Why does a person suffocate at night: causes, symptoms and treatment. Why there is a feeling of suffocation

Breathlessness can happen to anyone. But it is especially unpleasant when they happen at night. If a person suffocates while sleeping, this can greatly frighten him. And not in vain, because such a phenomenon can be a sign of a serious pathology.

What is suffocation

This is a condition where there is a sudden lack of oxygen. It may occur due to spasms caused by external stimuli. An attack of suffocation at night takes a person by surprise. Waking up from lack of air, he does not understand what is happening and why it happened to him. Added to the lack of air panic fear and the situation could get worse.

Such seizures can be a sign of many serious diseases. Therefore, if this happened at least once, it is necessary to inform the doctor about it.

Causes of night attacks

There can be many reasons for this condition. Let's name some of them.

• One of the most common causes the occurrence of suffocation in a dream is an attack allergic asthma . Patients with asthma feel more or less normal during the day, but at night the body relaxes, and a failure occurs in the form of such an attack.
• Heart failure can also provoke nocturnal attacks of suffocation due to a decrease in pressure in the venous vessels.
• The presence of gastritis can cause aspiration of stomach contents into the lungs. This most often occurs at night when the patient is sleeping. As a result, he wakes up from an attack and tries to clear his throat. If there was a lot of vomit and no one was around, the person may die.

Harmful and stale food can give severe shortness of breath or an asthma attack. The same can be said about overeating at night.

• Work in hazardous production without protective equipment leads to suffocation due to irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory system by harmful substances.
• Heavy physical activity in the daytime puts a strain on the lungs. As a result, an attack of asphyxia may occur at night.
• Pungent odors are highly undesirable in the bedroom. For example, flowers that smell strongly or spilled perfume, even if they are loved, can trigger allergies. Inhalation of such odors for several hours becomes unpleasant, there is headache and bronchospasm.
• Air pollutants also have a detrimental effect on breathing. If a person lives in an area where there are chemical plants or factories that emit gases and smoke into the atmosphere, he may wake up at night from such a state.
• Respiratory infections can occur with signs of asphyxia.
• Stressful situations negatively affect the heart, resulting in heart failure, accompanied by nocturnal bouts of lack of air.

cold and sharp drops temperatures create their own negative effect on breathing. Taking new drugs can give such side effects. Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages negatively affect the pulmonary system. Neoplasms in chest- also one of the causes of nightmares, a person can wake up with fear of suffocation.

The patient is given first aid. And its activities depend on the causes that caused the attack.

Symptoms of nocturnal suffocation

During this state, a person cannot speak, because speech requires the passage of air through the vocal cords. But during the attack it is impossible. At this point, it is important that others, if someone is nearby, know what an attack looks like and can help the person.

It looks like this:

• the skin becomes pale, but a blush remains on the cheeks;
• the nasolabial triangle turns blue along with the fingers;
• fear appears on the face of the patient, he tries to breathe in air, but he does not succeed or succeeds with great difficulty;
• the pulse quickens, the face is covered with sweat;
• depressions form between the ribs;
• veins swell in the neck.
• if you listen to the lungs at this time, you can hear noises with wheezing.

If the patient does not cope on his own and no one helps him, the consequences can be sad. A person will suffocate in a few minutes.

Children's night attacks of asphyxia

Sudden onset may occur during the day small child, if in Airways a foreign object has entered. For example, a part from a toy, candy or other small things. This can also occur at night if the child falls asleep with this object in his mouth.

If parents notice such a condition in a child, he needs to be urgently assisted by removing a foreign object. To do this, sharply press on the sternum. If not, turn the child upside down and tap on the back.

But there are other causes of suffocation in a dream:

• allergic edema;
• croup caused by inflammation in the larynx;
• stenosis;
• birth injury;
• nervous excitement;
• rickets;
• stomach or heart problems;
• cold.

