Why Does This Happen?

Forgive me if i'm repeating i did not go through and read all the answers. I was going to say that you might have sleep apnea, My mother just went through the not breathing and choking spells and she had them nightly. She talked to her dr and she was tested and now she wears a by pap machine. She just wears a mask when she sleeps. She hasn;t had any problems since then. She said she noticed a huge difference in her sleeping! It may not be that you have sleep apnea but it sounds like it's definantly something that doesn't need to be ignored. I hope this helps! good luck with everything...

I have a post nasal drip allergic reaction to food and airborne mold and dustmites. It starts with a drip in my
throat (a tickle) which I then start to cough. Then my throat closes and I have to concentrate on breathing. This is called anaphylaxis.
Read about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphylaxis
I carry an epi pen with me at all times but have never
had to use it, but came close. If you use the epi pen to
open up your airways, you still must go to the emergency
room. Very very scary. An episode last up to 5 minutes
for me. Good luck

Please talk with your Dr. This could be caused by several issues, but it really would be best to talk with a professional. My husband began activity during the night that he wasn't aware of, which only increased in frequency and duration. Simple reason could be stress / anxiety; but check it out as there are other possible issues. God be with you.

sounds like sleep apnea. I would go and get a sleep test and see what is happening. If it is apnea that can cause stokes b/c your brain is not getting enough oxygen. Hope you can find out what it is and get it fixed. Apnea is easy to fix witha machine that you sleep with. It runs on my husbands side of the family and they sleep so much better now that they can breath all night long and are resting better than they ever have. Best of luck to you!

This has happened to me a few times before, but never while sleeping. I've been talking or laughing and all of a sudden it's like I'm choking, throat burns, can't breathe in or out. I think it may be stomach acid/reflux coming back up and burning throat or cutting off the air passage. I've never spoken to a doctor about it. What I found works is to TALK, try to take a deep breathe in and just start talking to make your breathe go out...and stay calm. After a minute or two it goes away. Since it happens to you at night, maybe try eating earlier or not eating high acid foods in the evening. ??? Hope this helps! Best of luck and hope you start getting more sleep!

This too has happened to me and I've found that it's caused by my allergies. If I fail to take my medication then I will wake up with the not being able to breathe syndrome and then as I sit up, start choking. Of course it could be sleep apnea or anxiety but you should definitely try the allergies meds. I also found that they were so bad I had to take pills and a spray and if I even missed a dose it could still happen. Good luck and hopefully its nothing really serious.

This sounds like the same thing that my father in law does and he went to the doctor and it has to do with his acid reflux. You need to go see a doctor about it because it could be the same thing or some type of sleep disorder.

Any other symptoms like sweating? Could this be panic attacks?

Hi I would say you need to see a Doctor. there can be several things that cause this.. but get it checked out and it might be something simple for you to do...but do get checked out as there are other things as the other responses say.. better be safe and get help now before it goes too long...if anything do it for your children... Be Blessed in 2009.. S.

You may have sleep apnea and should be tested by a specialist immediately. If you have to spend one night away from home to be monitored over night, DO IT!! Your life could depend on it. You may not have the normal symptoms, like being a man, being overweight, etc., but get tested. If your doctor doesn't send you somewhere, find a place on your own. There are clinics that do just testing. Ask around, look in the phone book, call different doctor offices and ask. But do it!!

J.

I would definitely have this checked out. It could be anxiety but having kids, I would see someone to rule out sleep apnea as well as seizures. Seizures manifest themselves in crazy ways and can sometimes happen only while people are sleeping (has something to do with the type of brain activity we have while in a deep sleep). I knew this before hand but I actually caught an episode of Mystery Diagnosis last night where a little girl was waking up to throw up in the middle of the night. Her mom said the girl wouldn't remember it happening once she was fully awakened. It started mysteriously and lasted months before anyone figured it out. I would pursue this. Especially since you are unable to breathe. Good luck! Hopefully it's just something random and easy to fix.

It sounds to me that you may have a rare sleep disorder. I cannot think of the name of it but my father actually has something similar. The difference with my father is when he cannot breath his body also goes paralyzed. He's not even able open his eyes. He has to force himself to go back to sleep and wake back up. It's like his brain wakes up but his body is still asleep. He had to go to a sleep clinic and doctor. They put him on some medication and it hasn't happened in a couple of years. It was happening 1-2 times a week. I've had something very similar happen to me a few times. I feel like I'm being suffucated, and unable to breath but I'm able to open my eyes. The rest of my body will not move no matter how hard I try. I would go to a doctor and sleep clinic.

You should talk to your doctor, perhaps it's Asthma or Anxiety ? I hope you start feeling better!

Go to this website http://www.sleepdoctor.com/. Dr. David Duhon is an excellant resource for this life-threatening symptom. I use a CPAP and so does my hubby. Great improvement in sleep pattern in both of us noted.

You might have sleep apnea. You need to go to a specialist and get checked out. Sleep apnea can be serious. You can have a heart attack or stroke if left untreated. My 45 year old son has it and hasn't done anything about it because of no medical insurance. He is taking a big chance. Good luck! J.

Sounds like you may have sleep apnea. I would contact a sleep specialists and get yourself checked out.

see a neurologist it could be myasthenia gravis

Tell your Dr. he might want you to have a sleep test. This might be the answer.

Hi it sound like you are dealing with a form of sleep apnea.
The danger is that your oxygenation is decreased during a period of time while you sleep. You must visit your family doctor and let him know this so that he can assess your sleep pattern and give you his valued opinion of what is require to aid in your knowing the why's of why it happens as well as stopping it from occuring. God's Speed.