Feeling of not breathing.....

[PvtPilot1974]

I have been having problems with sleeping, feeling of not breathing. I have noticed this for some time and read up on some items, mainly "sleep apnea." I have tried to understand this and possibly believe this may be my problem, any assistance would be appreciated. Normally on a day-to-day basis I have approx 4-7 beers a night, why one would ask? Well, I have noticed over time that I sleep a whole lot better with it, not to the point of passing out or a "black-out" but enough to make me sleep though the entire night until the alarm goes off at 4am (I normally go to sleep or fall asleep around 11pn-12am / weekend, including fridays even later.) On the day's I do not have any beer or just have a minimal (to my standards, up to 3) I notice I have a problem waking up when I attempt to go to sleep and having the feeling of not being able to breathe. In fact this happened last night (06/24/08.) I think I woke up about 4 or 5 times then the next thing I knew it was 4am. On the way to work (about 30 miles) I am kind of grogy in the moring, but with some coffee good to go, however, in the afternoon on the way home I feel a sensation of wanting to just sleep. Today, no exception, I noticed that I felt like I was in a dream or just a strange feeling, still unknown and this has happened more than once. I catch myself feeling this way and think "#($% I'm driving what in the hell are you (me) doing?" When I get home, I crash for about 30-45 mins and then good to go for the rest of the night. I have not seen a dr about this, was hoping someone out there can point me in the right direction. All the info on Sleep Apnea doesn't say much about the beer, only that it's not good for you, however I believe in my situation it works the best, unfortuneatly. Thanks for reading and hope to see what some of you think - Probably just need to suck it up or suck it up and see the dr. PS: this is one of those 8 beer nights.... Rick AZ

[JollyRoger]

First off welcome to dreamviews, secondly, your from AZ thats awesome! now on to your questions. I was wondering have you had anyone observe you while you sleep? my Dad snores all the time and during that time he'll stop breathing for a moment occasionally. so you may want to have someone watch you. if thats the case you can get a machine that will help with that (my dad has one) though it doesn't look to be the most comfortable thing, at least he sleeps and breaths at the same time!

[Keitorin]

I understand not wanting to go to the doctors (I hate going), but breathing problems in the night can be serious. Form reading the entry on Wikipedia, I thought most people with sleep apnea don't realize that they've stopped breathing. Regardless of type, the individual with sleep apnea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Sleep apnea is recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body. The breathing problem could be only a symptom of a more serious problem, and it's not good at all that you have to drink that much and that you lose sleep. I don't have to tell you how serious sleep is for the body. You can't risk falling asleep while driving, because even a few seconds (microsleep) can cause an accident and kill someone. Breathing problems Breathing difficulty - lying down Breathing Disorders During Sleep I highly recommend you check those links out (especially the last two) and see what you think, as incentive to go to the doctors.

[ChrissyMaria]

whoa you two are from phoenix too? scary lol I hope your sleep improves, I really don't know what to say but see a doctor

[ladoys]

During the school year, when i go to bed, occasionally i stop breathing and after 45 seconds I realize that I'm not then I would start breathing heavily in relief. Sometimes It could happen more than once.

[Arreon]

Last night, I had a dream where part of it involved being strangled with a rope. It was actually kinda hard to breathe. I felt it. Usually, I don't feel anything.