Hello i have been holding my breath ever since i can remember. age 8 or 10 to present age 43. I can remember going somewhere with my family when i was young i would get yelled at by my bro or dad to stop making noise, cause i take a breath and hold it and then slowly let my air out it sounds horrible. My wife of 17 years just taped me (finally) for the first time last night. I listned to it and i feel bad for her, cause she suffers sleep cause i make a noise, when i let my air out slowly. I am 180# and have always been slim great shape, healthy but i have noticed that it seems the worst in the early morning hours, perhaps even worse when i have to go to the bathroom. I am interested in talking to some others about this. Thanks and will be back....
I could cut/paste what you are all saying... I've seen doctors, had EKGs, sleep study, barometric chamber test, stress test, etc. Not apnea. I'm 37, 180#, healthy, been doing it for 6 years. I've tried more exercise, eliminating caffeine, eliminating alcohol. I've also thought may be stress related... or due to being too hot while sleeping(?). I do it most 1-2 hrs before waking up. Take deep breath, hold it... and let it out slowly (often with highpitch sound). Driving my wife to kick me (lovingly, of course). Anyone up for getting an email exhange going?... we need to get to bottom of this or we're going to end up divorced or dead.
(just finished reading the entire thread... some other things came to mind:)
Breathing Control: I was a swimmer for 12 years as a kid (up through HS). Interesting that others who had to learn "controlled breathing" (runners, swimmers, musicians) seem to have this problem.
Stress: my fiancee first noticed I was doing this in 2001; when I switched to a very high stress job and was going to grad school at nights. Since then, I've held high stress jobs. And I'm accused of being type-A personality. No traumatic experiences.
Mouthbreather: I used to be a nose-breather at night, but since this started I've been a mouth breather. Bad breath in morning. Not chronic halitosis (sp?), just from mouthbreathing overnight. (wife's a dentist, so she knows difference)
Day-Holder: I too hold my breath at my computer... or when focusing... esp under time pressure/stress.
High BP: never had high BP before 2001, but recently it's been going up and up.
Fatigue: I'm only tired some of the time after doing it... but can relate to the achey lungs comments in the morning.
Habits: don't snore; don't smoke.
And almost always start doing this about 4am on.
Finally, a few "low probability" thoughts: for a year (when symptoms began), I lived in a basement apt... often wondered if unseen mold or Radon could be cause? Also, for a summer I inspected the inside of chemical tanks for a chem co (with respirator, but could still smell some of the chems)... finally, worked in a winery for 2 seasons where we used some pretty strong chems. Anyone else have sim exposures?
I'd suggest we do a survey, to determine all our common symptoms. I counted over 25 unique posters in this thread with what sounds like my problem. Seems like we aught to combine forces to give our doctors the best data possible.
Last edited by IdenticalSymptoms on Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:24 pm; edited 1 time in total
The survey idea sounds like a good plan. It will provide more specific information rather than a lot of stories.
I am not sure the private emailing you requested is a good option. The beauty of the forum is that it is available to all. Just a thought.
I like the categories you have identified above.
As for the "low probability" thoughts, IMHO I don't think we are going to find a common thread like that. I think it is more a learned response or action we do to achieve that slightly altered state that occurs when one holds their breath. Mine started after my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30 with two children under the age of three and my work was mega stressful. That was four years ago. We are doing well but the work is still stressful, and I have the BH still with some nights fine and others terrible.
I can say that I did spend a few years in a chemical environment – furniture refinishing. That ended eight years before the Breath Holding (BH) started. Now I am a Software/Web Application Manager.
Below is a questionnaire reflecting what people in this thread have reported to date. (I only counted what was overtly said by posters… so previous-posters who want to weigh-in on the additional Qs presented below will need to add your ‘vote count' to these totals).
To keep the stats going, just highlight/copy/paste the latest version of the questionnaire into your own posting and update the counts (based on your answers).
Feel free to add /change as it makes sense. If anyone has a better suggestion for how to start compiling some data, by all means, have at it.
