24, Female: I have trouble breathing when laying down, but don't have asthma. What could cause this?

Question

This has happened periodically since childhood, but has been happening too much for comfort the past three months. It's only when I'm relaxing, or going to bed.

The only way to describe it is that it feels like I'm not getting the oxygen I need out of the air I'm breating during these "episodes". Once it starts I make an effort to take full, even breaths, but I still feel like I'm not getting much.
Feels like I'm hyperventilating, but with slow breaths instead of fast shallow ones.
Doesn't happen during stress, and I haven't been stressed much at all recently (for a change, lol).

Any ideas on what could be causing this? I'm losing rest over it and it's quite uncomfortable.

Answer 1

Breathing difficulty - lying down

Definition

Breathing difficulty while lying down is an abnormal condition. A person with this condition must keep the head elevated (by sitting or standing) to be able to breathe deeply or comfortably. The condition may also cause a person to wake up suddenly during the night, feeling short of breath (paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea).


Alternative Names
Waking at night short of breath; Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea; PND; Difficulty breathing while lying down; Orthopnea
Considerations
For people with some types of heart or lung problems, this is a common complaint. Sometimes the problem is subtle and is only noticed when the person realizes that sleep is more comfortable with lots of pillows under the head, or in a propped-up position.


Causes
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Cor pulmonale
Heart failure
Hypertensive heart disease
Obesity (does not directly cause difficulty breathing while lying down but often aggravates other conditions)
Panic disorder
Sleep apnea
Snoring


Home Care
Your health care provider may prescribe treatment to treat breathing difficulty while lying down. The treatment will depend on the specific illness causing the problem.

Weight reduction is generally recommended in cases of obesity.

When to Contact a Medical Professional
If you have any unexplained difficulty in breathing while lying down, call for an appointment with your health care provider.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit
The health care provider will perform a physical examination and will obtain your medical history.

Medical history questions documenting nocturnal dyspnea include the following:

Did this problem develop suddenly or slowly?
Is it getting worse (progressive)?
How bad is it?
How many pillows do you need to help you breathe comfortably?
Is there any ankle, feet, and leg swelling?
Do you have difficulty breathing at other times?
How tall are you? How much do you weigh?
What other symptoms are also present


The physical examination will include special attention to the heart and lungs (cardiovascular and respiratory systems).

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include the following:

EKG
Pulmonary function tests
Chest x-ray
Echocardiogram

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Breathing Difficulty Lying Down

Answer 4

There are a couple of reasons this might be happening. One is you may be experiencing sleep apnea. This is when you are asleep and you become apnic (or stop breathing) from one of two reasons. Either it's stemming from your respiratory centers in your brain and this is referred to as central sleep apnea or you are obstructing during sleep. Central sleep apnea is caused by the respiratory center in your brain and is not depended on any other reason as is obstructed sleep apnea. The only thing to help that situation is CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure. A machine that you sleep with during the night that delivers a little pressure to keep your airways open and you breathe normally with the help of this device.

Or obstructive sleep apnea is caused by usually being overweight. This is also treated with CPAP as mentioned before but can also be alleivated with not sleeping on your back and raising your head up with a few pillows.

Also, you should definately consult your physician because this condition must be diagnosed with a test called a sleep study and only a doctor can order and interpret that test.

Hope this information helps.

Answer 5

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!

Answer 6

I feel your pain. I've had asthma for 14 years now and have seen several doctors. The truth is, there is no known cure for asthma at the moment. But the symptoms can be prevented. It really depends on what causes your brother's asthma. Mine is usually dust and hot weather. But I think the universal method is using the control inhaler.

I cured my Asthma the natural way?

Answer 7

Hi Do u snore at night??? The waking up tires could be from sleep apnea...ask ur primary dr about doing a sleep study...other symptoms of sleep apnea include waking up with headaches, sore throats, dry mouth...the shortness of breath could be due to ur wt..I would ask ur dr for sure to see what he thinks

Answer 8

The last time I experianced sometihng like that I was bleeding internally and almost died but since it has happened to you since childhood maybe it's not it