# I wake up suddenly not being able to breathe for a few seconds?



## CjFelv

Hello, not sure if this is the correct place to ask for this advice or not but anyways here goes. Please someone answer this if they have any input, much would be appreciated.


Anyway for the past month or so I been getting this. Where I fall a sleep and then at random I wake up in shock feeling like I'm not able to breathe.

Today was the last straw and I figure'd I'd ask a forum about this because literally I fell asleep for an hour and woke right up I jumped out of bed in like a frantic all my blankets and pillows fell off my bed and I knocked over my radio and broke it accidentally. And I didn't even realize I did this **** until after cause I ran across the hall where my father was at about to say help me. but then I was okay and am able to breathe again.

What is causing this? Does it have something to do with eating to much carbs before falling asleep? Being off my sleep patern maybe? High blood pressure? Blood sugar? Anxiety?

Is this sleep apnea? Could this be sleep apnea?

Can someone please help maybe they can try and diagnose me if they had something similar to this.


It honestly feels like I can't breathe for a few seconds or so and I panic like **** I literally jump out of bed every time. Today I broke my radio cause I knocked it over my dresser when I jumped up.... So yeah this is pretty crazy.

I don't know if this is life threading or not.... I hope not.... If someone can please let me know...



And if anyone knows what this is how can I treat it? I don't really do a lot of cardio anymore. I usually just lift weights every other day or so and I am sitting around a lot do to having an office related job so yeah. Maybe more cardio exercise? Idk?

anyways please let me know guys if you got any input. Thank you. much will be appreciated


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## CjFelv

btw this has been happening to me at random... not every day. so idk what it could be.

for all I know I could have my pillow blocking my face or some ****. I really dont know. But maybe it is a big health issue. that is why I am concerned


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## CjFelv

oh and I ain't super fat or even fat. But I am tad bit chubby from eating junk. like I got a little bit of a gut but it's not really noticeable. so yeah being mega overweight isn't the issue I don't think. all though I probably should shed a few pounds maybe idk.


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## kevinseniorof2013

This could be sleep apnea. You should go see a doctor just to be sure.


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## millenniumman75

Actually, it is the panic attack that literally wakes us up. That's the way we break out of the sleep mode. In our case, it can interrupt our sleep subliminally.


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## db4805

kevinseniorof2013 said:


> This could be sleep apnea. You should go see a doctor just to be sure.


 It sounds like it to me too. I've had this problem also.
You could go get a sleep study to prove it(this could cost a lot of money). Then get a CPAP machine to force air into your lungs while you naturally breathe. I did this and it is a help, but it's not a cure. 
OR 
You could train yourself to breathe deeper(there are resources online for free). Get some strenuous exercise to build up your lung muscles. When we consciously breathe deeper it trains our "unconscious mind" to breathe deeper too. More oxygen is one of the things our body needs to function well and repair itself. 
I'm not talking about all the new age type wellness stuff, by the way. I'm talking about a practical application of a particular technique. Mindful breathing and exercise.

I've been learning that when I'm under stress I tense up and my breathing becomes shallow. This causes me to feel more stress, because my brain doesn't get enough oxygen. When I breathe deeply then the problems of life and the stress I feel are more manageable. They don't go away, but I realize I can cope with the problems that I face better.


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## db4805

http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/sleepapnea/sleep-apnea-self-help-remedies.html

http://www.caring.com/articles/how-to-fix-sleep-apnea

http://www.ehow.com/how_5139907_breathe-normally.html

I just thought of something else. If your problem doesn't happen every night. Maybe the problem is inflamation. Some foods cause inflamation because they are high in omega 6 fatty acids. I don't sleep as well when I drink alchohol because the beer I drink causes inflamation in my sinuses. Then I my sleep apnea gets worse. I use beer as an example but there are alot of regular foods that cause this too. Corn and wheat are to more examples. If you eat foods that are higher in omega 3 fatty acids. you will counter the inflamation and be able to breathe better. I try to take fish oil capsules a couple times a day. It helps, but its' not a cure.
Maybe you could try to be mindful of what you eat and drink when your sleep apnea is better or worse.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-sup...-alpha-linolenic-acid/background/hrb-20059372


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## sad vlad

Could be either sleep apnea or nocturnal panic attacks. If you have social anxiety or any sort of intense anxiety, it is most likely all about nocturnal panic attacks.

You should check things with a specialist to be sure.

Take care!


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## DanCan

wow dude, that sounds scary!
I was getting something similar to this for a while last year. I'd wake up in a panic. I think usually from a scary dream. And then be stuck awake in that panic for the rest of the night. I never had the breathing thing though. 
I started looking into low blood sugar and experimenting with eating different things before bed. I can't remember what I did but it went away. I'm actually eating a small turkey sandwich right now as an experiment cause it's been coming back but just a very little bit.


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## urbancoyote

CjFelv said:


> oh and I ain't super fat or even fat. But I am tad bit chubby from eating junk. like I got a little bit of a gut but it's not really noticeable. so yeah being mega overweight isn't the issue I don't think. all though I probably should shed a few pounds maybe idk.


This was what I was looking for when I read your first post!! Lose weight, it will possibly go away. It did for me. I was about 2-3 stone over-weight, although various people have commented that they would never have guessed. Got back to a healthy weight and I havent had it since, so that's a year and a half.


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## lawen

it sounds like sleep apnea


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## lilyamongthorns

Sounds like sleep apnea. Do you snore? Go to your doctor, have him refer you to a sleep clinic. Losing weight may help. In the meantime, you should really go see your doctor right away. Maybe they can give you one of those mask things to help you breath at night.