Such conditions often lead to children's death. The percentage of such cases is very high.

Diagnostics

To understand why seizures occur at night, it is necessary to make a correct diagnosis of the pathology present in the body. To do this, you need to contact the diagnostic clinic, where specialists differentiate the disease from others and prescribe the correct treatment.

In order to distinguish asthma from obstructive bronchitis, the doctor pays attention to the signs characteristic of these diseases:

• young people are more likely to get sick with asthma, and bronchitis is a disease of middle and old age;
• asthma occurs acutely, with coughing fits, shortness of breath, and respiratory rate disturbances. With bronchitis, the cough is constant, as is shortness of breath;
• when listening to the lungs, asthma produces sounds of dry whistling rales, and bronchitis reveals dry and moist rales.
• cardiac asthma accompanied chronic diseases heart and blood vessels. The breath is gurgling, wheezing of various calibers is heard in the lungs, tachycardia and arrhythmia are present.

To identify or exclude neoplasms, the doctor gives a referral for bronchoscopy, X-ray and CT. Thrombosis pulmonary artery determined by listening to the lung and based on clinical picture. The patient suddenly begins to lack air, and dry rales are heard in the lungs.

If seizures occur during stress, and wheezing is not heard in the lungs, we can say that neurosis is to blame.

First aid to eliminate an attack of suffocation at night

As a rule, night attacks occur away from the hospital. And it’s good if at this moment someone is next to the patient and knows how to give him first aid. What to do to help a person in such a situation? You must adhere to the following algorithm:

• First of all, you need to call an ambulance.
• Before the arrival of doctors, it is necessary to help the patient rise to a vertical position, sit down or better stand up. Try to calm him down.
• Allow to breathe freely. To do this, unbutton the clothes on the chest, open the windows.
• Try to warm the patient's hands and feet. To do this, put the heating pads or lower them into warm water. Can be used as heating pads plastic bottles. But they must be filled carefully, from too hot water they shrink.
• It is useful at this moment to put mustard plasters on the chest, it is possible on the back.
• Give a tablet of Ephedrine or Euffilin to drink.

If a person suffers from asthma attacks at night, it is better for him to keep a thermos with hot drinks in the bedroom. It is better if it is tea from expectorant herbs. This may help deal with the situation.

If suffocation occurs due to allergic edema, he should be given antiallergic pills or an injection of Prednisolone. If the symptom is due to foreign object in respiratory system, the activities are the same as for drowning. To do this, squeeze the sternum and tilt the victim head down. Pat on the back to drop the item.

If the victim is unconscious, he may swallow his tongue. This needs to be checked and, if necessary, pulled out. After extracting the item, you need to do artificial respiration and heart massage before the ambulance arrives. In the future, a person will have to take antibiotics to avoid the development of pneumonia.

Asthma attacks are relieved by inhalers and aerosols. good effect gives chest and back massage. The disease itself must be treated in a hospital. Before this, you need to find out the reason that caused it.

When none of the above is at hand, and a person has suffocation, you can use ammonia. Give it to the patient to smell. A piece of ice taken orally can provide relief. Valerian tincture and baking soda may be first aid in this case. Many use mints and menthol sweets.

Activities to strengthen the respiratory system

To prevent night attacks from recurring, you need to take care of the condition of the lungs. To do this, avoid places with strong air pollution. Walk more, go out of town to nature. At least once a year go to the resorts.

In an adult, seizures can be from bad habits, you need to get rid of them. Keep your home clean. It is useful to play sports and do breathing exercises.

Night asphyxia can end very badly for the person with whom it happened. To avoid recurrence, you need to find out the cause and treat the disease.

is a very alarming complaint that may be a manifestation of heart or lung disease. Patients endure this symptom very painfully, as it takes them by surprise during sleep, and in some cases there is no one around to help or hold, which further worsens the situation, terrifying the person and giving a feeling of helplessness and defenselessness.

