Waking up gasping

[1gear]

I've had this a few times now. I wake up in the night gasping for air, not being able to breathe. I'm sucking in air in a panic but from what I can tell its just going into my stomach because once I finally breathe it feels like I want to be sick. I go to be sick and all I do is some large burps.
Quite frightening when it's happening
Any ideas what's causing it?

[bumper]

Have you upset your better half?

[caerau]

Asthma?

Failing that  - go to the doctor!

[1gear]

Not got asthma, or not that I know of. 
Not got a er indoors either, but I sleep in the lorry so I can't say it's someone else either!! Unless I believed in ghosts.

[Peter]

Anxiety attacks?  You can have them without thinking you've got a cause.  Go to the doctor.  It may be nothing to worry about - but until you find out, you'll....worry!

Good luck.

[Bledlow]

Do you have any other symptoms? Shortness of breath when exercising? Chest pains? Headaches?

Breathing can become disrupted by illness and/or stress, & the disruption can become self-sustaining. If that's the problem, it can be dealt with: in my case it was cured by breathing exercises (weeks of bloody hard work, but entirely effective) taught by a specialist respiratory physiotherapist*. The success rate for that treatment is very high.


If set off by anxiety, once it's started the attacks themselves can cause enough anxiety to trigger more attacks, & then you don't need any anxiety to keep them going because your body's been screwed up by the disrupted breathing . . . 


*A keen cyclist, so she understood why I was keen to get back on my bike. Ditto for the consultant who sent me to her.

[clarion]

Could be reflux.

[mrcharly-YHT]

That was my thought.

Acid reflux can cause a 'floppy' esophagus, which then closes off your windpipe.  This can happen when asleep or awake and is really unpleasant.

Go to a doc and get a diagnosis.

[citoyen]

This condition is called sleep apnoea, and it can be caused by a number of things.

Are you overweight? This can be a factor. I used to suffer terribly from sleep apnoea, with exactly the same symptoms you describe, until I lost weight (I've also stopped snoring nearly so much).

Do you suffer from hayfever? This can be another factor, especially at this time of year.

Worth getting a proper medical diagnosis. You may be given a device to attach to your finger overnight, which measures the oxygen level in your blood. If the diagnosis is obstructive sleep apnoea, you can get CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) devices that keep your airways open while you sleep.

[citoyen]

Could be reflux.

AIUI, sleep apnoea and reflux often occur at the same time but aren't causally related.

[Biggsy]

Anything, even a drop of saliva, can set off spasm of the oesophagus for me.  It's important to make yourself relax to get your breathing back to normal.

I would've thought you'd taste acid if acid reflux was the trigger, but you should see a doctor if you do suspect acid reflex.  Adverts for indigestion remedies make it seem normal, but it's not normal.  It can be a symptom of something more serious.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I would've thought you'd taste acid if acid reflux was the trigger,

Not necessarily.
For me it turned out that I was getting constant acid reflux. I knew it was happening sometimes, but not all the time (because I couldn't taste it). It eroded away my teeth and my breathing was very severely affected. It's really something that needs looking at by a doctor. Simple digestion issues are easily dealt with, but acid reflux could be caused by something more serious.

[1gear]

I do sometimes get an indigestion type thing, or at least a slight strange feeling like indigestion.
There's no set times that it happens, but for the past couple of weeks I've been eating shit. I'm not overweight, but I have got a bit of extra chub on me.
I've googled acid reflex and it says one of the problems could be too much alcohol. Which could make sence as the past 3 nights I've been down the pub having a few pints.

Maybe this was the reason But I'm sure it's happened when I've not drank.

[uphillbothways]

What Citroyen says. Waking up gasping for breath is a major warning sign of sleep apnoea, especially if you're middle-aged and/or have a thick neck. Get yourself to the doctors, apnoea can do terrible things to your health and quality of life if left untreated.