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Heart or breathing stops during sleep?
I am having a problem where my heart or breathing stops after I've fallen asleep, and I wake up panicking. I've tried to include as many details as possible.
I first experienced this on a business trip. I went to China for the first time in February, 15 hour plane ride and 12 hours time difference. I took 5 or 6 Dramamine during the trip so that I wouldn't get sick and slept the whole way. So after arriving, I felt on schedule; I fell asleep at night and woke up in the morning. But in the evening, I would get this "weak" feeling in my chest, similar to what I feel when I have bouts of heart palpitations. It felt as if my heart was slowing down or skipping more often the more I fell asleep, and then after I fully fell asleep, I started waking up in the middle of the night feeling as though my heart had stopped, and was pretty terrified. I think I had panic attacks right after I woke up, which I have never had before. I think I had one during dinner one day, too. I felt as though I could not let myself fall asleep or I would never wake up again, and so I would jerk myself awake all the time (like trying to not to fall asleep in an early morning class in college).
They took me to the Chinese hospital, which did an EKG and a blood test, and said I'm fine, though I don't know how far to trust them. (And of course my heart never skips while someone is watching it. Only when no one is around.) I have had EKGs in the past to look at the heart palpitations, and they didn't show anything, either. (I have been getting palpitations for a few years, either a "skipped beat" while beginning to exhale or a fast heavy beat that feels like THUMPTHUMPTHUMP instead of THU-thump .. THU-thump .. THU-thump.) My brother gets premature ventricular contractions, so I wouldn't be surprised if I do, too. They gave me Chinese xanax, anti-psychotic, antibiotics, and ginseng. The anti-psychotic helped to relax me. I tried to go to sleep early that night, but woke up suddenly again and was in a trembly panic state, so I took the pink pill, and warm calmness washed through my body, but it made me feel drugged and strange and I only took it once. The Chinese xanax seemed to help, so we thought maybe it was just stress, but the same thing happened while recovering from jet lag at home, too, when I was not stressed. My mother's doctor said that sometimes people get sleep apnea from the pollution in China, but it's been happening since I got back, too. While riding in the limo home, I would doze off and be woken by the tingling sensation in my hands.
Since then, it has been happening more and more often, though, just at home. I am not sure if it is my heart that has problems or if it is my breathing, since I am fast asleep when it happens. Sometimes I wake up and feel as though my body has "forgotten" to inhale, and I breathe in deeply a lot in a panic to try to counteract it. Other times I am woken up by my heart fluttering or skipping, though maybe this is caused by the lack of breathing? I don't know much about medicine, but my impression is that my body's normal system for regulating breathing has stopped, I breathe out and it never tells my lungs to breathe in again, and then my body parts panic from the lack of oxygen and wake me up with some kind of chemical signal since the normal nervous system paths aren't working correctly. I feel a strange emptiness or numbness in my left hand and right foot, kind of like pins and needles from poor circulation, but not really. It still feels strange half an hour after I woke up. I went to bed around 1 AM, probably fell asleep around 1:30 AM, and then woke up suddenly around 3 AM. If I intentionally breathe out and never breathe back in again ("hold my breath out"), I get the normal reflex of feeling a need to breathe in, so I don't know how this could actually happen during sleep.
I am 26, 6 feet tall, 155 lb. This is certainly not the kind of apnea where your throat gets blocked. I don't smoke, don't drink caffeine, don't do drugs, and drink alcohol rarely. My heart rate an hour after I woke up suddenly (4 AM) is 72 beats per minute. I don't really feel lightheaded when I wake up. I often have anxiety of various forms. I do spend the majority of my time on the Internet on a laptop, probably with poor posture, bending my neck at odd angles (is there ANY good posture for laptop use? probably not.) I try to exercise, but only do a little. Running on an elliptical for half an hour maybe once a week, lifting small weights and doing sit ups maybe twice a week.
It seems to happen more often if I go to bed late and if I don't eat enough dinner (bad habit from procrastination, I sometimes ignore it, go to bed hungry, and eat more in the morning so that I don't have digestion problems while sleeping).
I know I should see a doctor about this, but I apparently have some kind of doctor phobia. I went to the doctor just last week about a puncture wound in my toe, and fully intended to ask about the sleep problem during the same visit, but chickened out while sitting in his office. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't want to die in my sleep.