It is not always possible to fall asleep after such an attack, as the patient is afraid of a second attack. But far from always nighttime suffocation is a sign of illness, often patients with overexcited nervous system experience exactly the same symptoms, while there is no real danger to their lives. Therefore, in this article I would like to draw a line between dangerous and non-dangerous asphyxiation.

Please note that here we will not talk about choking that occurred for the first time, but only about choking that recurs from time to time for a long time. Since sudden choking (even during the daytime) for the first time can be a sign acute illness requiring emergency treatment(heart attack, thromboembolism, pulmonary edema, status asthmaticus, etc.).

So, for starters, it should be said that in the vast majority of cases, the cause of a sudden attack of suffocation at night is a disease of the heart, lungs, or instability of the nervous system, including mental illness. Let's look at everything in order possible states and discuss their distinctive features.

Night gasp is very characteristic symptom for people suffering from heart failure. As a rule, patients complain that it is difficult for them to inhale air (there is a lack of it). Often this condition is accompanied by coughing, sweating.

Shortness of breath improves when sitting and after taking diuretics, it can also be positive effect after taking nitroglycerin. Such patients must have some chronic illness hearts - hypertension or ischemic disease, problems with valves, etc.

Heart failure does not occur out of the blue, therefore, in people suffering from attacks of nocturnal suffocation due to heart failure, changes in the heart are necessarily detected during the examination. That is, it cannot be that a person suffers from heart failure at night, and during the day he has absolutely no complaints and all indicators, including ECG, ultrasound and chest x-ray are normal.

Angina pectoris is, first of all, pain of a pressing or baking nature, which usually occurs behind the sternum. But sometimes angina manifests itself not in the form of pain, but in the form of suffocation, the mechanism of which is associated with the development of acute, but short-term, heart failure. Such suffocation is difficult to distinguish from suffocation in chronic heart failure described earlier.

As a rule, patients suffering from attacks of nocturnal angina due to angina pectoris have similar symptoms during the day, especially when physical activity, whereas in patients with heart failure there is no suffocation during the day, but only shortness of breath.

Detect angina pectoris ischemic disease heart) an additional examination helps - a stress test (VEM, Treadmill, Stress ECHO) or radioisotope scanning(used routinely abroad).

Bronchial asthma

Asthma is a lung disease characterized by sudden spasm of the bronchi (airways), which leads to sharp decline ventilation of the lungs and, as a result, a lack of oxygen in the blood.

Nocturnal asthma attacks are quite common and, unlike "heart attacks", they are accompanied by a feeling of incomplete exhalation (it is difficult to exhale the air, not inhale it!). Patients have a feeling that some kind of valve is working in the lungs, letting air in, but not releasing it back.

Nitroglycerin and diuretics do not alleviate the patient's condition in any way, only inhalers help, for example, salbutamol, or intravenous administration steroids (hormones).

Diagnose asthma on the basis of complaints, family history and spirometry of the lungs, as an option, give salbutomol during an attack, if this brings relief, then the cause of this nocturnal suffocation becomes more obvious.

Many young people with an unstable nervous system (called NCD or VSD) sometimes develop a feeling of suffocation at night. This, as a rule, is not even suffocation, but a feeling of lack of air.

This condition is accompanied by very vivid emotional experiences, and if patients with asthma and heart failure describe an attack in two or three words, then patients suffering from NCD, in addition to suffocation itself, feel dozens of additional complaints: dizziness, nausea, palpitations, undefined pain in the chest, fear , panic, trembling in the body, chills, sweating, etc. Of course, patients with heart and lung disease can also experience these symptoms, but suffocation is what bothers them 100 times more than all other related "little things".

In patients with NCD, everything interferes simultaneously and equally strongly. These studies do not reveal any abnormalities, and the age of such patients usually does not exceed 30-40 years. Most of them undergo examinations many times, go to different specialists, believing that they are terminally ill, but the doctors do not understand this. In this group of patients, a good effect is achieved with the help of sedatives, tranquilizers, antipsychotics, and even better - psychotraining.

