wake up gasping for air during sleep

[Skyfall33]

On rare occasions, about once every two months on average, I go to sleep at night and wake up suddenly from deep sleep gasping for air.

This has been quite scary on most occasions when this occurs, as I literally cannot breathe and wake up gasping to try to breath and sit up in bed in a fit of panic to try to get as much air into my lungs as possible. It is very frightening when this happens and I have trouble going back to sleep afterwards.

I typically sleep on stomach or on my left side but think I am lying on my back when I have this breathing issue.

[Skyfall33]

Thank you for your reply, I was scared it was that. My mother has sleep apnea but she is very over weight. I am very slim and run regularly.

I had my thyroid removed 2 years ago because of cancer. I wonder if this caused any problem?

I will see a doctor this week to find out.

Kind regards,


Mo

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi, considering your symptoms of wakefulness after sleeping with breathlessness, it is most likely that you may be having Obstructive Sleep Apnea. When a person sleeps the airways are usually patent allowing normal passage for air entry. The upper airway that is at the region of the tongue and the soft palate is the most compliant (soft) part. So, this is liable to collapse and cause airway obstruction. I would advise you to consult a sleep specialist who would assess with first a sleep questionnaire, and then he may ask for a polysomnogram, which is an overnight sleep study as this helps to detect the apneas. Regards.