BREATH-HOLDING (AKA "CATATHRENIA"?) QUESTIONNAIRE Please only complete this if you: “while asleep, take in deep breath, hold it, then slowly let it out (w/ high-pitched or groaning sound)”: Y:44 N:1
SEVERITY
# years ‘holding breath’ while asleep: (0-3yrs):2 (3-9yr):5 (10+yrs): 11
Time of night ‘holding breath’ occurs? (9p-1a):1 (1a-4a):0 (4a-7a):7
Wake up, unable to physically TAKE (inhale) a breath? Y:2 N:3
Occurs every night? Y:3 N:0
SYMPTOMS
Tired in morning/during day? Y:6 N:6
Tightness/pain in chest (sore lungs)? Y:5 N:0
Headaches/dizziness? Y:2 N:0
High Blood Pressure? Y:3 N:2
Large sighs/exhalations during day? Y:2 N:0
Teeth grinding? Y:2 N:1
Snore? Y:0 N:2
Abdominal gas in morning? Y:1 N:0
Have awakened yourself from this? Y:9 N:0
Have dreams of suffocation? Y:2 N:2
Difficulty waking up in morning? Y:3 N:0
OBSERVATIONS
Worse when sleeping on back? Y:2 N:2
Worse when sleeping on stomach? Y:1 N:3
Worse when sleeping on side? Y:0 N:2
Worse when go to bed late/overtired? Y:2 N:2
Worse when stressed? Y:12 N:0
Hold breath (forgetting to breathe) during day (when concentrating)? Y:15 N:0
TESTING / TREATMENT
Had a sleep study with negative results for apnea? Y:12 N:1
Stress-test (treadmill with EEG)? Y:3 N:0
Currently use a CPAP? Y:6 N: 1
Wear dental appliance/nightguard? Y:2 N:1
Burping/sighing helps relieve chest pain/aching during day? Y:1 N:0
Currently taking antidepressants? Y:1 N:1
Currently taking anti-anxiety medication? Y:2 N:1
CONTRIBUTING (?) FACTORS
Have asthma? Y:0 N:1
Have allergies? Y:1 N:0
Overweight? Y:1 N:12
Generally healthy otherwise? Y:6 N:0
Exercise regularly? Y:6 N:2
Smoke? Y:0 N:2
Mouthbreather when sleeping? Y:3 N:0
Have high stress/anxiety? Y:7 N:0
# caffeinated drinks per day? (zero):0 (1-3):1 (4-6):0 (>5):0
# alcoholic drinks per week? (zero):0 (1-3):0 (4-10):1 (11-20):0 (>20):0
Use recreational drugs? Y:1 N:1
HISTORY
Practiced breathing control as musician/swimmer/runner/other? Y:5 N:0
High exposure to chemicals/mold/etc? Y:2 N:0
Experienced traumatic event? Y:2 N:3
Family history of holding breath? Y:5 N:1
Family history of high BP? Y:1 N:0
Family history of heart problems? Y:2 N:1
OTHER QUESTIONS
If sleeping partner wakes you, does that stop the symptoms for the rest of night? Y:0 N:3
Do symptoms seem to increase if too warm when sleeping? Y:1 N:0
Do you typically wake up during night? Y:0 N:1
Do you frequently wake yourself from this? Y:2 N:2
Worse when dream? Y:2 N:1
Thyroid checked and ok? Y:1 N:0
Have vivid dreams? Y:1 N:1
Feel like can't get enough air through nose during day? Y:1 N:0
Deviated septum checked and ok? Y:0 N:0
Have recorded the sound? Y:2 N:0
IDEAS (add topics and your suggestions)
What do you do to reduce symptoms? go to bed earlier; yoga/relaxation exercises
What medications have you tried that help? Xanax (helped some); Celexa (seemed to help);
What medications have you tried that did NOT help?
What types of medical professionals have you seen for this? General, cardiology, pulmonary, neurology, ENT, sleep, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, ...
Had this since I was a baby. I am 38 now. seems to happen less frequently now. My wife will get scared sometimes and wake me up because I have not taken a breath in a long time. I take deep breaths while I am asleep then hold and squeak it out . Seems like there are more out there like me. I have done some reading on sleep apnea and it never seemed to fit the bill. Most of the stuff I have read about apnea says that the person wakes up to gasp for air(at it's worst). Well I don't wake up. As a matter of fact when My wife wakes me and I am semi conscious it feels really good when I am holding my breath.
Below is a questionnaire reflecting what people in this thread have reported to date. (I only counted what was overtly said by posters… so previous-posters who want to weigh-in on the additional Qs presented below will need to add your ‘vote count' to these totals).
To keep the stats going, just highlight/copy/paste the latest version of the questionnaire into your own posting and update the counts (based on your answers).
Feel free to add /change as it makes sense. If anyone has a better suggestion for how to start compiling some data, by all means, have at it.
