Re: Thinking I知 choking in sleep
I've been through this circus a few years ago when I was convinced I had sleep apnoea. One symptom was choking in my sleep. I would dream that I was being sick and I would wake up actually retching, or coughing. That happened today actually. In my dream a bloke was standing next to me and I was coughing into a box, next thing I woke up and was actually coughing...
Anyhoo, there was no sleep apnoea so it was deemed to be down to reflux or/and anxiety..
As an anxiety symptom, this is part of the stress response which involves tightening of the muscles in our bodies - including our throat. If you think of it, this is a very common anxiety symptom that people experience during the day without too much of a problem. Thing is, HA likes to play at night when it's quiet and dark..
If you're having an anxiety dream (my kind of anxiety dreams include headless horses and people trying to kill me) this can trigger the stress response - especially if you've been anxious for a long time and your body is hyperstimulated. This basically means that your body is swilling with stress hormones because your fight or flight is on more than it's off. There isn't time for the body to recover before it has to fire out the adrenalin etc because you're thoughts are alerting your brain to 'danger'.
I'd see a doctor to check for reflux etc but as an anxiety symptom the best thing is not to focus on it, and don't fear going to sleep because that's a one way ticket to insomnia right there!
You won't choke. Whether this is an anxiety symptom or not, your body will alert you because it's an awesome machine! What you have to do, is not to react with fear.
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A thought is harmless unless we believe it.