From the foregoing, we can say that when assessing chronic nocturnal suffocation, one should be guided by the principle "there is no smoke without fire." And if during the day the patient is completely “healthy” according to the results of the examination and consultation of narrow specialists, then you should not “go in cycles”, but you should try to solve this problem with a psychotherapist or psychiatrist, especially since there will definitely be no harm from this.

In conclusion, it should be canceled that this article, although written for patients, is not a guide for diagnosis, the decision is always made by the doctor.

For example, asthma begins with a sudden feeling of shortness of breath. The person begins to choke. Breathing is a human need necessary for life, therefore, at the slightest violation of it, the body begins to signal danger, which leads to panic and an acute fear of death. It should be noted that outside acute attacks asthma breathing problems in sick people are not observed. Asthma can be cardiac, it occurs due to problems with the circulation of the small circle, it can be bronchial, it is in acute disorder bronchial patency, or mixed, which develops due to myocardial disease or pathologies of the bronchial tree.

There are also non-allergenic asthma attacks, however, they occur much less frequently. In this case, an attack of asphyxia causes a brain injury or serious hormonal disorders.

Call to action

Suffocation can be caused by pneumothorax. This is a state in which a large number of air accumulates in pleural cavity due to sealing problems or damage chest wall. Spontaneous small pneumothorax can independently. But a serious pneumothorax can potentially cause clotting, which can lead to serious consequences. In this case, medical intervention is required.

If you have an asthma attack, call an ambulance. Try not to panic.

A sharp attack of suffocation may indicate a myocardial infarction. It occurs when the detached blood clot enters the coronary arteries by plugging them. Blood from such an artery stops flowing

A condition characterized by lack of air and fear of death is called suffocation, or asphyxia. It occurs in adults and children for many reasons. Asphyxiation treatment is prescribed individually in each individual case, depending on the diseases and factors that provoked it.

General information

Choking is painful and dangerous state that occurs when there is a lack of air in the body. A person feels the gravity of the situation on himself when he holds his breath for a few seconds, for example, while under water. At such moments, all his organs and systems suffer. This is explained by the fact that the main energy processes in the human body occur with the participation of oxygen.

Base biochemical process, which flows to cellular level- oxidative phosphorylation. It occurs in the mitochondria. The process of supplying oxygen molecules to mitochondria is provided by a number of physiological mechanisms.

At the same time involved:

• respiratory tract, where humidification, heating, air purification occurs;
• respiratory muscles;
• pleural cavity, which creates negative pressure;
• alveoli, the membranes of which allow oxygen molecules to pass into the blood as a result of passive diffusion (it does not entail energy costs);
• the heart, which provides blood flow and transport of oxygen to the tissues;
• cells whose membranes allow oxygen to pass to intracellular structures;
• respiratory center responsible for the coordination and regulation of respiratory function.

note

The blood itself takes part in the transport of oxygen. Firstly, its cells, erythrocytes, contain hemoglobin, to which its molecules are attached, and secondly, the degree of blood fluidity matters.

If problems arise at one of the stages of transportation, the mechanism for providing a person with air does not work - an asthma attack occurs. Due to the fact that this can happen to both adults and children, everyone is at risk.

Causes of suffocation

Any factors can provoke the development of this condition, including - environment. Directly suffocation and spasm of the muscles of the larynx in the throat are the result of traumatic, temperature and mechanical impact. AT individual cases disease occurs internal organs.

At the reception of a patient with such symptoms, doctors first of all exclude:

Spasm provoked by suffocation may be neurogenic in nature and occur in case of irritation individual groups nerves located in the larynx.

