Hello everyone,

I have been noticing lately that when I'm relaxed at home, reading or concentrating on the internet or even starting to fall asleep that I'm not breathing normally..

I sit there doing what I'm doing and all of a sudden I get a pang to breathe, and realized that I haven't been breathing.. it's like there is a lag in my brain, it's not telling my body to breathe..

It only happens when I'm relaxing.. and I don't ever wake up in the middle of the night gasping.. it's just while I'm falling asleep when it happens.

Also, lately I have been very tired and I get a lot of sleep

Before anyone says you can't diagnose on here, I'm not asking that.. I was just wondering if anyone has experienced anything like this.. or knows anything about it..

Does anyone think it needs medical attention? What kind of doctor should I see? Psychiatrist? General Doctor?

Thanks in advance for your advice

I have had breathing problems my entire life. It comes in spurts, and when it happens it quickly becomes bad. My problem is that I don't seem to be getting enough air, I actually have to make myself yawn to get a deep enough breath.

My doctor thinks it's stress, but I've noticed that it happens around the same times every year, spring and fall, and also when I'm not particularly stressed.

I wish I could help, I haven't found anything that works for me, yet.

I think that a trip to the doctor isn't necessarily a bad idea. It could be allergies, stress, a number of things. It also sounds like it's effecting your sleep, even though you may not be aware of it.

Sorry, I know it's not much help.

Plonak, I would suggest getting a sleep study done. You may be experiencing sleep apnea. Many people who have it never realize it through the night, just that they are tired through the day.

I absolutely do believe it warrants medical attention.

I have held my breath for many years.

I do have apnea quite severely when I sleep, and I am on a ventilator to keep me alive while I am "sleeping".

Getting exercise would be very helpful for you... not sitting too much... walk a mile every day would make you feel great and wouldn't take very long. Did you ever smoke? Are you overweight?

IF you notice that you are holding your breath after you increase your exercise, make an appointment with a physician who specilizes in pulmonary or sleep disorders-they are in the same practice where I live.

Good Luck, :)

I do the same thing and sometimes I find myself gasping for air.

I was told this was stress related by my doctor.

In fact it was the doc who noticed the breath holding during a routine exam.

I forget to breathe sometimes too, and I yawn lots because I feel I'm not getting enough air. I do suffer from panic disorder and it has been noted in a medical study (I forget which one) that patients that have a tendency to hyperventilate sometimes stop breathing subconsciously to compensate.
My panic is not stress related and usually happens when I'm relaxed and most often when I'm trying to get to sleep...

Do you have any other symptoms?

Not sure what type of doctor to suggest because in the UK you always go to see your GP first and would get referred to a psychiatrist if they feel it's necessary (and then you go onto a huge waiting list)

I am not overweight, in fact I am more on the underwight/normal side.

I don't exercise enough, so that could help

I don't smoke. But I have anxiety problems and take Lexapro. I was thinking that maybe that's a side effect to it..

But thanks everyone for your help!

I have has this pretty much my whole life. I've spent hours meditating on it, and I think I may be on to something. Think about this: if I've been doing this my entire life my body has forgotten that I need oxygen to keep my brain alive. So all this time it's been taking extra energy from the food I eat just to remind itself to breathe. How freaking stupid does that sound! So I'm trying to retrain my body to breathe in large breaths. (I'm a nose breather because I worry about the air I breathe - I worry about a lot!) I only say this because now its happening with my food. I now have to force myself to eat and stop my body from wanting to throw up. My theory is this: what it my brain is so tired that it no longer has the energy to remind my body to eat! Terrifying! So I'm going to try to start with re-training my breathing and go from there. I've also been finding my body can no longer tolerate the sun. I'm wondering if it doesn't have the energy to protect my body from the UV rays. So just some mind food. It took a lot of concentration to write this and my palms are starting to sweat. I'm going to force myself to eat more of my dinner (it's been over an hour trying to force it down) keep you posted.