• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Waking Up Suddenly With A Choking Sensation

B

barfing_pumpkin

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
Joined
Aug 6, 2005
Messages
723
It happens to me quite a lot - that basically, I suddenly wake up with a feeling that something is stuck in my throat, and have to take a few gasps before I can begin breathing properly. It's pretty disconcerting, and I'm curious to find out what causes it. The only things I can think of so far are...

1: Somehow, my swallow/breathe mechanism gets a bit mixed up during sleep, and I'm kind of trying to take a breath when swallowing at the same time. It does feel like that occasionally.

2: A bit of mucus (lovely!) gets stuck in the windpipe. Self explanatory, really.

It doesn't happen to my girlfriend - it really gives her a turn when I suddenly sit up in bed at night gasping for breath - but I know for a fact that it happens to my brother also, so I'm wondering if it's something hereditary.

Is it a recognised medical condition? Does anyone else here suffer from it? Could it even be related to being a smoker?

Please note that this experience is not sleep paralysis. Quite simply, I wake up choking - there's no sense of 'pressure', no feeling that there is an 'intruder' in the room, and no fear other than that caused by the choking sensation itself.
 
Choking

Sounds very like sleep apnea, and I'm sure smoking doesn't help.

Get your doctor's advice.
 
Hi

Are you sure that the problem is in your throat? It's just that I had a similar thing a few years ago but the root cause was (apparently) panic attacks caused by stress. I would suddenly sit up feeling thatI could not breathe, but it was also accompianied by heart palpitation in my case. Best check with the GP.
 
This happened to me once, about 5 years ago. I woke up suddenly literally unable to breathe - more like I could not get any air into my lungs than actual choking. I sat straight up making the most strange noises - Mrs 544 must have nearly pooped herself.
I have never smoked but that previous evening I had a large very rich meal and I put it down to that some how.
For a while I was a bit nervous of falling asleep and suddenly dying :shock:
 
drbastard said:
Hi

Are you sure that the problem is in your throat? It's just that I had a similar thing a few years ago but the root cause was (apparently) panic attacks caused by stress. I would suddenly sit up feeling thatI could not breathe, but it was also accompianied by heart palpitation in my case. Best check with the GP.
Click to expand...

Yep like the good Doctor (I assume not a medical doctor - with a surname like bastard this must be second only to Death as offputting ;) ) is right - there could be other causes. Although you discount SP it is possible the prssure on your chest might provoke choking when you awake. Anyway just don't worry bt worth looking into ;)
 
Sleep apnoea can be caused by being overweight and/or middle aged (I'm not suggesting that you're either of these), and by sleeping on your back.
I have problems myself when I sleep on my back (I'm 44 and overweight). I manage to get round the problem by sleeping on my side, which helps to stop snoring.
 
Sleep apnoea can be caused by being overweight and/or middle aged (I'm not suggesting that you're either of these), and by sleeping on your back.
Click to expand...

Though I'm not overweight or middle aged (just yet) I've noticed that it does seem to happen when I've been lying on my back. Thing is, although I prefer to sleep on my side, I sometimes roll onto my back during sleep - which I guess is what's contributing to the problem. Anyway, yeah...might have to see the doc about it I suppose.
 
barfing_pumpkin said:
Sleep apnoea can be caused by being overweight and/or middle aged (I'm not suggesting that you're either of these), and by sleeping on your back.
Click to expand...

Though I'm not overweight or middle aged (just yet) I've noticed that it does seem to happen when I've been lying on my back. Thing is, although I prefer to sleep on my side, I sometimes roll onto my back during sleep - which I guess is what's contributing to the problem.
Click to expand...

There are various anti-snoring aids to stop people rolling onto their back but you could go with the cheaper option and just tie a tennis ball to your back.
 
It might not be mucus. Sometimes the flap that leads to your stomach does't close and during the night some of the contents of your stomach can come back up in your throat and choke you. Sometimes when this happens you will get a burning sensation in your throat and you feel as if you are choking. Eating to late or sleeping on your back can make this worse.
 
elspeth14 said:
It might not be mucus. Sometimes the flap that leads to your stomach does't close and during the night some of the contents of your stomach can come back up in your throat and choke you. Sometimes when this happens you will get a burning sensation in your throat and you feel as if you are choking. Eating to late or sleeping on your back can make this worse.
Click to expand...

Yeah a friend of mine had a Hiatus Hernia and it sounds pretty unpleasant.
 
I used to wake up with a choking sensation. Funny how it stopped after I got divorced...

