gasping for air

im as 37 year old male. Im 6 foot 175 pounds. I find myself waking up frequently gasping  for air. Im aware that im doing this. I havnt been able to find anything about people with sleep apnea that actually are aware of this. The articles i raed always says something about the spouse notices it first. But im well aware of it becauce it happens to me and jerks me out of my sleep. Do people apnea have this happen to them? Could this be something else? It always seem to happen the most in the beginning of my sleep time and tappers off to wear i dont notice anything say 4 hours into my sleep.
thank you
steve

[National Jewish]

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 the person to be aware of this because they wake themselves up gasping for air.  It is more common that the spouse notices first.

A sleep study is done to identify the nature of your sleep problem.  During a sleep study your breathing, heart rate, oxygen level, eye movement and brain waves are monitored while you sleep in a sleep lab.  A sleep lab is a specialized unit staffed by a team of health care providers and other specialists who have expertise in the study and treatment of sleep disorders.  Please check with your doctor to see if a sleep study is needed or if this is something else.

If this is sleep apnea it does need to be treated.  The most common and effective treatment is the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device.

[starion]

Have you spoken to your doctor about these concerns?  Do you have asthma or any other lung condition?  Have you had a sleep study done where you are monitored while you are sleeping to determine whether you have sleep apnea?