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Afraid To Go To Sleep

samking72

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samking72 Rookie
samking72
Posted

Last night is not the first time that this has happened...

I was so afraid to go to sleep last night because everytime I was almost asleep I would wake up gasping for air. After that it was like I had to tell my brain to breathe. My heart rate was getting faster and faster everytime I woke up. This has happened 4 times in the 6 weeks. Could it be stress related? Anxiety attack? Has anyone ever had this happen? I really thought I was going to die, no joke. I finally just shut down and obviously i made it through the night but this is making me really nervous that it has happened so many times in such a small window of time. Any ideas?

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Sarah8793 Enthusiast
Sarah8793
Posted
Last night is not the first time that this has happened...

I was so afraid to go to sleep last night because everytime I was almost asleep I would wake up gasping for air. After that it was like I had to tell my brain to breathe. My heart rate was getting faster and faster everytime I woke up. This has happened 4 times in the 6 weeks. Could it be stress related? Anxiety attack? Has anyone ever had this happen? I really thought I was going to die, no joke. I finally just shut down and obviously i made it through the night but this is making me really nervous that it has happened so many times in such a small window of time. Any ideas?

This has happened to me. And I was afraid to go back to sleep also. I was afraid I would stop breathing and never wake up. The only thing I have found connected to this is eating something with MSG in it or gluten. Since eliminating these it hasn't happened for awhile.

Sarah

MySuicidalTurtle Enthusiast
MySuicidalTurtle
Posted

You should definitely go see your doctor.

Nancym Enthusiast
Nancym
Posted

It sounds like sleep apnea, which can be deadly. Go see your doctor and insist on getting evaluated.

taz sharratt Enthusiast
taz sharratt
Posted
Last night is not the first time that this has happened...

I was so afraid to go to sleep last night because everytime I was almost asleep I would wake up gasping for air. After that it was like I had to tell my brain to breathe. My heart rate was getting faster and faster everytime I woke up. This has happened 4 times in the 6 weeks. Could it be stress related? Anxiety attack? Has anyone ever had this happen? I really thought I was going to die, no joke. I finally just shut down and obviously i made it through the night but this is making me really nervous that it has happened so many times in such a small window of time. Any ideas?

thats really frightening, you cant go without sleep you should go see your doctor.

plantime Contributor
plantime
Posted

I have that happen to me now and then. A sleep study determined that I have mild sleep apnea. As long as I do not sleep on my back, I am fine.

GFBetsy Rookie
GFBetsy
Posted

This happened to my DH while taking anti-depressants . .. could that be a contributing factor?

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lorka150 Collaborator
lorka150
Posted

i went through this forever until i went gluten-free. they did test after test and found nothing. i was horrified. i went to sleep clinics, but because they 'wake' you when you're there, it didn't happen because it happened when i awoke on my on.

they disappeared after i went gluten-free. i understand your fear. honestly, it was the scariest thing in the world.

are you newly gluten-free?

Lister Rising Star
Lister
Posted

i had the same thing for a while, but it would happen right before i fell asleep preventing me from going to sleep, over and over until i would just fall alseep.

i do belive mine where axiety related you should look into it, it seems to be worse on glutened days

Carriefaith Enthusiast
Carriefaith
Posted
Last night is not the first time that this has happened...

I was so afraid to go to sleep last night because everytime I was almost asleep I would wake up gasping for air. After that it was like I had to tell my brain to breathe. My heart rate was getting faster and faster everytime I woke up. This has happened 4 times in the 6 weeks. Could it be stress related? Anxiety attack? Has anyone ever had this happen? I really thought I was going to die, no joke. I finally just shut down and obviously i made it through the night but this is making me really nervous that it has happened so many times in such a small window of time. Any ideas?