...I'll get me coat
 
I quite often wake up with this choking feeling too. I'd estimate it happens every 3 or 4 nights on average. I quite often dream I'm having trouble breathing for some reason or other, then wake up with the sensation of my throat being blocked. The feeling never lasts after I've woken up, although sometimes I'll drift in and out of sleep and start feeling like I can't breathe each time I drop back into sleep. As far as I remember it only happens when I lie on my back and I think it may have something to do with my tongue falling back and closing my throat. I also link it with snoring and sleep paralysis (which for me is always associated with crushing pressure on the chest). I've had it all my life and never had it checked out by a doctor, although reading this, maybe I should. I had a brief placement on a respiratory ward a few years ago where they studied sleep apnoea and I think it can be very serious sometimes. You should be more sensible than me and get it checked out.
 
Yes, I'd recommend you get it checked out just to make sure.
I don't know if you can buy them these days, but a bolster might be useful to help prop you up so you can sleep on your side.
Personally, I find it more comfortable to sleep on my right side - it takes the pressure off the heart.
Also, there are various anti-snoring aids that can help to improve your breathing (you can buy widgets that prop your nose and mouth open).
 
Regarding sleep apnoea: I had a natter with my brother about this ('cos he gets this choking feeling as well) and he's pretty sure that's it's not this, as he actually knows someone with sleep apnoea, and he reckons what we suffer from is completely different.

Apparently, dangerous sleep apnoea can happen from night to night, and occurs frequently throughout the sleep period. It's dangerous in that it can cause extreme drousiness during the day, and may have narcoleptic side-effects. Suffice it to say, neither the bruv or I suffer from extreme drowsiness or narcolepsy - he, like me, puts it down to an excessive relaxation of the soft parts at the back of the throat, which generally becomes a problem if you sleep on your back.

His advice: try your best to sleep on your side - wedge a pillow behind your back, or something.
 
barfing_pumpkin said:
.

Apparently, dangerous sleep apnoea can happen from night to night, and occurs frequently throughout the sleep period. It's dangerous in that it can cause extreme drousiness during the day, and may have narcoleptic side-effects. Suffice it to say, neither the bruv or I suffer from extreme drowsiness or narcolepsy - he, like me, puts it down to an excessive relaxation of the soft parts at the back of the throat, which generally becomes a problem if you sleep on your back.

His advice: try your best to sleep on your side - wedge a pillow behind your back, or something.
Click to expand...

A friend of the family has just had his driving licence revoked because of sleep apnoea, he has a very serious form of it like you describe above.

Its not just a night time worry, it can destroy your whole life (litrally).

But there are also milder forms, and it is possible that you could have a very mild form of sleep apnoea, always worth getting it checked out for yourself.
 
This sounds very like something that I experience regularly, although thankfully not often. It happens every couple of months, once, or maybe twice in the space of a week.

I stop breathing while I'm asleep, and have to wake up to start again. I used to think my tongue was slipping back and blocking my throat, but I'm not so sure now as a couple of times it's happened when I was lying on my side or my back. I've checked out some apnoea sites on the web but they only seem to deal with snoring.

It always seems to happen when I'm dreaming, and in my dream I find myself growing more and more short of breath and struggling to breathe. What is particularly odd, and makes it very disconcerting, is that although my body stays asleep my mind wakes up. I know what's happening and I try furiously, and without success to wake myself up. I'm guessing that this goes on for maybe thirty seconds to a minute. Eventually my body wakes up of its own accord, presumably when some subconscious part of my mind starts to think to itself "err - this shotage of oxygen thing is getting a bit worrying..."

Sounds like barfing pumpkin may be experiencing the same thing I do, but waking up a little quicker and easier.
 
That sounds absolutely terrifying, Nailrod. Have you been to a doctor about it?
 
Sounds like barfing pumpkin may be experiencing the same thing I do, but waking up a little quicker and easier.
Click to expand...

I have to say that I've never felt the sensation while dreaming - that sounds bloody scary. I usually wake up with the distinct feeling that I've tried to swallow and breathe-in at the same - hence my theory that my particular problem could be down to a screw-up with the breathe/swallow mechanism.
 
I used to have this sensation sometimes, scared me half to death too. It's only happened twice but after I described it to my Mom she told me she'd experienced the same things and the doctor said it was Acid Reflux. I *had* eaten icecream right before bed, too, and I normally have pretty bad acid reflux anyway. Apparently your stomach acid comes back up into your throat and it's quite sticky. In my case I woke up choking and it tasted vaguely like blood so being as morbid as I am came to the conclusion that someone had slit my throat. :shock: But after a few gasps it went away. And it was a result of sleeping on my back, as well. Now I usually will take a Rolaid or something before bed and always sleep on my side. I've also heard of other people I know on the internet having the same issue and it turning out to be reflux.