In addition, doctors distinguish diseases, a symptom of which is a feeling of suffocation. These are diseases such as:

• - an ailment characterized by seizures and / or occurring spontaneously or with precursors. At the same time, pressure behind the sternum is felt, wheezing wheezing is heard even at a distance. The chest itself takes the form of a barrel, the intercostal spaces are smoothed out. Such attacks occur due to exposure to allergens, hypothermia, colds, run exercise. Sputum taken for analysis at the time of the attack contains a large number of eosinophils, indicating the presence of allergic reaction. Relief of the condition brings a sitting position, in which the hands rest on the back of the chair, as well as a nitroglycerin tablet.
• Obstruction. Most often occurs in smokers, including passive smokers, or in workers in hazardous industries (coal, cement, pulp and paper). For development bronchial obstruction also affects nutrition, genetics, health status (possible in premature babies). Symptoms - shortness of breath, increasing cough with the appearance of mucous or purulent sputum, which entails a violation of the functions of the epithelium and, as a result, a feeling of suffocation.
• - a condition associated with a violation of the tightness of the lungs due to damage to the chest. In this case, intrapleural pressure arises, different from atmospheric pressure, which provokes squeezing of the lung and circulatory disorders. Then there is a feeling of suffocation. As a rule, the situation is aggravated by shock from an injury or injury. To save life, it is urgent to provide assistance to a person by ensuring the sealing of the chest with the help of oxygen inhalation and painkillers.
• . When a thrombus enters the coronary arteries, the blood flow from them to the heart stops, which leads to necrosis of the heart muscle due to oxygen deficiency.

  The maximum time when the area served by this artery can live without oxygen is no more than half an hour. After necrosis, inelastic scars appear, complicating the work of the heart (normally, it stretches and contracts, pumping blood).

  At risk are people with in a sedentary manner life, overweight, diseases of the cardiovascular system (), bad habits( , alcohol) . The risk increases with age. An infarction is preceded by angina attacks, accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath. Meanwhile, sometimes the precursors are absent. A complication of the disease is postinfarction pericarditis, which is difficult to detect.

  note

  Myocardial infarction can be diagnosed in a person with absolutely healthy heart. Then he is suspected of pathology of the coronary artery.

• - a condition associated with circulatory insufficiency. It provokes an allergen that enters the body in excess - dust, food, Chemical substance, medicinal product. Cause some people anaphylactic shock can be insect bites. The danger of the state - in a rapidly developing vascular collapse, which entails the cessation of the blood supply to the heart and the extinction of vital important functions organism. Everything is accompanied by a rash, swelling, hyperemia, bronchospasm, a feeling of chest compression, agitation and a feeling of fear,. In case of absence medical care the victim falls into a coma and dies. To prevent lethal outcome doctors give him decongestants, anti-inflammatory drugs, hormones.
• hit- a children's problem that occurs in patients under 5 - 6 years of age. Coins, toy parts, beads, peas are used, which they take into their mouths, suck them into their noses and, with a sharp breath caused by crying or laughter, are “sent” to the larynx. Sometimes in respiratory tract food gets in, for example, if a person talks while eating. Then there is a reflex cough, pushing the body through the mouth. Meanwhile, in the case of complete overlapping of the lumen of the trachea or larynx, suffocation occurs. In the absence of qualified assistance, loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest occur within a few minutes. With blockage of the bronchi develops. Other symptoms are noisy breathing, hoarseness of voice (if foreign body turned out to be between vocal cords), fear, cyanosis of the skin.
• Tumors in the airways. They can be benign or malignant, develop as a result of injuries, overexertion, work in hazardous industries. At the same time, it is observed fast fatiguability ligaments when talking, shortness of breath, shooting pain in the ear, putrid smell from the mouth, coughing up blood in the sputum. If the tumor blocks the airways, suffocation occurs. Eliminate the latter by introducing a stent - a special tube.
• larynx, or croup. Another childhood disease that develops as a result of microbes entering the body. These microorganisms secrete toxic substances that affect the nervous and cardiovascular system. At the same time, the voice is hoarse and appears barking cough. In the absence of help, convulsions develop, then death occurs.
• or larynx. It is observed with allergies, laryngitis, scarlet fever and sometimes resembles symptoms of heart pathologies.

