I work nights and on my nights I can sleep. 9 times out of 10 if I get a call I will wake up with a tight feeling in my chest. It s the weirdest feeling not like a pain but it does feel harder to breathe especially to take deeper breaths. When I try to take a deep breath it s like my lungs can t fill up fully and it just stops or feels like I m going to cough. Some times I will get woken up in my sleep randomly because my heart is beating so hard and so fast. (I also feel very sob and weird feeling in my chest) that usually lasts about 2 minutes. I m 21 and this has been happening for at least a year now . any suggestions???
Wake up feeling short of breath and weird feeling in chest/ lungs?
Question posted by Keelseey on 23 Oct 2016
Last updated on 23 October 2016 by Windchimes123
Added 23 Oct 2016:
Adding on: my breathing doesn't increase its just hard to breathe.
Answers
Windchimes123
23 Oct 2016
Hi Keelseey,
Ok I think I know...
You work nights and when you sleep on your off night you probably are in a deeper sleep. Right?
I think you have a sleep disorder.
It would be sleep apnea or obtructive sleep apnea (still have tonsils?). Are you over-weight?
Do you sleep with a partner?
You could ask if you snore loudly or stop breathing for brief periods.
What could be happening is that during these episodes your breathing momentarily stops,causing your oxygen level to go down. Your mind wakes up your body (luckily). You wake up trying to breath experiencing shortness of breath. This panics you and it makes it worse, while trying to take a deep breath in but can't.
If you have this, its not an immediate type action to take because it's probably been going on for awhile.
It is something that needs correction so I'd suggest going to a sleep specialist.
He will probably do an overnight sleep study to prove it.
You may also have GERD (gastric reflux disease). It is where the acid (or food/drink if you ate less than 3 hours before bedtime) goes up into the esophagus. Have you been told you have a hiatal hernia?
A Gastroenteroligist (GI) would be the type of doctor for this.
He may want to do an upper endoscopy to check for polyps,hiatal hernia or irritation from the stomach acid going up into the esophagus. The treatment would be Zantac,Prilosec etc. If it's bad, there is a danger of the acid actually going up into your mouth and into your lungs causing pneumonia. Sleeping on multiple pillows but I suggest getting the wedge. No food/fluid 3 hours before bed. You would wake up coughing for this and you may have a sore throat.
The treatment for the sleep apnea may be meds and a CPAP machine. You have probably saw advertising with the machine at bedside. What it does is breathe for you when you go below the settings.
People usually feel much better because they are sleeping without struggling to keep your oxygen level up.
Sleep apnea is related to causing high blood pressure and obesity down the road.
You do want to follow through if this is the case.
Well, that is my 2 cents.
Best wishes...
:-)
Related topics
pain, sleep disorders, sleep, dyspnea, sleep disorder, chest, lungs, lung
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