Not sure if it's the same in your case but this was what mine turned out to be. I hope you figure it out. I'd have the doctor diagnose it anyway in case it turns out to be something more dangerous.
 
I have the same problem and mine is caused by a hiatial hernia that allows stomach contents to flow up the throat when lying down or sometimes even just bending over to pick something up. :shock:
I actually choke and have almost partially inhaled the acids when I am asleep. It can be really horrible.
The only real remedy I have found is to refrain from eating for a couple of hours before bed.
 
citizencane said:
I have the same problem and mine is caused by a hiatial hernia that allows stomach contents to flow up the throat when lying down or sometimes even just bending over to pick something up. :shock:
I actually choke and have almost partially inhaled the acids when I am asleep. It can be really horrible.
The only real remedy I have found is to refrain from eating for a couple of hours before bed.
Click to expand...

It's best not to eat several hours before going to bed. If you go to bed with a full stomach, the food just sits there and digests very slowly. It can make you quite ill - I have experienced this myself.
 
Barfing pumpkin.

To quote a medical book ' Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is characterised by intermittent closure/collapse of the pharyngeal airway (back of the throat/nose) which causes apnoeic (inability to breathe) episodes during sleep. These are terminated by partial arousal (from sleep that is!) Oxford handbook of clinical medicine M. Longmore et al. 2002.

You dont have to be overweight etc... to have this disorder. It seems you do have it but in a milder form than some people suffer with.

So like the others say. Do go and see the doc. It may be easily dealt with and cured.

Witchflame.
 
I woke up last night gasping for breath and I'd forgotten until I saw this thread pop up again. It's a frightening feeling.
 
If it is sleep apnea, I believe it is hereditary, so it would make sense that both you and your brother have it. Also, different people are going to experience different symptoms/side affects of having it, so there's not guarantee that yours would be the same as your friend's. Also, I think I should point out that with sleep apnea a person doesn't always realize that they are waking up during the night, so it's possible it's happening more often than you realize. It could easily be something else too, but it sounds like something you should ask a doctor about.
 
Interesting stuff. I'll get round to seeing the doc about it some time, I guess (I just hope the remedy doesn't involve surgery). BTW, rainyocean - yes, it has happened during the night, after which I have forgotten about it. 'Er Indoors told me one morning, even though I had no recollection of it.

I've heard that Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is related to snoring. And I've been told I do that as well.

BTW (again) - recently, the attacks have been infrequent. However, now I generally get the feeling that I'm about to choke just as I feel like I'm drifting off to sleep. It's not a severe as the ones where I wake up in the middle of the night, but - alas - it seems more frequent.
 
nailrod said:
This sounds very like something that I experience regularly, although thankfully not often. It happens every couple of months, once, or maybe twice in the space of a week.

I stop breathing while I'm asleep, and have to wake up to start again. I used to think my tongue was slipping back and blocking my throat, but I'm not so sure now as a couple of times it's happened when I was lying on my side or my back. I've checked out some apnoea sites on the web but they only seem to deal with snoring.

It always seems to happen when I'm dreaming, and in my dream I find myself growing more and more short of breath and struggling to breathe. What is particularly odd, and makes it very disconcerting, is that although my body stays asleep my mind wakes up. I know what's happening and I try furiously, and without success to wake myself up. I'm guessing that this goes on for maybe thirty seconds to a minute. Eventually my body wakes up of its own accord, presumably when some subconscious part of my mind starts to think to itself "err - this shotage of oxygen thing is getting a bit worrying..."

Sounds like barfing pumpkin may be experiencing the same thing I do, but waking up a little quicker and easier.
Click to expand...

this is exactly the same as what i experience word for word!!! i thought it was my tongue blocking my airway too :shock:
 
Y'all, for crying out loud, call around and get sleep studies done as soon as possible! Suffocating in your sleep is nothing to take lightly. Quite apart from the fact that suffocating is bad for you, the chemical and physical strains of air loss and sleep disruption have consequences for every other system - brain, heart, lungs, blood, everything! People who don't sleep properly fall asleep while driving and kill themselves and others; are crabby and can't enjoy themselves; have lowered immune systems - there is no part of your life this isn't bad for.

Just 'cause you're asleep when it happens doesn't mean it can't ruin your life.
 
My wife and I had the whole gasping,choking,nightmares and apnea type things for a while and it was easily remedied by using a wedge shaped pillow to change the angle of our neck and heads as we slept.
No more snoring and interrupted sleep for the both of us.
This may not help most people,but in our case it was a cheap and simple solution.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top