Occasionally right after i fall asleep i wake up gasping for breath. Why does this happen?

Question

It feels as if I have stopped breathing, i also feel a weird feeling throughout my body, like when someone scares the crap out of you. Help me please, it doesnt happen often but its scary when it does.

im 17 and weigh 145 lbs

It also seems to only happen after i am overly tired

Answer 1

See a doctor, don't fool around with it.

Answer 2

Sleep Apnea is one of the most commonly mis-diagnosed problems. It does sound like you have Sleep Apnea, but the only true way to tell is with a sleep study. If it turns out that you do, there are treatment options, the most common of which is to use a C-Pap machine, which basically is a device that you attach to your face before you go to sleep, and it sends gentle puffs of air through your airways to keep them from relaxing and going closed. Left untreated, you will have long-lasting effects, the most common of which are heart failure, acid-reflux, depression, narcelepsy (suddenly falling asleep), and more. You are young enough that there is probably no long-lasting damage yet, so make sure to get in soon. Don't let anyone tell you that you are too young or since you are not overweight you can't have it. Weight has nothing to do with Sleep Apnea, however it does aggrevate it. My daughter is 6 and had Sleep Apnea, however a minor surgery corrected hers. Mine is still treated with a C-Pap, and really once you get used to it, they are not bad at all.

Answer 3

Crap. There's a medical term for that. I just looked on Google and WebMD and couldn't find it, though. I know it has a name, though, because I read it once. The same thing happens to me occasionally. I'll be lying in bed, about 9/10ths asleep when all of a sudden, completely out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, my entire body will almost-seizure, and I'll be terrified for a millisecond, and all thoughts of sleep are gone. But only for a few minutes. It wears off, and I usually fall asleep completely not long after.

I wish I could remember the name.

I wish I could offer more advice, as well, instead of just my sympathy. I know what it's like, and it sucks.

Edit: k, what I'm describing *isn't* sleep apnea. Too bad.

Answer 4

This could be a case of sleep apnea, a relatively rare medical condition where the brain fails to send the body the message to keep breathing after you go to sleep.

Head over to your doctor, s/he will have some tests that can be run to confirm this. If you do have it they may prescribe a machine with a face mask you wear while you sleep that helps counter this condition.

Answer 5

This used to happen to me so now I sleep on 3 to 4 pillows. If it still happens to you after trying the pillows you may have sleep apnea which is where you stop breathing while you are sleeping. My mom has this and has to wear a by-pap machine at night. Its a form of oxygen where you have a mask over your face while you sleep.

Answer 6

I don't know how old you are, but you may have sleep apnea. This is a condition that many people have, where you do stop breathing for a while. You can be tested at a sleep center. Talk to your doctor.

Answer 7

It's probably sleep apnea and its a serious condition. My brother has it and when he went to the sleep clinic they said that he literally stopped breathing 20 times within an hour of sleep! Go see your doctor and ask about a sleep study.

Answer 8

You do stop breathing. It's called Sleep Apnea. Go see a Doctor.

Answer 9

It could be something called Sleep Apnea. My father had it and he really was not breathing. Your throat closes up. Talk to a doctor.

Answer 10

Talk to a Doctor. It could be sleep apnea (as others here have mentioned) and it can be overcome through breathing treatments.

Answer 11

It's called sleep apnea. Go see your doctor about this and tell him you think you have sleep apnea. He will refer you to the proper people to get this treated.