sleeping and breathing - Asthma Message Board

skittles411 · 09-30-2003, 04:00 PM

I was diagnosed with asthma a few months ago after having a bad sinus infection and bronchitis and then one morning having to be taken to the hospital because I woke up and couldn't breathe.
The Dr. eventually put me on advair.
Most of the time now when I feel short of breath it's when I'm trying to sleep, I'll just move around positions until I'm comfortable. I kind of remember feeling this way occasionally when I was younger. My question is, is this asthma related or could it be something else?

Ranger · 10-02-2003, 09:54 PM

Hi.

I got diagnosed with asthma when I was in college after getting bronchitis 3 times in one year.

As to whether your pain is asthma-related, see if you can identify with this. I feel most discomfort sleeping, too. Usually it isn't really pain. Not even a major discomfort. I'm just aware of a greater effort to breathe than I feel in an upright position. Just enough to keep me awake longer than I would be otherwise. When I'm on my back, I feel more resistance when I inhale. An inhaler works well, but if I use too much, it increases my heart rate, which is as distracting as the breathing trouble sometimes.

Regular exercise has helped a lot. If it is asthma, it might help you, too. Find a cardio routine you can do. I have found that giving myself warm up time where I start slowly allows me to do much more. If I go jogging outdoors, for example, if I begin with a sprint, then I can't make it around the block. But if I begin very gently, I can run 3-5 miles much of the time. (The Mayo Clinic Health Book had a good program for reaching that goal.)

Indoor exercise also induces fewer attacks for me.

If you're ever out of inhalers, coffee can help alleviate symptoms a bit. (Not like an inhaler, but enough to be worth it if you are not in an emergency state, but too uncomfortable to do nothing and have no store available.)

Yours,

Ranger

hotchic85 · 10-03-2003, 12:56 AM

Have you considered acid reflux? A lot of times when one lays down (s)he has more symptoms of reflux. Also, have you considered apnea? You may raise the head of your bed...if you have reflux this may help. A couple of times ago when I was admitted for my asthma and before we did a pH probe they raised my bed to see if it would lessen my nocturnal symptoms. You may want to run a quick search on both of them. Though, I do warn you that a prevailing symptom of asthma is, in fact, nocturnal awakenings. It is one sign that your asthma may not be optimally controlled. I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about all of these possibilities. I hope this helps.