I hold my breath at night - I take a breath, hold it for a while, then exhale very slowly making annoying "leaky beach ball" sounds until I do it again...I've done this for the past 10 years.  I'm 45 and in good health not overweight...when i started doing this I was in even better shape than now running 5 miles a day.

I know this is not apnea but I can't find any information on this problem even though a few others have written about this issue....I'm very tired during the day and it's getting old.  I did a sleep study about 5 years ago and they found no indications of apnea.  I've had regular physicals every year with nothing unusual and did an EKG about 3 years ago with no negative results.

My friend was taking a training class and was told by the instructor that breath holding was a sign of cardiac problems...any one know more about this? Any one know of any other possible causes???

Any help at all would be appreciated.  Thanks.

what's interesting is that every apnea questionaire asks:  "do you hold your breath while sleeping?" - yet apnea isnt that from what I understand, rather its a lack of taking a breath not holding a breath...so why is that questioned asked yet no answers to it are to be found anywhere???

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I take a breath, hold it for a while, then exhale very slowly making annoying "leaky beach ball" sounds until I do it again

Your description sounds like you snore. As we age, even at 45, we don't have the muscle tone we did at 25, or even 35.

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I did a sleep study about 5 years ago and they found no indications of apnea

A lot can change in 5 years. If you have insurance it would be a good idea to have another sleep study done at a good sleep lab or clinic. I think that AADSM has a good description of the difference between a sleep lab and a sleep clinic.

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My friend was taking a training class and was told by the instructor that breath holding was a sign of cardiac problems...any one know more about this? Any one know of any other possible causes???

Have you given any thought that this "breath stopping" could be Central Apnea? I would think that another sleep study, this time done at a facility managed by a neurologist might be more in line w/evaluating your cause of disturbed sleep and "disordered" breathing rather than one focused on "just" sleep apnea.

Just the thoughts of a newbie. Good luck and God bless.

Another thought that occurs: what meds do you take? Anything, even if just the same class if not the same brand, that you've been taking for the last 10 years?

I ask because it occurred to me: after surgery requiring general anesthesia it takes several months for my blood pressure to raise back to "normal" levels and during that time I've found myself "forgetting" to inhale. I've had to CONSCIOUSLY force myself to inhale. The really odd part is that I don't experience the "protective" short of breath feeling that would cause one to automatically inhale. This has always occurred when I was sitting quietly reading, working a crossword, etc. It sometimes drove my husband to distraction and he would yell at me to 'BREATHE'!

thanks for your replies - however, you missed the main point of my posts...I don't have apnea which is a lack of taking a breath...

I hold my breath after inhaling...central apnea is a neurological misfire when the brain does not properly signal respiratory muscles to begin breathing which is different than breath holding .... at least from what I've read!

I understand that, but still could very well and most likely is involved w/the brain not signaling you to breathe, whether inhale or exhale. Have you talked to a neurologist at all about this?

I haven't spoken to a neurologist about it because it seems to come and go over time and I just put up with it - my wife says that if i go to bed earlier I don't do it as often though i'm not convinced of that...I will consider the neurologist route but was looking to find at least one other person with the same symptoms...I've read in one other forum of another person with the same issue but they got no replies to their request for help...so perhaps its not very common.

Anonymous wrote:

I haven't spoken to a neurologist about it because it seems to come and go over time and I just put up with it - my wife says that if i go to bed earlier I don't do it as often though i'm not convinced of that...I will consider the neurologist route but was looking to find at least one other person with the same symptoms...I've read in one other forum of another person with the same issue but they got no replies to their request for help...so perhaps its not very common.

