Waking up can't breath in or out feel like I am suffocating

Hello I have been sleeping with a cpap for a year now no problems recently I have been waking up in the middle of the night and can not breath in or out and get in a panic attach and run for my bedroom door feel like I am suffocating. Could it be that my mouth is opening and the cpap is forcing the air out of my lungs like I got the wind knocked out of me? Have not had a problem till last couple weeks. I have been sleeping without my cpap for fear it will happen again any suggestions of what it could be? I do not wake up suffocating with out my cpap on but do not feel rested at all.

It might help if you told us what machine you use (which model, not brand name), what mask, what pressure settings, etc. and have you recently gained even a little weight, gone on some meds at night, changed anything else in your life? We can't just make wild guesses at the answers, tho' it would be fun.

Yuo give us nothing to base any kind of answer on. Join, log-in fill in your profile in TEXT not STUPID ICONNY. Tell us your pressures and how they are used. If your machine collects full data, download Sleepyhead software and post the data on the forum, Then we can see what you need.

Only thing we can tell you for now, A cpap is NOT forcing the air out of my lungs like I got the wind knocked out of me, Your lungs are what does that job. Not using your CPAP probably not wise, you need to consult your Doctor! Jim

Hopefully you can give the info requested so you can get some direction and maybe feel better about using the machine. Maybe your pressure needs have changed and your settings are not taking care of events as well as in the past. Or maybe you've developed reflux. My guess is you are at as much or more risk of another scary event without the machine as with. If you are mouth breathing much it should show up in your data, as well as any prolonged apnea events that could cause one to wake as you describe. Until you figure things out, you could try a couple generic things (while using the machine) like taking steps to stay off your back and/or sleeping on a bit of an incline. Sorry the answers aren't quick and easy.

johnb511 wrote:Could it be that ... the cpap is forcing the air out of my lungs like I got the wind knocked out of me?

No.

Best to follow the advice of the others, register and give more information in this thread.

johnb511 wrote:Hello I have been sleeping with a cpap for a year now no problems recently I have been waking up in the middle of the night and can not breath in or out and get in a panic attach and run for my bedroom door feel like I am suffocating. Could it be that my mouth is opening and the cpap is forcing the air out of my lungs like I got the wind knocked out of me? Have not had a problem till last couple weeks. I have been sleeping without my cpap for fear it will happen again any suggestions of what it could be? I do not wake up suffocating with out my cpap on but do not feel rested at all.

I feel your pain. I've had what I believe are called 'night terrors' on and off for years, which involved waking up with severe panic and feelings of suffocation. This would cause me to jump out of bed after being asleep and run to the nearest door, or even try to exit my house via a window. I would sometimes violently crash into the bedroom door jamb, or wake up with severe bruises on my limbs having no clue where they had come from. I would also get similar panic attacks on small airplanes as well (not cool these days, at all). Then I was diagnosed with OSA / Complex Apnea and since I've been on the CPAP machine with the settings fairly well optimized, they've never happened. Either at night or on planes. My brother has these violent awakenings as well, but hasn't accepted the 'CPAP can help' part yet.

Get a good sleep doctor and follow the advice you have and will be given here. Avoiding use of the CPAP after you've had a legitimate sleep study and been diagnosed with apnea will most likely not result in the outcome you desire.

Sorry, I had meant to also post this link related to night terrors (which lists sleep-disordered-breathing as one of several underlying causes):
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... n-20032552

One other possibility - have you noticed any odd power fluctuations in your house when your there? Lights flickering, brown outs? It may not be enough to reset the clocks. Though if that's happening then I suspect that may be your problem.

If your fast asleep and your machine were to unexpectedly power off and back on again. The sudden drop in pressure can "Make it feel like" the air is sucked out of you. It's not... but it can feel very odd. Some people may interpret that feeling more harshly then others. This sensation only lasts for a second but I've noticed it when I get up in the morning and power my machine off. I don't like to do it when I'm breathing. I tend to hold my breath for a few seconds power off the machine then take off the mask. Or I'll just take off the mask with it running and toss it on my pillow and let it cut it self off.
I didn't notice this feeling with my older machines. With the older machines it felt like the blower module was allowed to slow down on it's own gradually. With my new machine it's like when you take your finger off the trigger of an electrical saw and it stops spinning almost instantly.

The other advice you've been given in regards to possible panic attacks or night terrors would also be something to consider.

I'll repeat also what others have said. We need more information so we can work out a better idea of what could be happening. Knowing your exact machine model, Mask type and settings used, and for nitty gritty stuff, screen shots of the detailed data your machine collects can help. If you know you have apnea then not using your machine is not a good idea. You need to keep using it but get your hands on Sleepyhead so you can see what's going on.

I'd make sure your sharing this information with a good doctor. There other things that could make you feel short of breath besides sleep apnea. The thing is that a lot of those "Other things" can be made worse by not treating sleep apnea. If you have developed a heart condition for example and you stop using your machine your putting your self at even greater risk. Our bodies are put under a lot of strain when we sleep with untreated sleep apnea. Some more then others. Just something to consider before you continue to go with out using your cpap while you work this out.

Best of luck.

Gryphon

johnb511 wrote:Hello I have been sleeping with a cpap for a year now no problems recently I have been waking up in the middle of the night and can not breath in or out and get in a panic attach and run for my bedroom door feel like I am suffocating. Could it be that my mouth is opening and the cpap is forcing the air out of my lungs like I got the wind knocked out of me? Have not had a problem till last couple weeks. I have been sleeping without my cpap for fear it will happen again any suggestions of what it could be? I do not wake up suffocating with out my cpap on but do not feel rested at all.

Resist the urge to grab onto one of the answers that has been given. No one has enough information at this point. Provide more information.

If this just started recently, please talk to your DOCTOR.