Afraid to go to sleep in case I choke or stop breathing

[louise123_uk]

For the last couple of years maybe two or three times a month I have had episodes where I sit bolt upright in the middle of the night taking gasps of air, it sounds pretty much like when you take a drink and it goes down the wrong way and you breathe before you realise what you've done and its almost like a heaving sound and you have to cough. It feels like I'm choking on something, I take three or four wracking gasps of air and then I can breathe normally. My heart is usually racing afterwards as it is TERRIFYING!! I really feel like I'm dying.

Sometimes its accompanied with a feeling of having no idea where I am, and I will rip open my curtains and not even recognise my own back garden or street, or even my own bedroom for maybe 30seconds. Once I didn't even know who my boyfriend was! So this also makes me panic I'm losing my mind or that this is the start of dementia!

I can go for months without it happening or during some months I can have it a couple of times a week. It usually only happens once in the night.

I've somehow managed to push thoughts of this out of my head but for some reason tonight I can't stop thinking about it! It last happened two nights ago and I'm terrified to go to bed tonight as I've been reading it could be related to heart failure!!! Over the last 6 months or so I have posted about episodes of dizziness feeling like I'm on a boat and sometimes feelin like can't breathe when I'm awake but these symptoms have subsided for the moment quite a bit.

Could I actually die from something like this? I'm terrified it will happen and I won't actually be able to get my breath or perhaps I won't wake up at all!


Does anyone else get this and has had a doc say its nothing or just one of those things?

I'm 33, not overweight and don't smoke. I do drink alcohol regularly though which it worries me it could be related to with all the scary adverts you see showing how much alcohol is related to!

I need to get a good night sleep for work but don't want to get in to bed :weep:

[Sam Winter]

If this is worrying you I would go to the doctor, I haven't experienced this personally I've only experienced sleep paralysis. but it sounds like you could have something like sleep apnea or something, I don't think its anything too serious but if you haven't been to the doctors yet I definitely would because it will help reassure your mind so you can sleep better. the state of confusion upon awakening is something I experienced when I used to get sleep paralysis, I believe I got told it was because you've woke up fast and unexpectedly so your brain hasn't had enough time to switch on certain things, either way I'd go to the doctors to make yourself feel more at ease but as for sleeping tonight I'm pretty confident you'll be okay, just try to relax x

[louise123_uk]

Well I survived the night! :-)

I haven't ever mentioned it to a doc so perhaps I will going forward. Yes, I've read online that people are saying the confusion of not knowing where you are is because of how deeply you are asleep when you jerk awake.

There seems to be a lot of people on the internet who wake up unable to breathe and gasping with their heart racing, only for it to pass fairly quickly and then they go back to sleep.... hmmm I should be reassured that they all seem to be still fully alive right.....

Its just so scary when it happens :-( Not being able to take a breath is the scariest thing I've ever experienced....

[louise123_uk]

Not looking forward to bedtime tonight now either :-(

[SLA]

I get this when highly stressed. My Ex used to laugh at me, or punch me.

Its normal and not related to anything sinister.

I used to get it LOADS when my daughters were first born, as they slept in the room with us, and I used to panic.

[Fishmanpa]

Breathing is an autonomic function. You can't stop it from happening unless you consciously try and then at worst you'll pass out and start breathing again. As far as choking, if something like that happened, your body would produce an autonomic response of coughing. You may "perceive" this happening but in fact it's most likely a dreamlike state in which your mind is creating the sensation or possibly some excess saliva swallowed wrong. Still it's not sinister and has happened to most at one time or another (raises hand).

Could it be a sleep disorder like sleep apnea? Possibly... but only a sleep study could determine that. Keep in mind that your anxiety over this could exaggerate the feelings you're experiencing.

Positive thoughts

[Lynsey22]

Glad it's not just me who feels like this, 2 nights in a row I have woken suddenly within an hour of dropping off feeling really frightened/confused about who I am / where I am , feeling light but heavy headed at the same time , shaking all over like I could pass out, thinking I won't live until morning , stopping myself calling an ambulance , it's awful :weep:

Dreading bedtime already but so tired after 4 hours sleep, surely this isn't good ? Feel like staying at a relatives tonight to see if it relaxes me more as I live alone which makes this process even more scary :weep: