stop breathing when sleeping on back?

Question

when i sleep on my back my girlfriend tells me i stop breathing. she then wakes me up. this was first noticed when i was taken to the emergency room & was hooked up to monitors. they gave me pain medicine which put me to sleep. i was on my back. alarms would go off & a nurse would come in & wake me up. she said i stopped breathing. what would be causeing this? i am not sure if it does it all the time. can i die if i am alone & i stop breathing?

Answer 1

you have "sleep apnia" a condition that is treatable but if left un treated can cause things like enlargement of the heart,chronic fatigue etc and possibly death later in life. In a worst case you would need a "cpap" machine which you wear while sleeping. It pressurizes air to assist you with your breathing. Normal causes are over weight, enlarged tonsils, chronic obstructed airway due to various causes. See your doc, he will probably have a sleep test ordered. They hook you up to a computer thru wires glued to your scalp, then monitor your sleep for one night at the lab.

Answer 2

Sleep Apnea. There are machines (C-PAP machine) that you can wear while sleeping that keep the airways open and will ring an alarm if you stop breathing, causing you to wake up and start breathing on your own.

Sleep Apnea can happen to anyone, much more frequently affects those that are overweight or have a whole other host of respiratory issues. You must consult w/ a doctor before a diagnosis can be made, and they will most probably conduct a sleep study and if they deem necessary, they will recommend the machine.

In a lost of cases, losing weight (not saying that you have to) will help to alleviate sleep apnea.

Much luck and good health to you!

Answer 3

You probably have this for all this while and only now somebody noticed. You are still alive ? Well, hopefully the doc will check out your breathing organs like there is no growth, may be even your breathing centre in your brain or else it will be very irritating each time you try to sleep deeply and the alarm goes off. People who are sleeping very soundly and deeply will have a different kind of respiration; deep, slow, noisy, snoring and yes, it does stops for a few seconds.

Answer 4

Ann answered your question, but my husband also had this condition. He would stop breathing for a minute at a time and it really scared me. I guess you can die from it in the long run if not taken care of. It can make asthma worse, it can weaken your immune system, give you high blood pressure, etc. It can cause a number of things. Well, my husband went to a sinus, ear, nose, and throat specialist and they reccommended he remove his tonsils and adenoids. Its been a month since he's had surgery and no more sleep apnea. You might ask your doctor about that. Good luck!

Answer 5

You probably have sleep apnea. My mom has it. She has a machine that she hooks up to at night so that she won't stop breathing in her sleep. It is just a little mask thing that the doctor ordered for her and it helps her alot.
You should talk to your doctor about it.
Good luck!
Hope this helps!

Answer 6

^You may have sleep apnea, which means during sleep you stop breathing. Speak to you doctor about going to a sleep clinic so you can be tested. The site below will give you more information. Good luck. I hope this helps

Answer 7

It's called sleep apnea ... it's a very common condition.

Sometimes it can be severe...in which case your doctor can arrange for tests and treatment.

There have been cases when people have died from the condition, if you are concerned speak to your doctor.

Answer 8

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Sounds like sleep apnea. You probably need to see a doctor and get on a C-PAP machine.