I first experienced this on a business trip. I went to China for the first time in February, 15 hour plane ride and 12 hours time difference. I took 5 or 6 Dramamine during the trip so that I wouldn't get sick and slept the whole way. So after arriving, I felt on schedule; I fell asleep at night and woke up in the morning. But in the evening, I would get this "weak" feeling in my chest, similar to what I feel when I have bouts of heart palpitations. It felt as if my heart was slowing down or skipping more often the more I fell asleep, and then after I fully fell asleep, I started waking up in the middle of the night feeling as though my heart had stopped, and was pretty terrified. I think I had panic attacks right after I woke up, which I have never had before. I think I had one during dinner one day, too. I felt as though I could not let myself fall asleep or I would never wake up again, and so I would jerk myself awake all the time (like trying to not to fall asleep in an early morning class in college).
They took me to the Chinese hospital, which did an EKG and a blood test, and said I'm fine, though I don't know how far to trust them. (And of course my heart never skips while someone is watching it. Only when no one is around.) I have had EKGs in the past to look at the heart palpitations, and they didn't show anything, either. (I have been getting palpitations for a few years, either a "skipped beat" while beginning to exhale or a fast heavy beat that feels like THUMPTHUMPTHUMP instead of THU-thump .. THU-thump .. THU-thump.) My brother gets premature ventricular contractions, so I wouldn't be surprised if I do, too. They gave me Chinese xanax, anti-psychotic, antibiotics, and ginseng. The anti-psychotic helped to relax me. I tried to go to sleep early that night, but woke up suddenly again and was in a trembly panic state, so I took the pink pill, and warm calmness washed through my body, but it made me feel drugged and strange and I only took it once. The Chinese xanax seemed to help, so we thought maybe it was just stress, but the same thing happened while recovering from jet lag at home, too, when I was not stressed. My mother's doctor said that sometimes people get sleep apnea from the pollution in China, but it's been happening since I got back, too. While riding in the limo home, I would doze off and be woken by the tingling sensation in my hands.
Since then, it has been happening more and more often, though, just at home. I am not sure if it is my heart that has problems or if it is my breathing, since I am fast asleep when it happens. Sometimes I wake up and feel as though my body has "forgotten" to inhale, and I breathe in deeply a lot in a panic to try to counteract it. Other times I am woken up by my heart fluttering or skipping, though maybe this is caused by the lack of breathing? I don't know much about medicine, but my impression is that my body's normal system for regulating breathing has stopped, I breathe out and it never tells my lungs to breathe in again, and then my body parts panic from the lack of oxygen and wake me up with some kind of chemical signal since the normal nervous system paths aren't working correctly. I feel a strange emptiness or numbness in my left hand and right foot, kind of like pins and needles from poor circulation, but not really. It still feels strange half an hour after I woke up. I went to bed around 1 AM, probably fell asleep around 1:30 AM, and then woke up suddenly around 3 AM. If I intentionally breathe out and never breathe back in again ("hold my breath out"), I get the normal reflex of feeling a need to breathe in, so I don't know how this could actually happen during sleep.
I am 26, 6 feet tall, 155 lb. This is certainly not the kind of apnea where your throat gets blocked. I don't smoke, don't drink caffeine, don't do drugs, and drink alcohol rarely. My heart rate an hour after I woke up suddenly (4 AM) is 72 beats per minute. I don't really feel lightheaded when I wake up. I often have anxiety of various forms. I do spend the majority of my time on the Internet on a laptop, probably with poor posture, bending my neck at odd angles (is there ANY good posture for laptop use? probably not.) I try to exercise, but only do a little. Running on an elliptical for half an hour maybe once a week, lifting small weights and doing sit ups maybe twice a week.
It seems to happen more often if I go to bed late and if I don't eat enough dinner (bad habit from procrastination, I sometimes ignore it, go to bed hungry, and eat more in the morning so that I don't have digestion problems while sleeping).
I know I should see a doctor about this, but I apparently have some kind of doctor phobia. I went to the doctor just last week about a puncture wound in my toe, and fully intended to ask about the sleep problem during the same visit, but chickened out while sitting in his office. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't want to die in my sleep.
I am Anna. 12 years old. Born in 2002. When I am asleep I suddenly woke up because I felt that my heart skipped a beat. Then I woke up trying to catch my breath from shock. I'm so scared. I'm turning 13 this April 27, 2015. And one time I'm sleeping in the afternoon then my presence of mind suddenly woke up then I tried to open my eyes, but I can see only blurred surroundings then I cant feel my arms, so I tried to move. But I can't move at all. I'm super scared and don't know what to do. Please help me.
I have been experiencing this same thing for about 10 months. It only happens when I am asleep but I suddenly wake up with the feeling that my heart has stopped beating and that I am dying. I do not believe it is sleep apnea because I do not wake up panting or breathing heavy as one would with oxygen deficiency.
I think it is due to my high blood pressure medicine. I take Lisinopril. I took 5mg per day for years but at the beginning of 2014 I had a period of high blood pressure and my doctor upped the dosage to 10mg. This is when I started experiencing this. I asked the doctor to give me another prescription for 5mg and he said only if I want to have high blood pressure again. I have tried splitting the pills in half but they are tiny.
