07-14-2012, 02:29 PM
Woke Up Dying
Due to a hard nights work I collapsed into bed not even having time to reach for my mask, all seemed normal till I woke up. I didnt panic when I woke but I did realise that I wasnt breathing, so much so that my ears and head were ringing but before I could do anything I had passed out......
I woke some hours later to find I was fine and thankfully alive. Just goes to show how much your body will do for you when your sleeping. Lucky to be alive? I dont think it was luck.
RE: Woke Up Dying
(07-14-2012, 02:29 PM)Dreamcatcher Wrote: I didnt panic when I woke but I did realise that I wasnt breathing, so much so that my ears and head were ringing but before I could do anything I had passed out......
What does it take to get you to panic?
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Woke Up Dying
Back in the 1970s, wife and I watched a Nova about sleep apnea. She turned to me and exclaimed, "You have that!". A couple of years later, I woke up around 2am, not being able to breathe. I sat up. I tried various experiments to get the breathing going again, but nothing worked. It was if my lungs were locked shut.
I thought to myself, "Well, this is very interesting. I get to watch myself slowly die. This is going to be fascinating." I settled in and began to observe. Oddly, my wife was sleeping right next to me, but it never occurred to me to wake her up.
After awhile, I thought of one more experiment I hadn't done. So I tried that. I felt an odd feeling in my throat, and suddenly I could breathe. Huge long gasps filled me up with air. I thought, "I should write this down--those apnea researchers might be interested". But I figured such a stupendous event could be noted in the morning, so I went back to sleep. Next morning I could not remember what I had done to restore my breathing.
Several years later, it suddenly came to me. The successful experiment was trying very hard to exhale. Turns out my uvula had gotten stuck in my windpipe, and it slid out as I exhaled with all my might.
RE: Woke Up Dying
A very scary experience, one that I have suffered several times. I can clearly remember 'Hitting' myself in the chest as I thought my heart had stopped!
RE: Woke Up Dying
Quote:What does it take to get you to panic?
Whats Panic ? 
Its a strange experience but one not to be scared of, like wilder I couldnt breath in but I could breath out which started me off again.
RE: Woke Up Dying
Quote:Several years later, it suddenly came to me. The successful experiment was trying very hard to exhale. Turns out my uvula had gotten stuck in my windpipe, and it slid out as I exhaled with all my might.
Just how damn big is your uvula??!! There's no way mine is big enough to even come close to blocking my airway.
The muscles in our throat, including our tongues, are voluntary muscles, meaning we control their movement. This is why they relax in our sleep and then collapse. Since we were first born, we started learning how to swallow. Now we do it without thinking. It is not an automatic thing, we do it as unconsciously as we do walking and scratching our noses.
When you woke up, your brain would have automatically forced you to use those muscles. Sleep apnea is called SLEEP apnea for a reason.
There is another conditions called sleep paralysis. It is possible that your throat was effected by this condition. It is a symptom of narcolepsy if it occurs often.
PaulaO
Take a deep breath and count to zen.
RE: Woke Up Dying
(08-15-2012, 10:35 AM)PaulaO2 Wrote: Just how damn big is your uvula??!! There's no way mine is big enough to even come close to blocking my airway.
How big is your airway opening when you're in the midst of an obstructive apnea?
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Woke Up Dying
Airway opening and closing during an obstructive event is not the question. The poster stated that it was his uvula that was blocking the airway, not the rest. I would assume that even if my airway closed, my uvula is secondary to the situation.
Just where does our throat collapse? I have assumed it was further down, not right at the back where we can see it.
PaulaO
Take a deep breath and count to zen.
RE: Woke Up Dying
Hi There...this is Uvula Boy speaking....
I don't really know that it was my uvula. But a couple of years later, I went to a sleep doctor. He sent me to a sleep lab for the night. When I returned to him, he said "The first thing we're going to do is clip that long, pendulous uvula." I asked him to wait til I had done a vocal track on a friend's recording. Never got back to him, so the uvula remains. I took to sleeping on my stomach.
That was in 1985, in Scottsdale, AZ. Last year, my doctor in Grants Pass, OR, was constantly fussing about my heart, blood pressure, a couple of little strokes I experienced, and so on. Suddenly I remembered, "Hey, I have sleep apnea...could that be the root of these problems?". So, I've now been on my cpap since last november. Many improvements in quality of life.
And now, when some guy in the bar is bragging about his uvula, I can still saunter up and say "Take a look a THIS."
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