Posted , 5 users are following.
I took a sleep aid the other night and woke up an hour into it a little shortness of breath, heart pounding and slightly rapid. Has anyone had this experience while on a sleep aid? I'm curious what caused me to wake up. Could it be sleep apnea? I also wake up with my heart pounding (not fast) in the late morning.
2 likes, 9 replies
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lily65668 nickz711
Posted
Hi Nick, This is almost certainly sleep apnoea. However, don't panic! Just about everyone has an occasional attack of sleep apnoea and it's completely harmless. If this is happening a lot, if you're getting excessive daytime sleepiness or if your blood pressure is going up, you should consult a doctor and ask to be referred to a sleep clinic, just for a check-up.
Common causes of sleep apnoea are: gender - more common in males than females below menopausal age; being overweight; build - people who are thickset with a thick neck; and age - the chances increase with increasing age, especially in women. It can, however, affect people of either gender and any age, including those who aren't overweight or bull-necked. Some people are just made with narrow air passages, which can cause a problem when asleep. Snorers are more prone to sleep apnoea too, though the two don't automatically go together.
Whoah! I've just re-read your post and noticed for the first time that you say you took a "sleep aid". While all the foregoing still holds good, that could be a game changer. I'd strongly suggest you halve the dose of whatever it is you're taking. It may be that the medication is taking your level of consciousness a little too low, which could be enough to tip you over into sleep apnoea or make an existing minor problem worse. Alcohol can do the same thing, particularly if taken with any kind of sedative medication, in which case it can be dangerous.
nickz711 lily65668
Posted
Thank you for comments. The only thing is I don't snore and I weigh 165 pounds. Could it be drug-induced sleep apena?
nickz711
Posted
lily65668 nickz711
Posted
Yes! Like I said, you can still get sleep apnoea even if you don't fill any of the usual criteria. But if you don't get it when you don't take the medication, that's obviously what's causing it, or at least tipping you over from a mild tendency to sleep apnoea into the full-blown condition.
If you can't reduce the dose of the medication, you need to discuss this with the doctor who prescribed it. If it wasn't prescribed by a doctor and it's some kind of more "informal" medication, I'd say be very careful.
nickz711 lily65668
Posted
Thank you Lily. Well, when I don't take anything I still wake up a lot. Like on the hour or so and can't get to sleep until 1 or later, and wake up early. When I wake up not on any sleep aid I don't feel any shortness of breath and rapid heart. Only on sleep aids.
lily65668 nickz711
Posted
Well then, it's quite obvious these "sleep aids" are causing the problem, isn't it? You need to reduce the dose or try a different medication.
borderriever nickz711
Posted
Your awaking does happen, Has this happened before, if you have been taking sleeping tablets and wake up. Somtimes this can happen. Do you feel you were dreaming ?
See if it happens again
nickz711 borderriever
Posted
Yes, this has happened before on sleep aids. Like an hour or so in when the aid is at it's peak. I hate waking up at that time because you feel really out of it. I was dreaming at the time. I was running a race around a track and felt out of breath and rapid heart in the dream. Then woke up with the same.
borderriever nickz711
Posted
Explain your problems, How long have you been on your sleeping medication.
We are here for a chat if needed
BOB