Other ailments that provoke suffocation can be:, traumatic asphyxia as a result of chest compression, neuropsychiatric diseases, for example, panic attack or hyperventilation syndrome(results in violation of the regulation of respiratory activity).

note

Nocturnal suffocation indicates circulatory problems. In this case, a person wakes up in a cold sweat, with wheezing in the lungs and paroxysmal dry cough. His neck veins are swollen, the intercostal spaces are strongly retracted as a result of an attempt to dial more air. The condition is relieved after the patient assumes a vertical position.

Additional symptoms of suffocation

In most cases, the feeling of suffocation is accompanied by other signs that help the specialist to make a diagnosis. It could be:

• discomfort when talking;
• pain when swallowing;
• heaviness in the back of the head (if arteries are injured and blood circulation is disturbed);
• (the result of insufficient circulation or neurological problems).

Diagnostics

Regular sensations of suffocation are a reason to immediately consult a general practitioner. He will prescribe a comprehensive examination that allows you to establish true reason spasm and oxygen deficiency and will refer you for a consultation to:

• ENT;
• cardiologist;
• pulmonologist;
• allergist;
• psychotherapist.

Narrow specialists can:

• take a smear from the oropharynx;
• do a pharyngoscopy to study the mucous membranes;
• conduct (examination of internal organs using an endoscope);
• do ;
• give a referral for blood donation (clinical and biochemical analysis, hormones);
• conduct - a study of the mucous membranes of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.

Treatment, help with suffocation

If you experience a feeling of suffocation, you should immediately consult a doctor. Any delay could cost a person their life.

Until then, you need:

• Provide him with peace, emotional and physical. If a child has an attack, and the child is crying, he needs to be calmed down.
• In case of loss of consciousness, ammonia is brought to the nose, and then a glass of water is offered to the patient.

When these manipulations are ineffective, it is recommended to hold your breath for a few seconds, and then slowly inhale. Another option to relieve spasm - warm bath in which you need to sit for 10 - 15 minutes. An extreme measure is 2 fingers on the tongue, which causes vomiting and relieves spasm.

What to do if a foreign body enters the respiratory tract

First aid to the victim:

• He needs to stand up, tilting his head and chest forward, after which someone sharply, but not hard, should hit the patient on the back between the shoulder blades.
• Another option is to approach the victim from behind, clasping him with his hands in the navel area, and squeezing sharply. As a result, the lower ribs will sharply push carbon dioxide outward, and with it the irritant.

  If food gets into oral cavity, and does not jump out of it, when inhaled, it may re-enter the respiratory tract.

• Lying people are turned over on their backs, pressing hard on them. upper part belly.
• An unconscious person is laid on his bent knee belly down so that his head is down. Then the palm is beaten in the area of ​​​​the shoulder blades no more than 5 times.

It is worth noting that even after the restoration of breathing as a result of the above actions, it is necessary to consult a doctor. These manipulations can lead to injuries, bruises of internal organs, and sometimes damage to the ribs.

Prevention

To prevent suffocation, you must:

Asphyxiation is not only a painful condition for the patient, but also a direct threat to his health and life. In the event of its occurrence, one should not lose a minute: call an ambulance team, and before it arrives, provide first aid. Only doctors can determine the exact cause of suffocation and prevent the worst.

Those who have ever encountered sudden attack suffocation in a dream, understands how scary it is. A person is overcome by fear, he feels absolutely helpless. Panic sets in from the feeling of lack of air. Sleep is disturbed due to fear of suffocation, there is a feeling that someone is pressing on the chest. When falling asleep, there is not enough air or you jump up in the middle of the night from a rapid heartbeat and a feeling that you are suffocating - it does not matter, it is urgent to look for the cause of this condition and take action. To do this, do not avoid visiting a doctor.

