If you\u2019ve ever woken up gasping for air, you probably experienced a distressing symptom called nocturnal dyspnea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this condition, breathing feels difficult and uncomfortable. It can feel like you’re not getting enough air or you can\u2019t take deep breaths.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nocturnal dyspnea can occur for varying reasons. Most of the time, it’s linked to a medical condition, such as a respiratory or heart condition. It could also be psychological, with conditions like anxiety<\/a> or trauma.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read this article to learn why you wake up gasping for air, the most common causes, tests to find out why you’re having this symptom, and when to seek immediate medical help.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nocturnal dyspnea<\/a> occurs as a symptom in people with health conditions including anxiety, pulmonary embolism, asthma<\/a>, pneumonia, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.\u00a0It can also present in people with higher weights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it happens, you might feel air hunger, like you need to breathe in more air. Your chest may feel tight and your breathing may become rapid. Even then, it may still feel like you’re not getting enough air.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nocturnal dyspnea may happen due to a wide variety of reasons that fall into these categories<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asthma, bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, and other conditions that affect breathing and the structures that support it, like the upper airway and chest wall, can make breathing difficult or cause you to wake up feeling like you need to catch your breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conditions that affect how well the heart works can also affect how well oxygen gets delivered through your body, causing shortness of breath. These conditions include arrhythmia, heart failure, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conditions that affect the nerves and muscles and disrupt how they work together can also affect your ability to breathe properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mental health conditions<\/a> that lead to physical or bodily symptoms such as anxiety or PTSD<\/a> can interfere with your breathing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other causes (such as anemia<\/a>, carbon monoxide poisoning, or renal failure) that affect different parts of your body can also affect your breathing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breathing problems while you sleep may also result from a combination of the reasons listed above.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, most times, when primary dyspnea happens, it’s due to heart failure, asthma, sleep apnea<\/a>, and acid reflux<\/a> (GERD), all of which can make you breathe differently when you\u2019re asleep, explains Saema Tahir<\/a>, MD, a quadruple board-certified physician who specializes in pulmonary disease, critical care medicine, and sleep medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s why, according to Tahir:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you have nocturnal anxiety or panic attacks, it can trigger your body\u2019s fight-or-flight response and increase your respiratory pattern, per Carleara Weiss<\/a>, PhD, RN, sleep science advisor for Aeroflow Sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs a result, people start breathing faster,\u201d she says. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nUnderstanding nocturnal dyspnea: why you wake up gasping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Primary medical causes (sleep apnea, GERD, asthma, heart failure)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Respiratory disorders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Heart conditions <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Neuromuscular conditions <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Psychogenic disorders <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Systemic causes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Primary dyspnea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Panic attacks and nocturnal anxiety swallowing air<\/h2>\n\n\n\n