Sleep Apnea or Just Dreaming? - Sleep Disorders Message Board

rtd2112 · 07-22-2008, 03:00 PM

Do any of you have problems with this? IE not being able to breathe while you're sleeping BUT not being sure if it was a dream?

I've had this before, and last night I swear I was about to freak out because I would not get a breath...I think I woke up for a breath, but now I can't remember for sure the details, and am wondering if it was a dream/nightmare or if it was really happening. I tend to thnk it was real, because it felt so real and was very scary, and a very helpless feeling.

Anyway, while this is far from a nightly occurence for me, it has happened a few times. In doing research, I am reading about this sleep apnea. I really have no idea if I have that or if it's just an occasional panicky dream I have...(I'm told everyone dreams that, so it's fairly common)

As I said, it's somewhat rare for me, but I know it has happened more than a few times in my life.

I am 36 years old, normal weight (175), no heart issues, slightly elevated BP (130/87), dont smoke, dont drink, but do take a sleeping pill.

What I guess I'm asking is if everyone does indeed have an occasional dream like this (kind of like going to work with no clothes on) or if it really is a form of sleep apnea. I just dont want to go through a whole slew of tests if I dont have to.....I can't say I feel that fatigued during the day, so I think I get decent sleep...the hard part for me is GETTING to sleep, but once I do I usually sleep through the night with little issues.

Thoughts? And thank you

bethsheba · 07-22-2008, 07:17 PM

Although you may have apnea, I suspect what you are experiencing is a side effect of the sleep medication you are taking...

Just for your info, sleep meds can make matters worse for someone with apnea...best id your sleep problems (if you haven't already) before using meds.

The gasping for breath and the elevated blood pressure can be symptoms of apnea. I suggest you do alot of reading about obstructive sleep apnea and take some of the sleep quizzes they have, keeping in mind that no one quiz will diagnose you...only alert you to the possibility.

Not everyone qualifies for a sleep study. First an appt is needed to see the sleep doctor, a sleep diary is kept (by you), and an extensive questionaire is filled out by you about your lifestyle/health/sleep habits. After reviewing your charts, doing a physical examination of your ears, nose, and throat, and reviewing your sleep diary and the answers to your questionaire, does the specialist make a determination as to whether or not a sleep study is needed.

But first, I would suggest you learn more about sleep apnea as again, you have a couple of symptoms.

Bethsheba

nozeez · 07-22-2008, 08:00 PM

I agree. Get a lot of information and keep track of your episodes. Even after seeing my sleep dr., I was realizing I had done things before that I had totally forgotten about. For instance, one of the questions was if you have ever woken up short of breath or gasping for a breath. I said no. Then a few days later I was thinking about it and realized I wake up choking and coughing and it feels like my throat is glued shut and I can't breathe. Also a very scary feeling. Like you, I only had a few of these episodes, and you kind of just brush them off. It wasn't like it was happening all the time, so you dismiss it. Not to mention that I would usually just go right back to sleep again not thinking that much about it. I also never thought I snored, but my husband and daughter in the past year have said I did. I thought they were just teasing me. Guess what? The study showed 2 out of a 4 scale for snoring! Guess it is hard not to believe that! I went to bed exhausted, woke up exhausted and spent my day exhausted despite getting 8-10 hours of (what I now know was horrible quality) sleep. I believe, and I may be wrong, that generally if you have OSA you are tired during the day. But what about Central Sleep Apnea? Anyone have anything to add about that which may help?

One reason that it may seem like a dream is that you are probably in a deeper sleep (that is when your throat relaxes the most and most people have the most apneas) and may actually be in a dream state (REM). I know when I am woken up suddenly from a deep sleep it is a very strange feeling. Disoriented and sleepy and confused is how I feel. I can understand being confused between a dream and reality.

My sleep dr. had me fill out a quesionaire, and then sent me home with an overnight oximeter. Because I showed to have lowered oxygen levels while sleeping, which can indicate apnea, I had the overnight study at the sleep center. The study itself is really no big deal, I found it kind of interesting. It is very expensive though, and you would hope to have insurance pay for it, as I just got the bill and it was $4000. I can say that on here right??

The overnight oximeter was $200. I am guessing that if I didn't have the lowered oxygen levels, she wouldn't have ordered the sleep study. I am glad I had it though.

Good luck, I hope you can figure out what is going on!

rosenfeld · 04-06-2011, 08:06 AM

Can any body help me, the last few weeks i have noticed that when i start to fall asleep and on occassions when i may have already been asleep, i feel like my body has stopped breathing, i sit up quickly and gasp for air which is quite frightening. This is not a dream as when i wake i know exactly what happened. Last night it happened 3 to 4 times from going to bed at 11pm, at 2am i couldnt handle it any more and went down stairs to watch the TV as frightened to sleep. I am guessing that this may be caused by some sort of anxiety that i dont know about, as since my little boy was born 2 years ago i think every now and then when i get a pain or twinge i am going to die. I am not a paranoid person, i have a good job albeit some times stressful , a lovelly wife, i am very physically fit and practise Muay Thai alot, which tells me i am not a depressed person who is paranoid. My fear is that i wont wake up when i stop breathing , i also dont feel like a want to sleep either as the experience is frightening. I have an appointment to see the doctor tonight but feel they will just pass it off for Anxiety or some other cost saaving exercise. Can any one help as i dont feel this is normal, and i am convinced that i will stop stop breathing and die. I dont generally have any fears as such , if any that i love my son so much that i hate the thought if anything happened to me. Can any one advise on what this could be , or am i really suffering Anxiety deep down inside that i didnt really know of