holding breath during sleep?

Question

sometimes at night when i am just falling asleep, i catch myself holding my breath. should i be worried about this? can this be sleep apnea?

Answer 1

Most people with sleep apnea do not realize they have it! If they do awaken it is with a gasping! You are just probably feeling the effects of yourself falling into stages of sleep. There are actually six levels of sleep one thru five where your body is getting sleep but only on the sixth level called REM for rapid eye movement does your brain get to sleep! Things like sleep apnea and leg twitching bother the brain and cause it to drop out of this level this is why some people can sleep a whole night but not feel rested! Because their brain had to stay awake !

If someone says that you make funny noises while you are asleep or you stop breathing every now and then That is when I recommend that you should go to a sleep lab for an overnight study! But until then sounds like you are OK!

But if you are always tired that would be a symptom of sleep apnea!

See Ya Later

APS

Answer 2

No, thats crazy and dangerous. You'll just give yourself a little brain damage at best. It won't help you get to 'sleep' anyway, what happens is you lose consciousness from the lack of oxygen to your brain. Its also nearly impossible to do just by holding your breath, your bodys natural instinct is to breathe so very few people are able to hold their breath that long. What have you tried so far to get to sleep? Don't drink/eat anything sugary or caffeinated after like 5 or 6 PM. Around bedtime do something relaxing like read a book. Set a schedule for when you go to sleep so your body gets used to it. Don't hang out in bed before bedtime, keep your bed only for sleeping that way your brain doesn't get 'confused' and stay awake once your'e trying to sleep. Eat well, get enough exercise in the day (not late in evening though) and drink enough water. Also melatonin pill at bedtime can help. Its like the natural chemical that your body releases as you are going to sleep, you can get it in the vitamin aisle. Only take one pill though, more is sort of useless and maybe unhealthy. It works quick if it works at all so take it when you get into bed then relax and try to sleep.

Answer 3

hello there!
well, sleep apnea is mainly a problem of obese people, with short neck, large tongue....
those people, mainly when they lie on their back tend to snore and stop breathing ,many times during the night - which means that they are very very tired during the day....
it is important to emphasize that those who suffer from sleep apnea are not aware of the fact that they hold their breath,
so that is why to conclude i do not really think that you suffer from sleep apnea. a good way to check your situation would be to go to pulmonologist, and maybe than to sleep lab.
good luck!

Answer 4

Apnea refers to the cessation of respiration or breathing due to any cause with sleep apnea referring in particular to such lapses in breathing occurring during sleep. Breathing can cease due to two major causes: central and obstructive. In the case of central apnea, breathing ceases because there is no respiratory effort. In other words, the brain never tells the chest and diaphragm to draw a breath. This is the type of apnea (central) that is observed with drug overdoses or brain injuries and is extremely rare as a sole cause of sleep apnea. Much more common is obstructive apnea as a cause of sleep apnea. Obstructive apneas occur when there is a physical obstruction or blockage that prevents breathing. Choking is an example of an obstructive apnea. In obstructive sleep apnea, by far the most common type, the brain sends the message to the body to breathe and, in fact, the body responds by activating the diaphragm and other muscles of respiration but the obstruction in the upper airway prevents respiration from occurring. In other words the patient is trying to breathe but fails because the airway is blocked. If you recall the above discussion of snoring, noise occurs because the upper airway becomes partially occluded and vibrates as air is drawn through this diminished space. When the occlusion becomes worse, the airway eventually becomes blocked, preventing the passage of any air at all. At this point the muscles of respiration are activating and trying to draw in a breath but the occlusion in the airway prevents it. As respiration ceases the level of oxygen in the blood begins to drop, often to alarmingly low levels. Eventually the low levels of oxygen and frustrated attempts to breathe arouse the "sleeper" and upon partially awakening he is finally able to take a breathe. The apneic time (or time without breathing) may be as long as one or two minutes and it is this time of apnea and hypoxia (low oxygen levels) that produces the physical pathology of the disease, discussed below.

i have experienced a similar problem over many years.-it is very
erratic though,as i will have problems for 1-2 weeks then im ok for 3-4 months.

your respiration rate is very low as you fall asleep which may give the illusion of not breathing. if you wake up gasping for air just as you nod off then it would imply oxygen deprivation. most likely from some sort of obstruction

when this phenomonem happens to me i am usually very tired(or at least deviate from normal bedtime)
i fall asleep hard and very fast!!, into a "mini" dream state for just a few seconds then awake gasping for air in a startled state. i have never been to a "sleep lab" as my experience has been so erratic.

Answer 5

Does not seem like sleep apnea to me!

Answer 6

Probably not. You are not really asleep if you realize you are holding your breath.