BREATH-HOLDING (AKA "CATATHRENIA"?) QUESTIONNAIRE Please only complete this if you: “while asleep, take in deep breath, hold it, then slowly let it out (w/ high-pitched or groaning sound)”: Y:44 N:1
SEVERITY
# years ‘holding breath’ while asleep: (0-3yrs):2 (3-9yr):5 (10+yrs): 11
Time of night ‘holding breath’ occurs? (9p-1a):1 (1a-4a):0 (4a-7a):7
Wake up, unable to physically TAKE (inhale) a breath? Y:2 N:3
Occurs every night? Y:3 N:0
SYMPTOMS
Tired in morning/during day? Y:6 N:6
Tightness/pain in chest (sore lungs)? Y:5 N:0
Headaches/dizziness? Y:2 N:0
High Blood Pressure? Y:3 N:2
Large sighs/exhalations during day? Y:2 N:0
Teeth grinding? Y:2 N:1
Snore? Y:0 N:2
Abdominal gas in morning? Y:1 N:0
Have awakened yourself from this? Y:9 N:0
Have dreams of suffocation? Y:2 N:2
Difficulty waking up in morning? Y:3 N:0
OBSERVATIONS
Worse when sleeping on back? Y:2 N:2
Worse when sleeping on stomach? Y:1 N:3
Worse when sleeping on side? Y:0 N:2
Worse when go to bed late/overtired? Y:2 N:2
Worse when stressed? Y:12 N:0
Hold breath (forgetting to breathe) during day (when concentrating)? Y:15 N:0
TESTING / TREATMENT
Had a sleep study with negative results for apnea? Y:12 N:1
Stress-test (treadmill with EEG)? Y:3 N:0
Currently use a CPAP? Y:6 N: 1
Wear dental appliance/nightguard? Y:2 N:1
Burping/sighing helps relieve chest pain/aching during day? Y:1 N:0
Currently taking antidepressants? Y:1 N:1
Currently taking anti-anxiety medication? Y:2 N:1
CONTRIBUTING (?) FACTORS
Have asthma? Y:0 N:1
Have allergies? Y:1 N:0
Overweight? Y:1 N:12
Generally healthy otherwise? Y:6 N:0
Exercise regularly? Y:6 N:2
Smoke? Y:0 N:2
Mouthbreather when sleeping? Y:3 N:0
Have high stress/anxiety? Y:7 N:0
# caffeinated drinks per day? (zero):0 (1-3):1 (4-6):0 (>5):0
# alcoholic drinks per week? (zero):0 (1-3):0 (4-10):1 (11-20):0 (>20):0
Use recreational drugs? Y:1 N:1
HISTORY
Practiced breathing control as musician/swimmer/runner/other? Y:5 N:0
High exposure to chemicals/mold/etc? Y:2 N:0
Experienced traumatic event? Y:2 N:3
Family history of holding breath? Y:5 N:1
Family history of high BP? Y:1 N:0
Family history of heart problems? Y:2 N:1
OTHER QUESTIONS
If sleeping partner wakes you, does that stop the symptoms for the rest of night? Y:0 N:3
Do symptoms seem to increase if too warm when sleeping? Y:1 N:0
Do you typically wake up during night? Y:0 N:1
Do you frequently wake yourself from this? Y:2 N:2
Worse when dream? Y:2 N:1
Thyroid checked and ok? Y:1 N:0
Have vivid dreams? Y:1 N:1
Feel like can't get enough air through nose during day? Y:1 N:0
Deviated septum checked and ok? Y:0 N:0
Have recorded the sound? Y:2 N:0
IDEAS (add topics and your suggestions)
What do you do to reduce symptoms? go to bed earlier; yoga/relaxation exercises
What medications have you tried that help? Xanax (helped some); Celexa (seemed to help);
What medications have you tried that did NOT help?
What types of medical professionals have you seen for this? General, cardiology, pulmonary, neurology, ENT, sleep, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, ...
This is an amazing post. I am trying to think of a way to have this maintained.
I have posted previously, so I am assuming you added the information from my post. Therefore, I should not add to the tallies.
There will be no way to really get new posters to know about the Questionanire unless they see a post about the it.
I am half temped to set up a site to record and post the results. Let's see how this progresses.
