breathing problems in my sleep

[saby801]

hi
i have breathing problems when i sleep like an attack and im struggling to breathe i think im gonna die! I suffer from trapped wind alot too! i dont know how to treat it i asked a doctor if it was sleep apnea but she said no i am scared something might happen to me when im asleep, the strange thing is i am half asleep and can hear what is happenig around the room sometimes even see alittle but i can seem to wake until i get my breathing under control! can someone help me?

[saby801]

I actually thought about the sleep study i will ask the doctor but not sure if they will refer me!thankyou :)

[nursegirl6572]

Hi there...there is a lot in your descriptions that would make me also be suspicious of sleep paralysis.  It can present differently in different people, but your experiences sure sound similar.

Definitely want to see your doctor and get checked out.  You may benefit from a sleep study!

Good luck!

[saby801]

i will see the doctor about the windpipe to see if could be a problem thankyou :)

[saby801]

I dont really have nightmares, but when i have it has not been the same night as a panic attack. I am in a half way sleep trying to wake up sounds crazy but sometimes i am in a dream and at the same time i can hear my children sat next to me i know this is actually happening because when i wake my children are in front of me and are talking away i can also see thm sometimes because my eyes are not fully shut, sometimes my breathing attack in my sleep is triggered by a thought of it happening when im half asleep. I did look up hypnagogic hallucinations but it didnt sound like what i had thankyou for that tho, as for the mental part even tho i have a very close family member who has schisophrenia i dont think it could be leading to that still could be some sort of mental issue tho that is something i may look up thankyou :) my father and his sister suffer from this too and i have had it since being young child but it has worsen over the last few years i dont really know the answer but my husband did find me a link that helps me to relate to it http://www.*********************.com/sleep-panic-attacks/   thank u for all feed back if this link doesnt help me maybe it can help some others.

[allmymarbles]

Could the problem be in your windpipe? Or are you possibly swallowing your tongue?

[benthic_man]

Anxiety manifests in so many ways! I don't get sleep paralysis, but I have visual hallucinations when  I first wake up from a bad dream (which is about once a night). Very unsettling, but with time and help, you learn how to deal.
       Panic attacks in your sleep are fairly common, and should be something that you talk about with your mental health professional.
        I sleep lightly due to the nature of my work, and when I'm home, my wife says that I sleep with my eyes open sometimes. Everything you're writing about points towards anxiety- if you're a hypochondriac, it's going to be hard to get your doc to listen, but so long as you can rule out physical causes, you should get a referral to see a mental health professional.

[frankenkittie]

Is this ever accompanied by nightmares? It sounds like sleep paralysis, maybe combined with a panic attack. I have severe panic disorder, and also suffer from "trapped wind" quite a bit. I think the anxiety somehow causes me to swallow too much air. GasX works for that pretty well, but as for the other, there is also something called hypnagogic hallucinations which you may want to read up on.