The most likely causes of choking during sleep

During a night's sleep, the oxygen content in the blood drops sharply, and the concentration carbon dioxide rises, then there is suffocation in a dream. If breathing is disturbed, then the presence of serious problems in the body.

If such an unpleasant attack worries only occasionally, then the reason may lie in physical strain and the impact of stress. Intermittent cessation of breathing during sleep is alarm signal requiring immediate medical attention.

Among possible causes nocturnal suffocation can be called the following:

• Obesity. In the presence of a large number excess fat the diaphragm is compressed, which reduces the space for the lungs. It becomes impossible to take a full breath.
• Acid reflux provokes heartburn, in the supine position, the contents of the stomach are ejected, which rolls up to the throat, blocking the airways. It becomes difficult to breathe and a cough appears as a protective reflex to release the larynx.
• Excessive addiction to cigarettes, especially smoking before going to bed. Nicotine, entering the blood, increases arterial pressure, increased heart rate, increased risk of suffocation. Breathing is blocked for literally a few seconds, there is no danger to life, but discomfort is guaranteed.
• A deviation in the alternation of sleep rhythms can cause difficulty in breathing.
• Pregnancy - harmless reason, but gives a woman discomfort. Weight gain occurs, which can cause suffocation.
• If asthma attacks appear at night, the cause may be in the pathologies of the nervous system. Often such a symptom occurs with VVD, the manifestations of pathology are most acutely felt during periods of hormonal changes, against the background of overwork. The first signs of the disease resemble neurosis, and then the condition worsens and now at night there is difficulty breathing, panic fear at the same time, increased sweating.
• The accumulated mucus in the nasopharynx can also block the throat for the free movement of air. This symptom interferes with normal sleep, but the use of drugs will quickly eliminate it.

The listed causes do not require serious treatment and are easily eliminated or are temporary, which does not pose a danger to human health and life.

Stopping breathing during sleep due to serious pathologies

Many complain to the doctor, I suffocate in my sleep. If this happens with enviable regularity, then the reason may be serious illnesses that require medication, and sometimes surgical treatment. These include:

1. Bronchial asthma. Attacks of the disease can overtake not only at night, but during sleep it is most dangerous. Any allergen to which the patient's body reacts can provoke bronchospasm. Allergies can be to house dust, animal hair, the smell of products household chemicals or perfumery. Breathing is characterized during attacks by a sharp breath and a long exhalation with a whistle. This diagnosis requires medications nearby for quick relief of an attack.
2. Sleep apnea. The syndrome develops due to loss of muscle tone of the palate. It happens in the background age-related changes, obesity, chronic fatigue.
3. Arrhythmia. There is a rapid pulse, there is pain in the heart, shortness of breath, weakness. During an attack, a person may suffocate in his sleep.
4. Heart failure. The heart cannot pump blood normally and as a result, gas exchange is disturbed and there is a lack of oxygen in the tissues, which leads to respiratory arrest. There is a danger of dying in such a state.
5. Angina. Most often, an attack of pathology is observed against the background of daytime physical overwork or neuro-emotional stress. There is pain behind the sternum, shortness of breath. Tachycardia may be observed.
6. Pneumonia. Inflammation of the lungs at its peak makes breathing much more difficult, which can cause a feeling of suffocation.
7. Diseases thyroid gland. With insufficient work of the thyroid gland, an overgrowth of its tissues is observed, a goiter appears, which presses on the trachea. If you lie on your back, then there is a feeling that someone is choking, a lump rolls up in the throat.
8. Panic attack. Mental disorders, instability of processes in the nervous system lead to suffocation in sleep due to palpitations and panic.
9. Sleep paralysis. Develops at the time of exit from sleep. It becomes hard to breathe, anxiety and fear appear, which paralyzes. AT severe cases hallucinations may develop. If you realize that the condition is not dangerous to health, then literally in a couple of minutes everything will return to normal. The areas of the brain responsible for movement will finally wake up and give the necessary signal.