Wow. . . so that's what you call it. . . breath holding and slow exertion. . . . I guess that's a good way to put it. . . now if only there was a solution. . . that'd be helpful. . . I'm keeping my roommate (I'm in college) up at night sometimes with my breathing patterns. . . I do wake myself up. . . I forget the rest of the questions. . .
oh. . . I forgot to mention in my above post that I also have a heart condition called sinus tachycardia. . . I'm close to being underweight if anything. . . probably don't have the best sleep patterns. . . might be stress related. . . male age 19. . . time of night varies I'm pretty sure. . . do not think it occurs every night. . . but not sure. . . has occured the past two nights. . . but less severe last night when I was sleeping on my side. . . have had chest pains before. . . don't know if it's related. . . don't smoke. . . don't drink regularly. . .don't use recreational drugs. . . don't know if there's a family history of it. . . my dad is suspected to have sleep apnea or something though. . . had high blood pressure problems. . .
Was happy to see that I am not the only one who holds my breath and lets it
out - oh so slowly- with a bit of vocalization. I think to call it a "groan" would
be a stretch - more like a squeak or the leaky beach ball that others have
mentioned.
The last time I tried to guess at what this might be, I came up with
nothing. I took my DH with me to the doctor so he could describe
what exactly I did. My MD said that I could go to a sleep clinic if I
wanted to, but at the same time discouraged me from doing so. I
told him that I didn't think it was "apnea" I don't have any problems
breathing in, no snoring nothing.
From what I have read, the condition is "rare" but I bet as time goes
on, and MDs become aware of the condition it will be much more
common. I have been reading the few published studies that I
have been able to find. Most aren't terribly useful as far as treatment
ideas. The one study that suggested CPAP might be helpful only
looked at one patient who had some other kind of sleep disturbance
occuring.
I am 39 and became aware of this problem about 6 yrs ago. I don't
take any regular meds - or other drugs. I am relatively healthy, a bit
underweight, not athletic and not really under much in the way of
stress (at least not consciously!). I have also found that during
the day, there are times when I am sitting doing something, that
I have to think about inhaling - but not exhaling. It was most curious
to see that others also experience this phenomenon.
(I previously posted as guest) Has anybody else found anything close to a remedy for this? Any suggestions? My roommate tries to be nice about it and tells me he just goes and sleeps on the couch. . . but I would like to maybe prevent this so that he can sleep in his own bed without me keeping him up.
Also. . . how extreme does everyone's get. . . apparently I make some really weird noises. . . . someone likened me to the Grudge once. . . but it's been worse too. . .
I have this problem too. Thought I was alone. I've had it for at least 20 years. Seem to recall it even as a kid. I'm 47, male, healthy, fit, no problems with high blood pressure, headaches or anything, no medications. The symptoms are exactly as described here. After inhaling, I hold my breath and let it out slowly, making a strange nasal noise, like letting air out of a balloon. Seems to occur more or less every night. I very rarely notice it myself. If my wife wakes me up, I feel breathless and with a high pulse, naturally. (And I starting doing it again after falling asleep.) I don't snore or grind teeth, not a mouth breather, as far as I know. I do it when sleeping on my stomach. I don't suffer much from it. I never really feel that I've slept enough, and I usually feel a bit tired during the day, but it is not that bad. The worst is that I disturb the sleep of my wife. I've always had pressure at work, so it could be stress related. I was a competitive swimmer in my teens. I don't think I hold my breath during the day, but I sigh. I don't have sore lungs. The amount of coffee drinking is not related. Have not done a sleep study, since the apnea symptoms don't seem to fit me. Not aware of any traumatic events. I don't know how to reduce the problem. Thought about preventing myself from sleeping on my stomach. I would be very grateful for any advice.
I just thought of something from that last post. I used to swim on a swim team a couple of years ago and I recently got back into swimming in the summer. However, point of interest, I have always had trouble with breathing when I am trying to do the front crawl as I always feel short of breath and like there is a lot of pressure on my lungs. May be related. . . I don't know.
While in the hospital after surgery I discovered that I have a tendancy during the day to hold my breath without knowing it. This breath holding is only for a short time seconds really and then I would breath normally for a few minutes and then hold my breath again for a few seconds. I was hooked up to a machine to measure the oxygen saturation level in my blood. I noticed that I was holding my breath unconsciously and so every 5 minutes or so all of a sudden the alarm on the machine would go off indicating that my oxygen level in the blood was too low. I was told that it is important to keep the oxygen levels up in the blood to ensure that there was enough oxygen in the blood for my brain and that too low a level could trigger a mini-stroke(TIA I think it is called). I personally am going to be checking into this daytime habit with the doctor next week and probably seek a referral. I found that I still do it but now I am more aware of it and try not to hold my breath so much.
This may have been what was referred to in the training class.
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