) is closed, or as if there's a big ball stuck there.
I can't move while that happens, which differs from things I've read where people get up coughing or run out of their bedroom in a panic. I just stay put trying to coax my throat into opening up, and I feel like I couldn't move if I wanted to.

It's really scary and I am now really afraid of sleeping in case next time I don't manage to start breathing again... Any advice ? It only happened twice. I'm only 20, and I don't have any other symptom of sleep apnea.

Thanks !

[ServerError]

This sounds like globus hystericus. Don't be fooled by the fancy-sounding name, it's nothing to worry about.

Anxiety causes all sorts of bizarre symptoms, including tension and tightness in the throat - a very sensitive area that responds to how we feel. This tension causes tightening of the muscles and tissue in the throat, which gives us the feeling that there's something stuck there or that we're going to choke. But in reality your airway is clear.

I've had this a couple of times. It's one of the few occasions a Google search actually helped me. By seeing that it was a common anxiety symptom, I stopped worrying about it and it stopped happening. I still get the feeling from time to time, but I no longer care. If I choke, I choke. I won't come to any harm. So try not to worry.