You should go to your doctor for sure. Maybe you have an allergy? Those symptoms are similar to my food allergy symptoms. I get heart palpitations, heart pain, fast heart rate, trouble breathing, a feeling like my throat will close over, and hives or a rash.
ms-sillyak-screwed Enthusiast
ms-sillyak-screwed
Posted

-

Guest SusieQ
Guest SusieQ
Posted

As we age, and/or when we gain weight, the tissues in the throat can collapse somehow and stop our breathing. That is called sleep apnea.

I was exhausted for years. Thought it was part of my dx. of fibromyalgia. I think that dx. actually was gluten intolerance and sleep apnea now.

A person can wake up hundreds of times a night apparently, just awake enough to take a breath and go back to sleep. However, it interferes with sleep enough so that one doesn't get in to deep sleep and so you never wake up feeling rested.

Get the doc. to order a sleep study for you. If it comes up positive, then you would need a machine for breathing. Air rushes in and it keeps the throat from closing up. I'm very comfortable with mine. Didn't take me long to start feeling better with the machine.

It is really important to get it diagnosed and treated because it can affect ones health in so many ways. It can contribute to heart disease and contribute to high blood pressure to start with. Along with causing automobile accidents from falling asleep at the wheel.

Also, it is, in and of itself dangerous. It can happen that a person just doesn't wake up enough to get that breath, but I don't think it is common, but it does happen.

I'm losing weight since going gluten free and hope to get to where I don't need the machine anymore. Of course, I just plain feel so much better with being able to get some sleep during the night. Not entirely rested now, but lots better.

I hope this helps.

samking72 Rookie
samking72
Posted
  • Author

Thanks everyone! I'll be going to a sleep clinic for tests very soon. Hopefully that will determine what's wrong. I'm pretty sure it's stress, but we'll see :)

  • 1 month later...
Guest ~jules~
Guest ~jules~
Posted

When we were kids my brother did that in his sleep all the time, I'd smack him or nudge him to wake up. His wife says he's still doing it, and it scares her to death. I have no clue what it is though sorry.....

GFBetsy Rookie
GFBetsy
Posted
When we were kids my brother did that in his sleep all the time, I'd smack him or nudge him to wake up. His wife says he's still doing it, and it scares her to death. I have no clue what it is though sorry.....

jules -

Talk to your sis-in-law about apnea. Childhood apnea is rarer than adults having it, but it does happen. I've also heard that lots of people who are later diagnosed with sleeping disorders were first diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. (Inability to sleep well leads to inability to concentrate.) So if he has trouble concentrating, that might be another sign that he's having sleep problems. Anyway, if I were you I'd try to talk my brother into going to a sleep clinic. My husband is going later this month because I'm tired of smacking and nudging him to wake up. Besides, I know that once I'm asleep no one wakes him up when he stops breathing. And that scares me.

  • 1 month later...
ECBorgUSA Newbie
ECBorgUSA
Posted
Last night is not the first time that this has happened...

I was so afraid to go to sleep last night because everytime I was almost asleep I would wake up gasping for air. After that it was like I had to tell my brain to breathe. My heart rate was getting faster and faster everytime I woke up. This has happened 4 times in the 6 weeks. Could it be stress related? Anxiety attack? Has anyone ever had this happen? I really thought I was going to die, no joke. I finally just shut down and obviously i made it through the night but this is making me really nervous that it has happened so many times in such a small window of time. Any ideas?

Samking.

I have experienced the "gasping for air" scenario before bedtime after eating candy with modified food starch on an empty stomach. Bad experience. If you are gluten intolerant eating any food with a large amount of any ingredient like modified food starch with gluten in it on an empty stomach could produce the same "gasping for air" experience.

EricB

  • 1 month later...
zachsmom Enthusiast
zachsmom
Posted

Okay moy mom did this for years and it ruinins your heart.. no kidding ... This damages your heart over time. So please get it checked if its gluten related... it possibly will stop ... I would have heart palputaions when I ate too much sugar. But my mom never had this checked and she is now dying from it.. SHe has to loose weight and just can not do it .. so its worsened and now she will most likely die of this. ( horrible horrible feelings about his ) but please get it checked to rule the things out.

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