Like some have said I'm convinced my doctor thinks I'm a hypochondriac so I hesitate to say too much to him. Anyway, he never has more than about 10 minutes to spend with me. He seems to be under some quota to see a certain number of patients per day.
I think it is due to my high blood pressure medicine. I take Lisinopril. I took 5mg per day for years but at the beginning of 2014 I had a period of high blood pressure and my doctor upped the dosage to 10mg. This is when I started experiencing this. I asked the doctor to give me another prescription for 5mg and he said only if I want to have high blood pressure again. I have tried splitting the pills in half but they are tiny.
Like some have said I'm convinced my doctor thinks I'm a hypochondriac so I hesitate to say too much to him. Anyway, he never has more than about 10 minutes to spend with me. He seems to be under some quota to see a certain number of patients per day.
1 Comments
Switch doctors!
Unless he's a psychologist its not his field to tell you or anyone that. But surely he wouldn't be so unprofessional to speak about patients this way. Maybe a new doctor?
I would like to know your outcome, as I was having heart palpitations last night and woke up in the middle of night trying to breath and couldn't. I have had this only a couple times before this one. This one was the worst. it came with sleep paralyis in the past.
One thing about doctors that I've learned is that it is all a guessing game and the last doctor I saw told me that my guess was better than theirs. Really. So...if you think he have something make them test you for it. Make them earn their education. If their bed side manner is not to your liking see someone else.
I would like to know your outcome, as I was having heart palpitations last night and woke up in the middle of night trying to breath and couldn't. I have had this only a couple times before this one. This one was the worst. it came with sleep paralyis in the past.
One thing about doctors that I've learned is that it is all a guessing game and the last doctor I saw told me that my guess was better than theirs. Really. So...if you think he have something make them test you for it. Make them earn their education. If their bed side manner is not to your liking see someone else.
I am 18 and I am having the same thing it just started one month ago and I am thinking about going to the doctor today. when I was born I had a hole in my heart but it was supposed to close and having been to the doc to check on it I do know if this could have something t9 do with it people are saying its anxiety but I wanna be sure Cruz coronary heart disease runs in my family and the symptoms I'm having says it could be that or arrythmias
I'm currently not seeing a psychologist and not taking any other anti depressant meds, but I am taking xanax as needed to calm my brain down. In someway it does help. Its a fast acting agent, you feel it in about 10 min. I still have my anxiety problems, just try to deal with it as it comes. If it gets any worst, I will have to go back and see a psychologist against.
Oh, I also forgot to mention, I had many panic attack over the last few years, almost blackout a few times on the freeway while driving that just hit me. So be careful.
Oh by the way, you need to find a doctor that really is on your side and willing to work with you, otherwise its going to be so much more stressful and not good for your health. So if you doctor thinks you are hopeless or helpless, you need a different doctor
Oh, I also forgot to mention, I had many panic attack over the last few years, almost blackout a few times on the freeway while driving that just hit me. So be careful.
Oh by the way, you need to find a doctor that really is on your side and willing to work with you, otherwise its going to be so much more stressful and not good for your health. So if you doctor thinks you are hopeless or helpless, you need a different doctor
I wish I have come across this post sooner, I been having multiple similar issue lingering around for years. Been to ER many times for short of breath, chest pain, chest discomfort, heart palpitations, and many other problems. I have to. Say I have a PCP that is very supportive. He sent me to see who ever is necessary to get things fix as much as possible.
I also been traveling to China for many times and also been in the Chinese hospital many times. If I have any major problems while I'm there, I make a trip out to hong Kong for more advance medical treatment. Also been hospitalize in hong Kong a couple of time for about 3 days and many times to the hospital ER in hong Kong as well.
After a few ER visit, got all kinds of test, ECG, stress test, echo, xray, all came back normal. I was diagnosis with anxiety and panic disorder. I was refer to see a psychologist because its the mind that is causing many problems. My main issues are constantly worrying about something, many what-if questions, fear of death, fear of heart attack and heart problems, which in return caused me to be extremely nervous, pounding heart, chest pain, sleepless, etc. I was put on Prozac in the beginning, which it seem to do the job for a period of time. Took the med for a year and was better for another, than everything came back again, just as bad as the first time it happen. Back to ER I go, more workup, this time even a cardiologist did a angiogram on my heart to look for blockage in arteries and I was good.
So back to see a psychology I go, this time a different doctor. He gives me paxil, been seeming him for a good 2 years, didn't really seem to improve things. Over the time, my anxiety slow down, but I didn't felt the med was doing more than it already did. So current I stop taking it all together. Had to cut down slowly otherwise there is a major withdrawal.