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## Qolselanu

I have similar issues as the OP. I randomly wake up in the middle in the night in a bit of a panic and breathing a little heavy. Although my doctor dismissed this being sleep apnea; rather saying its my super early morning work schedule and stress level getting at me.


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## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Nope, me too, had one just now. I weigh pretty light and my lifestyle has changed drastically from what it used to be from being very highly cardio-oriented to now sedentary. I am not suggesting that this explains these isolated cases, but it is something we both have in common at least.

I wake up suddenly panic-stricken because I can't breath, and it feels like my heart has stopped momentarily. They're unlike night-terrors (which I've also had) that seem to occur some time into the sleep cycle.

Hope you can get to the bottom of it. I still don't know what to do. :stu


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## slowlyimproving

CjFelv said:


> btw this has been happening to me at random... not every day. so idk what it could be.
> 
> for all I know I could have my pillow blocking my face or some ****. I really dont know. But maybe it is a big health issue. that is why I am concerned


Sleep Apnea. See a doctor.


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## Keep Breathing MN

I have had something similar...I will wake up, and literally without thinking, my body throws itself out of bed. I try to breathe at first, but can't even inhale for some reason. I am awake, and I can tell that I am not breathing...as if my heart has stopped momentarily. This is not to be confused with a panic attack or night terrors etc, this is Definitely Something Different. (This could be Sleep Apnea?) My Question is, why is there a Delay to Breathe/Inhale once I wake up.

I was confused at first, and my room was pitch black, so I couldn't run out anywhere/see anywhere to walk...So I think I started to stomp my feet on the ground and shake my head up and down, (almost as if an attempt to get my heart to start pumping again)-I know I probably looked like a maniac. The only other thing I remember is that I opened my mouth to inhale, but my body/lungs wouldn't inhale-The only way I can think to describe this is if you were to take a deflated ziplock baggy/plastic sandwich baggy up to your mouth, and try to suck in air from it, but no air will come in, since it is already deflated.

It is a very strange/weird/scary type feeling/phenomenon. I remember thinking, I'm going to die here if I can't get a breath of air. It is probably 3-10 seconds before I can finally inhale and breathe again. What is bad is, if you are really tired, you don't want to go back to sleep right away in case you stop breathing again.

This does not happen every night or very often, just randomly. It has probably happened 5-10 times in my life, the first time being around 28-30 yrs old. This last time it happened, I had run about 3 miles and walked another 3 earlier in the day, so maybe my heart was a little extra tired?

I should mention I am male, 35yrs old now, don't smoke, exercise 2-4 times per week. I am not obese either. 6'1 210 lbs. I have some fat on my abdomen area, but my arms and legs are lean. I have always had good blood pressure, and my heart rate resting is typically 50-60 beats per minute. I take no meds, and drink alcohol a few times per month.

It could be the sleep apnea thing, but who knows. 

This just happened on 03/14/2017. I hope my story helps/relates to someone out there.


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## stuff58

Keep Breathing MN said:


> I have had something similar...I will wake up, and literally without thinking, my body throws itself out of bed. I try to breathe at first, but can't even inhale for some reason. I am awake, and I can tell that I am not breathing...as if my heart has stopped momentarily. This is not to be confused with a panic attack or night terrors etc, this is Definitely Something Different. (This could be Sleep Apnea?) My Question is, why is there a Delay to Breathe/Inhale once I wake up.
> 
> I was confused at first, and my room was pitch black, so I couldn't run out anywhere/see anywhere to walk...So I think I started to stomp my feet on the ground and shake my head up and down, (almost as if an attempt to get my heart to start pumping again)-I know I probably looked like a maniac. The only other thing I remember is that I opened my mouth to inhale, but my body/lungs wouldn't inhale-The only way I can think to describe this is if you were to take a deflated ziplock baggy/plastic sandwich baggy up to your mouth, and try to suck in air from it, but no air will come in, since it is already deflated.
> 
> It is a very strange/weird/scary type feeling/phenomenon. I remember thinking, I'm going to die here if I can't get a breath of air. It is probably 3-10 seconds before I can finally inhale and breathe again. What is bad is, if you are really tired, you don't want to go back to sleep right away in case you stop breathing again.
> 
> This does not happen every night or very often, just randomly. It has probably happened 5-10 times in my life, the first time being around 28-30 yrs old. This last time it happened, I had run about 3 miles and walked another 3 earlier in the day, so maybe my heart was a little extra tired?
> 
> I should mention I am male, 35yrs old now, don't smoke, exercise 2-4 times per week. I am not obese either. 6'1 210 lbs. I have some fat on my abdomen area, but my arms and legs are lean. I have always had good blood pressure, and my heart rate resting is typically 50-60 beats per minute. I take no meds, and drink alcohol a few times per month.
> 
> It could be the sleep apnea thing, but who knows.
> 
> This just happened on 03/14/2017. I hope my story helps/relates to someone out there.


This happened to me last night. I woke up by sitting up really fast. I couldn't breathe. It felt as if maybe my throat was closed shut for a couple seconds. Probably 2-3 seconds of not being able to breathe and being confused, and then I could breathe again. I'm not sure if that has ever happened to me before, but it felt somewhat familiar for some reason. I'm in pretty good health, in my 20's, BMI is 20, blood pressure good. I dunno, it was scary, but I was able to go back to sleep after.


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## komorikun




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## usmedicinemart

You should go near a doctor for check-up. He/She will definitely help you to diagnose the disease.


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