Nighttime Respiratory and Breathing Problems

Do you awake gasping for air at night? Or do you wake up with the sensation of choking or swallowing something? Are you fine all day long but can't get a good night's sleep due to one of these sensations?

Suffering from nighttime respiratory and breathing problems is puzzling when you feel healthy during the day. Getting broken sleep can affect your mood, your alertness at work or ability to function behind the wheel. Finally, it can break down your immune system and make the body susceptible to other illnesses.

This article will discuss three reasons for nighttime respiratory and breathing problems: 1) Sinusitis and/or disfigurement in the nasal passages; 2) Sleep Apnea; 3) Allergies to something ingested or inhaled near bedtime.

1) Chronic Sinusitis with Post-Nasal Drip and/or Deviated Septum: About twelve years ago, out of the blue, I began waking up with a choking feeling. It felt like I had swallowed a glob of liquid that lodged in my throat. This went on for a month until I was sleep-deprived and frustrated. My doctor found thick fluid in my bronchial tubes, and tests showed my sinuses were so full that the only place the fluid had to go was down my throat. He suggested a procedure called "sinus scraping".

I'd had some sinus infections, so this made sense. And before I knew anything about natural remedies, I allowed the doctor to perform the sinus scraping. But it did not solve my problem. In fact, beside a quick return of the choking, I started having new nasal allergies. So I began researching remedies in alternative medicine.

My Nighttime Respiratory and Breathing Solution: My problem was eventually solved by consulting a licensed natural health nutritionist. She recommended powdered form Vitamin C in warm water to flush the bronchial tubes; eating a diet free of dairy, wheat and sugar (these cause thickened mucus and sinus fungal infections) for several months, and taking high anti-oxidant vitamins C, E, A and minerals Zinc and Selenium in capsule form several times a day. Now, I swear by these vitamins and still eat very little dairy, wheat or sugar. I also began doing an ounce of cold-processed aloe vera juice per day to keep the respiratory circulation moving.

2) Sleep Apnea: If you aren't a sinus sufferer, your nighttime respiratory and breathing problems could be caused by a more serious ailment. According to the National Sleep Foundation, nearly 18 million Americans suffer from "Sleep Apnea". This can be life-threatening.

Sleep Apnea interrupts breathing and can stop the heart for as long as 20 seconds, not to mention interrupting REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and awakening brain functions that should be dormant at night. The brain and body can be deprived of proper amounts of oxygen. If left untreated it could result in stroke, high blood pressure or even heart attack.

Some apnea sufferers don't know that it's happening. They just feel groggy during the day. Others wake up very aware that they are gasping for air many times a night. It can include night sweats, a gagging or choking feeling or snoring. Sometimes tonsillitis, jaw problems, sinusitis or a windpipe obstruction can be involved.

In Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the windpipe's muscles at the back of the throat soften and relax, causing airway blockage and cutting off oxygen. In Central Sleep Apnea there may not be blockage, but the brain for some reason can't transmit the right messages telling the muscles how to work to keep you breathing.

Nighttime Respiratory and Breathing Solution: If you have the above symptoms, it is best to be checked for Sleep Apnea. You may be sent to a sleep lab for a night, where your sleeping and waking will be monitored. There is an apparatus to help with Sleep Apnea called a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure device). It's a mask worn over the mouth and nose to deliver air while you sleep. It's often cumbersome but very effective. Lifestyle changes can help: Sleep Apnea can also be associated with alcohol consumption, smoking or obesity.

3) Allergies to Something Ingested or Inhaled Near Bedtime: Nighttime respiratory and breathing problems can also occur if you eat or inadvertently ingest something close to your bedtime. I mentioned getting new allergies after the sinus scraping, but this can happen to anyone:

A while back, I again began waking up with a gasping sensation shortly after going to bed. Then I could fall asleep for the rest of the night. But it wasn't a choking, something-in-the-throat feeling this time. So I thought, "Okay, what am I doing different?" I had recently increased my dental care by brushing my teeth or using mouthwash an extra time right before bed. So I moved this regimen to after dinner instead and the gasping disappeared.

Allergies misdiagnosed as Asthma: When my friend "Gary" was a boy and teen, his family loved to eat potatoes almost every night. And during the night Gary would wake up wheezing, coughing and nearly choking. He was fine during the day, and the family couldn't figure out what was wrong. He was diagnosed with asthma, placed on steroidal sprays and told not to exert himself.

When Gary went away to college he rarely ate potatoes. He was healthy and athletic again, and began connecting the dots. The attacks only came when he ate potatoes! It turned out, he was so allergic to potatoes that even the steam from their cooking gave him trouble breathing. He stopped eating potatoes and never needed his inhaler again.

Nighttime Respiratory and Breathing Solution: Get other possibilities like Sleep Apnea ruled out. Then, when an attack happens, always record what you ate or may have been exposed to near bedtime. Here are some major food allergens: peanuts, wheat, chocolate, gluten (the substance that holds wheat products together), soy and dairy.

Non-food allergens which affect nighttime breathing - like my small bits of toothpaste or mouthwash - can be inhaled, handled or ingested: Dust mites in bedding or couches, tobacco smoke, bedtime medications, pet hair, stuffed animals or mold on bedroom walls.

People allergic to these things may also have asthma, and should be checked for asthma. But if your doctor doesn't ask, be sure to have your record of attacks with you and offer the information. Scratch tests for allergies may be necessary.

Sources:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: National Sleep Foundation: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.4814079/k.3F5E/Sleep_and_Obstructive_Sleep_Apnea.htm.

"Nighttime Breathing Problems Not Necessarily Associated With Allergies," http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/133952.php.