Does anyone suddenly gasp for air when falling asleep?
Posted , 10 users are following.
For months now I’ve had this thing where I’m trying to go to sleep & just as I’m switching from awake to asleep I suddenly bolt upright & gasp for air. Sometimes it feels like I’ve forgotten to breath, sometimes it feels like my breathing has become shallow but I’m not really sure. When I bolt upright to gasp I’m so scared & I have this rush of panic. When I finally wake up after sleeping it happens if I try to get back to sleep too. It’s also started happening in the day when I’m concentrating on things like reading an article or if I’m engrossed with something it’s like I’ve forgot to breath & suddenly gasp. Sometimes it’s like a heart shock or palpitation that makes me breath again, sometimes I just suddenly gasp. It’s given me panic disorder, I’ve started becoming really anxious, feeling scared one day I’ll suffocate or won’t wake up. I’m scared to fall asleep now. I didn’t have panic attacks before this and I used to love my sleep and naps. Now I’m so sleep deprived I can’t function anymore. Also, sometimes when it happens I get like this surge of energy in my head just before I can get a breath.
0 likes, 14 replies
MILAO Greengumdrop
Edited
Yep I have the exact same & I HATE it! I also feel like I stop breathing or my heart has just stopped. Then I freak out and start having a panic attack where my heart goes wild! I used to look forward to my sleep every night and used to fall as soon as my head hit the pillow. Now I DREAD going to sleep and know I will be in for a bumpy ride. It is the absolute worst and the night time panic attacks are a different level
Greengumdrop MILAO
Edited
Thanks for your reply. I'm so sorry you're going through this too. How long has it been happening to you? I was just watching a movie & I got really tired & just as I almost drifted off I gasped. Now i'm gasping every 30 seconds when i try to fall yo sleep so I'm just gonna try & keep myself awake now as its too distressing to try & fall asleep. I also feel like my heart stops too, it's awful.
I wonder what the hell it is we have? I cant find anything about it online.
MILAO Greengumdrop
Posted
I get it whenever my anxiety reaches an all time high. It is caused by very high stress and anxiety, basically your nervous system does not want you to sleep as it deems it as being "unsafe" to sleep so tries to wake you up to be alert for any threats etc. The only thing that eventually stops mine is an SSRI medication. It isn't fun at all, but mine eventually faded away once my anxiety and stress lessen! It is always s sign for me that my anxiety is getting too high when it starts happening. It is actually very common
Greengumdrop MILAO
Posted
I was worrying that I had something really wrong with me. If it is anxiety then it gives me hope that it'll go away one day then.
G777 Greengumdrop
Posted
I get exactly this when i'm running at high anxiety levels, doctor has told me not to worry about it. (easy to say!)
I know how terrifying and annoying it is, try getting out of bed and maybe going to another room with a book for 20 minutes when it happens or do some breathing exercises and re-set things. when your overall anxiety levels come under control this will improve! also I tried some Valerian root extract before bed which seemed to help me.
joanna61459 Greengumdrop
Posted
I've had exactly the same thing for nearly 2 weeks now and it's getting worse. I hardly had any sleep last night. Everytime I could feel myself drifting off to sleep, I would suddenly gasp. The odd thing is that my breathing feels OK when it happens. It mostly happens when I'm trying to fall asleep but it also wakes me up sometimes. I also have random twitching before falling asleep in my fingers, toes and sometimes my face. It's all very distressing and I just want it to stop. Just wondering if you ever found out what was causing it.
Magrubber joanna61459
Posted
Remember to do when stress and anxiety are interrupting your sleep cycle:
Don't give up hope, it will pass and you will be fine. It happens to me and a lot of people i know, so it nothing new and your not alone.
joanna61459 Magrubber
Posted
Thank you so much for your reply and for all your helpful advice. I have seen a neurologist in the past for other symptoms and my GP has contacted them for advice. I have been diagnosed with RLS, PLMD and BFS. It's just that these are new symptoms. I'm taking prescription iron to increase my ferritin level as the Neurologist said it should be at least 75 to help with RLS. I already take L- Theanine but not sure if it helps. I also take magnesium but will look into electrolytes. I will also look into Calm and will try getting out of bed to break the cycle. Thank you again for your advice and comforting words.
larry49515 joanna61459
Posted
I have been having inspiratory gasps/sighs during sleep, they happen mostly when I am just about to fall asleep. All what I have read lead to Multiple System Atrophy. I really hope I am wrong. Where you able to find the cause? are you cured?
MattHockey43 larry49515
Posted
Larry,
ive been experiencing those as well, right when Im about to fall asleep. I know it is tempting but try to stay away from Dr. Google as it will only aliment your anxiety and make it worse. Convincing yourself that everything is fine is hard to do but necessary in your recovery process. You are not alone in this.
Wishing you all the best
atz0000 Greengumdrop
Posted
this is the reason why i decided to make a patient account. my breathing anxiety was through the roof in december to the point i started seeking counseling. that didn't work because i felt like i was lying to myself, i have gone to three different types of doctors within the last 6 months (ent, internal medicine, pulmonologist) neither of them could find anything wrong. it does get better because i feel as long as you recognise it's anxiety and try not to worry, it goes a long way even though it's hard. currently i was trying to sleep and my heart suddenly beat so hard and i jolted awake haha. i empathise with you, and i hope you feel better with time.
mika65308 Greengumdrop
Posted
Do you still have this or found a solution? I have this too, sometimes it goes away for a period of time. The weird thing is it might keep you awake for hours but it ALWAYS stops in the early hours of the morning and you finally fall asleep. This used to give me horrible insomnia. I thought it was sleep apnea first, but it doesnt feel like it. its more like your heart stops or something. And the gasp is somehow automatic reflex to something. It might have something to do with CNS central nervous system, because if i do hard workouts lifting weights, it gets worse when going to sleep the same night. I suspect anxiety and CNS, because i was once using SSRI medication and it went away.
larry49515 mika65308
Posted
I have been having inspiratory gasps/sighs during sleep, they happen mostly when I am just about to fall asleep. All what I have read leads to Multiple System Atrophy. Where you able to find the cause? are you cured?
larry49515 Greengumdrop
Posted
I have been having inspiratory gasps/sighs during sleep, they happen mostly when I am just about to fall asleep. All what I have read leads to Multiple System Atrophy. Where you able to find the cause? are you cured?