2 Years of Sleep Issues! What Could Be Wrong?

Ok, so where do I start with my sleep problems? To many to list! But, it's becoming a pain in the backside now.

For over 2 years I've had sleep problems that annoy the hell out of me. They used to scare me, but I've gotten used to it now. I'm awaiting a sleep study at a local hospital but appointments can take up to 6 months.

Some nights I will choke in my sleep. Last night I dreamt I was eating chewing gum and I chocked on it. I dreamt the chewing gum became to sticky and I couldn't spit it out and swallowed some. I woke up struggling to breath, but it returned to normal within seconds and I dropped back off again.

Other nights I will wake up within an hour of falling asleep, and it always seems to be within the first hour, and feel impending doom. I can't even explain the feeling, it's very strange, but I literally feel like I'm about to die. I've never felt a feeling like it, and I never have these feelings or problems when I'm awake, only when I sleep.

Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night, and I'll be awake, I can function such as go to the toilet etc, but I'll still be in my dream. My characters from the dream will still be as real as they are when I'm asleep. It's like a literal "half awake and half asleep". Except, I can't see my characters or my dream, and I can't fall back to sleep.

Most nights I'll wake up dripping with sweat. Usually around my neck area, my shoulders, back and chest. Very rarely is it all over my body.

Other times I will wake up and the back of my head is numb. Very strange indeed. Although it returns to normal when I wake up.

I remember a time nearly 2 years ago. I was asleep at about 3pm. I had a long night on the computer working. I dropped of to sleep, and my girlfriend recalls she seen me with my eyes open, but asleep. She thought I was awake and came into the room. I shot bolt upright. She said I had fear in my face and I turned white. She said she sat next to me, and I was muttering the words "help me. help me". At this point I didn't know entirely what was going on, still asleep but awake. I jumped out of bed to splash water on my face. Took me a good couple of hours to recoupe myself, I was scared livid. An awful experience.

A friend has said he's seen me tossing and turning all over my bed, like some sort of fit. I was apparently making squealing sort of noises. I knew absolutely nothing of this. Infact, when I woke up I felt relieved that I had a good nights sleep until he told me what I did. He said I snore a lot. He knows because we've shared a room for some time.

If I sleep in the daytime, you can be almost certain I will wake up within the hour with some sort of issue going on. I tend not to sleep in the daytime however tiered I get.

Can anyone relate to any of this? Has anyone seen a doctor? I can't wait for this sleep study so I can find out what's going on. Just my luck I'll have the study and that night I'll have the perfect nights sleep!!

[Jerry_NJ]

It sounds like a real nightmare situation, with real nightmares.  I have no knowledge what a sleep sturdy can determine but I think it can detect any apnea problems that might be life threatening.  

I had no similar problems at your age but have developed what I call trouble mares, and every night. These dreams are more depressing than frightening. I usually wake up at least twice a night, but that is often because I need to go to the toilet (more an old man problem) but it seems always with my mind full of some interrupted trouble mare, which I often return to when I go back to sleep.  I also have a nasal congestion problem with adds to the whole problematic sleep - I am sometimes in a panic with a sense of suffocation, yet I am fully able to breath through my mouth.

More relating than answer here.  I'll mark your post so I can follow along and see if you get any help I can use.. that said you may want to look into Lucid Dreaming, a strategy to deal with dreaming and it sounds like you are already in a near lucid state.  Dr. Stephen Laberge (not sure on the spelling of the last name) of Stanford University in the USA wrote a book on Lucid Dreaming I found very interesting.  I have not been able to accomplish a lucid dream yet, but then I  haven't tried real hard.  For most of us it take a lot of awake time mind "conditioning" to get get the conscious mind engage in a dream state state-of-mind.

[Rondavous]

What you describe as waking up gasping for breath appears to be sleep apnea.  The dreams could easily be your body reacting to oxygen depletion.  A sleep study would answer the question.