Difficulty in breathing

This could be sleep apnea ( I am not a certified medical professional so cannot be certain)
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.

Do you eat food just before you sleep? Eat your last meal at least an hour before you sleep.
Also sleep on in inclined surface . Where you upper body is elevated above your lower body.This would prevent the reflux from your stomach coming out .

Try never to eat any thing heavy at least 2 hours before you go to sleep.

Agree that this could be sleep apnea. Are you overweight?

Please be aware that caffeine and nicotine can trigger irregular heart rhythms in some people - and this may be what you're experiencing. Sleep apnea is a thought, but it usually occurs in REM (deep) sleep - and not when you're just falling off to sleep. If you are a long term smoker, the caffeine and nicotine may also be augmenting the potential for arrhythmias due to underlying heart disease. Congestive heart failure could present as you've described as well. You need to seek an evaluation from your doctor as soon as possible. This could possibly be something quite serious.....

The first thing I thought of is a slight case of sleep apnea. There are three people in my life that I know have that condition. One of them it is not severe. Another one just medium using the machine to help force air through the lungs at sleep time. Also a third that needs the machine because they stop breathing countless times throughout the night. It is a common condition that can be diagnosed. This is only a possibility but if you awaken from sleep several times and you feel you do not get enough sleep (proper sleep).

It is good that you are going to seek medical advice. Oh yes, and I agree with invisible man about reflux. I was myself diagnosed with severe reflux. Acid can cause irritation in your lungs, esophagus and actually cause moments of diffulculty breathing. Caffiene and ciggerates are definitely aggravating the situation. It could be early signs of COD.

Joe

Agree with Jesushelper - see my comment on his post. Caffiene and nicotine do relax the muscle where the esophagus meets the stomach and can accentuate reflux. A good take away message for Vanadellion would be to stop smoking and reduce caffiene intake no matter what the actual diagnosis is.

I know that I am a little late on this one, and we haven't heard from Vanadellion in a while, but I just want to throw my 2¢ in.

I almost died from complications resulting from obstructive sleep apnea. As a result of this, I have become fairly knowledgable on the subject.

From the limited information that is given here, it is of course impossible to determine the cause of Vanadellion's problem, but I wouldn't necessarily rule out sleep apnea.

While it is true that obstructive sleep apnea almost always occurs during REM sleep, people who are quality-sleep deprived can skip the earlier stages of sleep, or go through them very quickly, and go almost immediately to REM sleep. There is a name for this condition but I can't remember it. My doctor showed me a chart from my first sleep study that showed that I did this every time I fell asleep. Also, although it is not as common as obstructive sleep apnea, there is also central sleep apnea, which is when the brain fails to send the proper signals to the breathing muscles. Central sleep apnea can occur at any stage of sleep, and even sometimes when awake. Some people have both OSA and CSA.

Obstructive sleep apnea is definitely more common with people who are overweight, but I have seen estimates that show that as many as 20% of those suffering from OSA are not overweight. That doesn't mean that 20% of the people being treated for OSA are not overweight, because often non-overweight people are not diagnosed because even some doctors think that it is only a "fat person disease."

This can be a symptom of central sleep apnea (although there certainly could be other causes too).

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A few questions that I have for Vanadellion are:

If you have a sleep partner, does he/she ever notice irregular breathing or gasping for air?

Do you snore loudly? (not all snorers have OSA, but virtually all those with OSA snore)

When you wake up, do you have headaches or not feel refreshed?

Do you doze at inappropriate times during the day?

Has your blood pressure be checked lately?

In any case, you should see a doctor because you may have a serious health condition, whether it's sleep apnea or something else.

You might have aniexty where its hard to breath because I got it all the time and I went ot the doctors and said nothing is wrong with my lungs and heart.
Im sure your j ust find

If you find out let me know I have the same thing

Normac88,

This topic is nearly a year old - it was only luck that I stumbled onto it. I suspect many of the people who replied to this are no longer active on this site. You will get more replies if you post it in a new question describing your symptoms. I will give you some good advice though: never assume that you have the same condition as someone else just because you share similar symptoms. This is a naive approach and can be deadly. For example - if John Doe has a nagging cough - it could be a cold or asthma or allergies or TB or COPD or CANCER, etc. If you have a nagging cough, it could be any of those things too and not necessarily what John has. I'd recommend you look to a doctor for your answer - not some internet site where many of the members aren't qualified and haven't got a clue.