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Sleep apnea or nightmare?

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Posted by sinope on August 18, 2010 at 11:27:12:

Every so often I wake suddenly from a deep, dreamless sleep. In the seconds
after I wake up, it feels very much as though I have stopped breathing, and
I take in a very deep breath which sounds like a long, rattly snore.
Accompanying this is a horrible sensation that I have been “dead” and come
back to life. However, I tend to recover quickly and get back to sleep quite
easily. This is not a standard panic attack, nor is it sleep paralysis.

I visited my GP to discuss this because I thought it might be sleep apnoea,
but he didn’t think it was that. I am slim build in good health, do not
smoke, I’m not on any medication and do not have any breathing problems. My
GP said he would refer me for sleep study if the symptoms continued, but it
happens very sporadically – usually for a few nights on the row, then not at
all for several weeks/months – so I don’t think a sleep study would be much
use. It has been happening on and off for about 4 years, but it hasn’t got
any worse or any better in that time.

I have kept a diary of when this occurs, and it seems to be triggered by
events that remind me of abuse I suffered as a child. It often coincides
with nightmares and occasional flashbacks at night, and feeling spaced out
and anxious by day.

Do other people have these dead/awake episodes? I am assuming that they are
purely psychological, but is it possible that I have a physical problem
related to breathing?

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