At the same time, with that many trip to ER, I was also following a cardiologist for the last 4-5 years already. My cardiologist is very good, he will do a stress test, a echo and other test once a year. I even had a holter on for 48 hours and a event monitor on for a month to monitor my heart activities. Since I have high blood pressures and other health problems that could or couldn't effect the heart, my cardiologist thinks it's best he keep an eye out for me.
I have to say, over the few years with major anxiety and panic disorder, it has completely ruin my life style. Thou as any doctor will assure you, anxiety will not cause any life danger, but it sure can ruin your life.
Oh, by the way, that sleeping issue everyone has, I also have the same thing. It is bad. As soon as I'm cross between awake and sleep, it felt like a shock, spasm, felt like my heart stop and restart, or felt like I stop breathing and waking up gasping for air. Its goes all night and can not fall asleep at all. I'm thinking I might need to see a sleeping specialist. Its very frustrating, so tire in the day and can't sleep in the night.
I also been traveling to China for many times and also been in the Chinese hospital many times. If I have any major problems while I'm there, I make a trip out to hong Kong for more advance medical treatment. Also been hospitalize in hong Kong a couple of time for about 3 days and many times to the hospital ER in hong Kong as well.
After a few ER visit, got all kinds of test, ECG, stress test, echo, xray, all came back normal. I was diagnosis with anxiety and panic disorder. I was refer to see a psychologist because its the mind that is causing many problems. My main issues are constantly worrying about something, many what-if questions, fear of death, fear of heart attack and heart problems, which in return caused me to be extremely nervous, pounding heart, chest pain, sleepless, etc. I was put on Prozac in the beginning, which it seem to do the job for a period of time. Took the med for a year and was better for another, than everything came back again, just as bad as the first time it happen. Back to ER I go, more workup, this time even a cardiologist did a angiogram on my heart to look for blockage in arteries and I was good.
So back to see a psychology I go, this time a different doctor. He gives me paxil, been seeming him for a good 2 years, didn't really seem to improve things. Over the time, my anxiety slow down, but I didn't felt the med was doing more than it already did. So current I stop taking it all together. Had to cut down slowly otherwise there is a major withdrawal.
At the same time, with that many trip to ER, I was also following a cardiologist for the last 4-5 years already. My cardiologist is very good, he will do a stress test, a echo and other test once a year. I even had a holter on for 48 hours and a event monitor on for a month to monitor my heart activities. Since I have high blood pressures and other health problems that could or couldn't effect the heart, my cardiologist thinks it's best he keep an eye out for me.
I have to say, over the few years with major anxiety and panic disorder, it has completely ruin my life style. Thou as any doctor will assure you, anxiety will not cause any life danger, but it sure can ruin your life.
Oh, by the way, that sleeping issue everyone has, I also have the same thing. It is bad. As soon as I'm cross between awake and sleep, it felt like a shock, spasm, felt like my heart stop and restart, or felt like I stop breathing and waking up gasping for air. Its goes all night and can not fall asleep at all. I'm thinking I might need to see a sleeping specialist. Its very frustrating, so tire in the day and can't sleep in the night.
1 Comments
Hi,
Even though your post is from 4 years ago, maybe you'll receive my post. I have had the sleeping problem for years. I got the sleeping test and found to have bad sleep apnea. They tried the CPAP machine but I get "claustrophobic" wearing those masks. I didn't pay attention to the doctor's advise and years later starting to wake up from my sleep wheezing, gasping for air! That's scary!..I was advised to get the CPAP machine or otherwise the heart will be affected. Seven years or so have happened and now the condition is even worse. No other choice but to get the machine and get used to it. Now the next step is the cardiologist to complete the treatment. By the way, I have been getting the panick attacks where I feel like am dying, fainting, short of breath...is awful. Once I get the tests at the hospital, they send me home with a "panic attack, anxiety diagnosis...
Even though your post is from 4 years ago, maybe you'll receive my post. I have had the sleeping problem for years. I got the sleeping test and found to have bad sleep apnea. They tried the CPAP machine but I get "claustrophobic" wearing those masks. I didn't pay attention to the doctor's advise and years later starting to wake up from my sleep wheezing, gasping for air! That's scary!..I was advised to get the CPAP machine or otherwise the heart will be affected. Seven years or so have happened and now the condition is even worse. No other choice but to get the machine and get used to it. Now the next step is the cardiologist to complete the treatment. By the way, I have been getting the panick attacks where I feel like am dying, fainting, short of breath...is awful. Once I get the tests at the hospital, they send me home with a "panic attack, anxiety diagnosis...
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