I think a neurologist might be a good idea based on what I learned when I was being tested for sleep apnea.  I am now being tested for thyroid malfunction but I did have some central apneas and my doctor did talk to me a little about them.  I don't know if I understand it perfectly but I have a better idea now. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

The breathing process does depend largely on the brain because it is responsible for sending signals to the rest of the organs as to what needs to be done in response to the signals it receives.  Breathing involves the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide (I think) anyway, it is what comes out after the oxygen is used.  The brain is supposed to be able to detect these levels so that it inhales long enough to get enough oxygen and exhales long enough to expel the carbon dioxide.  If either one of those paths malfunction, breathing could be interupted in either direction.

I am assuming that you are not in control of when you are holding your breath and don't realize that you are doing it?  One more note, when I researched central sleep apnea myself, I do remember cardiac issues being a cause.

I'm occasionally aware that i'm doing it - I do it primarily early in the morning about 2 -3 hours before waking up - i don't do it all night.  When i hold my breath and exhale...I exhale very slowly and make a squeeking noise like air being let out of a beach ball as someone else described.  I wonder if it could be stress related as i don't do it every night.

In the sleep term definitions here SleepyDave said: "central apnea is associated with a cessation of all respiratory movements". What I don't remember is if that was his personal definition or if it was an "official" definition paraphrased or quoted from a recognized source.

I'm not trying to beat a dead dog about apnea just trying to stress the neurology part of it. But a sleep neurologist is NOT a bad way to start.



Last edited by CrohnieToo on Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:49 pm; edited 1 time in total

Breathholder:

I have a tendency to hold my breath also.  I catch myself doing it during the day and when I first lie down to sleep.  I also have an OSA, which is an entirely different thing, as you know.  I don't have an explanation as to why I do it, but I'm currently trying to deal with my apnea before I go chasing other symptoms.  

So, no answers, but you're not alone.  

-sg

I have read your post and found thAT I have the same thing. I have been told that during the night I hold my breath and then when I release I make sounds like I am gasping for air, and weird noises. I have been told that I've been doing it for the last 3 or 4 years. I also thought that I have sleep apnea, but this morning I caught myself doing it and realized that is not associated with slepp apnea, is different. I was sleeping and few times I woke up when I started to hold my breath, and realized it is scary. I am willing to research  more about this, and if I hear anything I will post it. It seems that some nights I am quiet and peacefull - I don't know I think it is a psychologic problem - maybe stress and while sleeping I get the urge to hold my breath until exhaustion which I guess releasses some substances in your body which changes your mood - and doing this you kind of condidtion yourself to it uncounsciously.

I have read your post and found thAT I have the same thing. I have been told that during the night I hold my breath and then when I release I make sounds like I am gasping for air, and weird noises. I have been told that I've been doing it for the last 3 or 4 years. I also thought that I have sleep apnea, but this morning I caught myself doing it and realized that is not associated with slepp apnea, is different. I was sleeping and few times I woke up when I started to hold my breath, and realized it is scary. I am willing to research  more about this, and if I hear anything I will post it. It seems that some nights I am quiet and peacefull - I don't know I think it is a psychologic problem - maybe stress and while sleeping I get the urge to hold my breath until exhaustion which I guess releasses some substances in your body which changes your mood - and doing this you kind of condidtion yourself to it uncounsciously.

daniela - I believe it could be psychological in response to a traumatic event that happened when i was very young...is that a possibility for you too (not necessarily the young part but traumatic)?

I don't gasp for air, I get plenty of air, hold it, and then release it very slowly and make an annoying noise(s) when I do!  I read on another forum somebody describe it as a "beach ball letting out air slowly when you let it go after blowing it up"  - that's the best description i've heard but nobody replied to her post on that forum.

I have the exact same problem.  I hold my breath on the exhale while I sleep and in the past made high-pitched noises as the air tried to escape.  I have had 3 sleep studies which ruled out obstructive and central apnea but it is still happening enough to make me so tired that some days I feel like a zombie.  This seems to be a serious problem that has not been figured out or sufficiently addressed by the medical community.   All of us who have this condition need to get together to get some answers because this isn't traditional apnea but it is serious.