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Avatar universal

sound asleep and unable to catch my breath

This has happened 3x in the last 9 months.  I will be sound asleep and suddenly I'm unable to catch my breath.  I come flying out of bed...and it's the deep gasping for air that scares me.  The other night when this happened I also felt very sick like I could throw-up.  That part hasn't happened before.

It usually takes up to 5-6-7 times of deep gasping for breath (kinda like you see in the movies) before I can breath normally.

Any ideas?
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1364061 tn?1282586898
I have the same issues & I did go to a sleep clinic & they said I have Apnea. I cannot get used to my machine & therefore I don't use it. I was told that I tend to hold my breath when I am in REM & on a scale for Apnea I was only a 6.
Anyways...I have anxiety/MVP too & I went back on Zoloft (75mg) & 0.5 Xanax at bedtime. I no longer am waking gasping for air...but I am waking up with inside jitters, that go away after I wake up & get on my feet...Yet when I take a Xanax at bed I sleep good for about 5 hours, then I am on & off for an hour or two & then can't take it anymore of trying to go to sleep & still being bothered with the jitters, but when I get up I am o.k. Happens during the day too. Can't take a nap..keep getting the jitters. I don't want to keep taking Xanax & it does help for a while, then I get the jitters after it wears off.I have been on both meds for 7 weeks & these symptoms of the jitters didn't start until I started them. I took Zoloft some years back & it never effected me like this before, so I don't know if it is still my anxiety,medication side effects &/or APnea
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1355118 tn?1298564879
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi, from your history it suggests that you are having Sleep-disordered breathing. It is important to rule out type of sleep apnea like Obstructive apnea, Central apnea and Mixed apnea. You need to undergo tests to rule out the type of apnea.

Few of the tests include Apnea index, Apnea-hypopnea index, Respiratory disturbance index, Desaturation and Arousal index.

If the tests are suggestive of sleep apnea the treatment in the form of supplemental oxygen and drugs like acetazolamide and theophylline against prescription are promising.

I suggest you to consult sleep specialist for further evaluation and treatment accordingly. Take care and regards.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It sounds like you may have sleep apnea.  As you sleep your airway closes partially and sometimes completely.  When you stop breathing, your brain tells you to cough, etc. so that you will start breathing again.  As you start this coughing/choking, you wake up and start breathing normally again.  If you are a snorer, that would be another indication of sleep apnea though not all people with sleep apnea snore.  It is important that you get this checked out soon.  In addition to the fact that you could just stop breathing while sleeping and not start again, this also causes various health issue, like high blood pressure, because your brain and other organs are deprived of the oxygen they need while your airway is partially or completely blocked.  You need to have a sleep test done.  You will go to a sleep center where they will monitor you while you sleep.  They can determine how severe this is and what exactly needs to be done about it.  You may need a CPAP or BIPAP machine while you sleep.  Sometimes losing weight or having your tonsils out, etc. can help this problem as well.  I would talk to a neurologist or an ENT.
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