MassivAsthma attack every night, dont know why? EXTREMELY SUICIDAL!! Please help

[dik_15]

Ok, its not quite as bad as the title suggests, and im not suicidal,but now ive got your attention, please read and see if you can help:

I have "mild" asthma for most of the year. But i get it very heavily in summer. I am fine, until the night when i wake up numerous times in the night, unable to breath quite badly.

Every morning, i wake up with about 5 or 6 dreams, and im told that this is due to my sleep being disturbed, and not having solid sleep. And that i am waking up alot.

I am a very fit guy, but i do feel very fatigued generally, especially in the morning, i sometimes feel that i have had no sleep at all.

I get it on holiday, as wel as in england, so im not sure what it could be.

Please help


Rich

[National Jewish]

You may have allergies that could cause more trouble during the summer.  The dreams are probably unrelated to your waking up numerous times in the night.  Even mild asthma can be worse during the night.  With asthma the basic problem is chronic inflammation along with tightness in the airways of the lungs.  Usually asthma is treated with 2 medicines:
· an inhaled steroid that decreases the inflammation in the airways of the lungs; and
· a long-acting inhaled bronchodilator called Serevent® (salmeterol xinafoate) or Foradil® Aerolizer™ (formoterol fumarate inhalation powder) that relaxes the smooth muscle tightness in the airways of the lungs.
Since your symptoms are mainly at night, you must be sure to use your inhalers before falling asleep.

If your problem continues after your asthma is well controlled, you should be checked for sleep apnea.  Sleep apnea is when breathing stops temporarily, for up to a minute at a time, during sleep.  This may happen several hundred times a night.  This can cause you to feel quite sleepy during the day.  It is possible for you to be aware of this because you wake yourself up gasping for air.  Snoring is what often alerts people to the problem.

[starion]

You NEED to see a doctor & get medical attention.  It is IMPORTANT to pay attention to shortness of breath, especially when it occurs when you sleep.  Please see a doctor & work with him/her to get a GOOD evaluation of your lung function & whatever is causing you to have worse symtpoms when you sleep.  A GOOD internist or primary care doc would help you get a good start.  A specialist such as a allergist with a specialist in asthma, pulmonologist (lung doctor), sleep specialist, or even cardiologist might be needed if the primary care doc feels more evaluation is needed.  Sometimes heart problems can cause shortness of breath as well.
Please take care & post what you learn.
Starion

[knicks30]

It could be sleep apnea but with you stating that your "fit" then the chances are low but still could happen.

[Jane1]

Hey Dik-15

Whether the amount you are dreaming has anything to do with the
extremely bad taste you have showed on other posts I don't know -
But as to your Asthma - it is possible for many asthmatics to get worse episodes of SOB at night - Do you see a Specialist for your Asthma? if not you might need to - they will evaluate your breathing and give you any medication to help keep it under control, loss of sleep through any illness is a good measure that you need to get it further investigated.  I hope you can visit your GP and ask him to refer you to a respiratory specialist - being fit - doesn't mean that asthma won't affect you, however regular exercise is beneficial -

I wish you well.
But remember and this is to your other posts ( not this one) there are people posting here with genuine queries, there is a limit on the amount of posts per day, please don't waste that limit by offering useless potions ( that include crocodiles balls)We are all here to try and help each other understand the sometimes frightening reality of lung disease, don't waste the bandwitdh!

See you GP and hopefully they can help you sort out the SOB -
Be well

Jane