Smothered feeling while falling asleep.

[Blah7886]

The past week or so, everytime I try to lay down to sleep, I start to fall asleep and suddenly get a smothered feeling like I stop breathing and it jolts me awake...it's like someone puts a plastic bag over my face...I've been having "breathing problems" the past few days and I'm so scared I am going to die from all of this...does anyone else get this??

[trexy66]

I have experienced this many times and was just experiecing that today when I was going for a nap it is a horrible feeling.My Dr saids it is nocturnal panic attaks.Mine get so bad I jolt so high out of bed I am on the end of the bed.I am glad to hear I am not the only one that suffers from this horrible feeling

[emma09]

i use to get this quite a lot, sometimes jolting up in a full blown panic attack, im sure this is it, try an ignore it and it ill go away 

[tigerpaw]

I will cast my vote on anxiety............I have had night time horrors

[NYButterfly]

I get this too, at least once a week. It scares the life outta me. I never knew what this was and why it happens but I'm glad others have had this happen.

[Blah7886]

It feels like someone comes up and pinches my nose shut and I instantly wake up and have to take a deep breath...it's so weird!

[aalia]

I too get this feeling whenever i try to sleep in afternoon.. I sufer from anxiety and depression and also insomnia since  3 months. and i jolt and, cant sleep.Went to a neurosurgeon and he didnt give any diagnosis.I take anti anxietymeds for sleep at night. Is it due to stress and anxiety or some nerve problems in brain. Can anyone give any clue.

[Jipped]

The past week or so, everytime I try to lay down to sleep, I start to fall asleep and suddenly get a smothered feeling like I stop breathing and it jolts me awake...it's like someone puts a plastic bag over my face...I've been having "breathing problems" the past few days and I'm so scared I am going to die from all of this...does anyone else get this??

I wonder if it's like sleep paralysis? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

I've had what sounds like too at times but it feels like I'm about to pass out or something. Actually mine feels like a central sleep apnea.. Like I just quit breathing all together then to wake up gasping. This was worse for me several months ago but it seems to have worked it's way out now.

[Blah7886]

Thanks for the reply. I have actually sufferes from sleep paralysis before that I know of. A few times its like I cant wake myself up but i feel as though I'm awake, i just can't open my eyes or move my arms...so scary. Maybe these two are connected ...

[Soccer_Dude]

Hi,

I've experienced the same thing recently and off and on for several years.  Just as I lay down in bed and start to fall asleep, I feel this overwhelming feeling come over me and it seems like I'm not breathing, but as soon as I sit up and/or move around I'm fine. I'm used to it now so it doesn't really bother me.  I just lay back down and fall asleep as if nothing happened.  They way I explain it is that's a form of panic attack.  It happens at night when you start to fall asleep because you are off guard, and the panic attack starts. During they day you are pretty aware of your thoughts and feelings and if you happen to feel something come on you can ignore it or force it to go away by moving around or something.  But, when you are about to slee, you've let your guard down, and your mind is starting to relax, and that's when the panic symptom starts up.  Kind of strange how that works. I've only had one full blown panic attack I think, and it was in the early evening and I was resting on my couch starting to doze off, and BAMB, I jumpped of the counch feeling as if I had a heart attack, it only lasted a few minutes, but it was kind of scary.  Since then I've had moments of hyperventelating, and more recently had a panic attack start with this feeling overwhelming feeling coming over my head (Flush feeling), pending doom feeling, cool feeling through my body, but I was able to refocus my thoughts and break the process.  It started because I had bad anxiety and thought about something that made me worry and that was the trigger.

Soccer

[crystalclear81]

sed to get something similar years ago i would feel paralyzed to my bed i was very conscious in my mind but couldnt open my eyes or move any limbs but I could actually see myself lying on the bed me and my new born son  it was like i was floating and when i d finally come back id feel a jolt and i could move again and my heart would be pounding and my breathing heavy not a panic attack cause i know how those feel. But anyway i was watching montel a while after that and sylvia browne was on they started describing this exact feeling i was so surprised i had no idea what had happened those times anyway she explained it as astral travel which means your soul comes outside of ur body held by a silver cord when ur in major distress sometimes ur soul needs a break i was going through anxie"ty and major post partum depression. If i knew what it was at the time i would have traveled because u can at will and will always return safely but instead out of terror i would tell myself open your eyes open your eyes move ur arm but i couldnt until my "soul" returned with that huge shocking jolt read up on it its quite interesting