All of these pathologies should not be ignored by doctors. Required serious treatment to prevent tragic consequences.

Symptoms of suffocation

Symptoms of nocturnal suffocation gradually replace each other, an attack in its development goes through several stages:

1. During the first phase, the work of the respiratory center is enhanced. The frequency and depth of breathing increase, blood pressure jumps, the heart begins to beat faster. There is a risk of developing a stroke or heart attack.
2. At the second stage, breathing slows down, the skin acquires a bluish tint, and the lips turn blue.
3. Further, a malfunction in the functioning of the respiratory center begins to occur. Breathing stops, convulsions appear, sharp drop blood pressure.
4. In the fourth phase, the heartbeat, there is a sharp inhalation and a rare exhalation.

Death from suffocation is quite possible, especially if there are serious pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

Diagnosis of a pathological syndrome

To prescribe treatment, the doctor must find out the cause of such conditions, and this requires an examination of the patient, which includes:

• blood and urine tests;
• X-rays of light;
• bacteriological examination of sputum;
• cardiogram;
• tests for the determination of the allergen;
• analysis for the determination of lymphocytes in the blood and their activity;
• spirography;
• tomography;
• polysomnography is performed to evaluate the functioning of the body during sleep.

It is important to clarify the diagnosis differential diagnosis to rule out diseases similar symptoms. Pay attention to the following points:

• asthma and obstructive bronchitis can have similar symptoms, but with the first pathology, rales in the lungs are dry, and with bronchitis, they are wet. In addition, with bronchial disease, shortness of breath is observed constantly.
• Distinguish pulmonary thromboembolism can be due to a sudden feeling of lack of air. An attack can overtake at any moment, and not just at night.
• The feeling of lack of air, as a sign of neurosis, almost never ends in suffocation. Most often, such manifestations are observed after stress; wheezing is not detected in the lungs when listening.

After finding out the cause, the doctor may prescribe effective therapy the underlying disease that provokes such attacks.

Providing first aid during an attack

Regular attacks of suffocation can end in a coma or death of a person, so when the first symptoms appear, you should call a doctor. Assistance actions should include the following:

1. Try to calm the person down.
2. Help him get into a sitting position and ensure the flow fresh air, if necessary, open the window.
3. If there is a diagnosis bronchial asthma, then you need to give "Eufilin".
4. If an allergy is the culprit of the attack, then take an antihistamine, for example, Diazolin, Clarotadine.
5. If suffocation is observed against the background of heart failure, then the drug "Nitroglycerin", a warm foot bath, and remedies for pressure will help.

At the time of an attack at night, you should not give a person a drink, the muscles of the pharynx are in a tense state, which can cause a new attack.

If you see that nearby a loved one begins to gasp for air, breathes heavily and periodically interrupts, then you need to wake him up, help him sit down and provide assistance.

Basic therapies

The choice of methods for the treatment of suffocation depends on the cause of such a condition, but most often you can rely on the following:

1. Medical therapy. Medicines are selected taking into account the underlying disease. If an allergic attack, then antihistamines should be at hand. With pathologies of the heart muscle, drugs prescribed by a doctor to relieve pain, lower blood pressure.
2. They can also help homeopathic remedies. When a person falls asleep, and wakes up in the middle of the night with a feeling of suffocation, then you can try to drink a course of Ipecacuanha. If the attack is due to neurosis and problems with the nervous system, then Moschus will help. Shortness of breath due to an allergic reaction can be treated with Sambucus. Homeopathic treatment should be combined with taking medications and traditional medicine methods.
3. Treatment folk remedies. But you shouldn’t start with it, when there is a serious pathology, you can’t do without drugs. Medicinal herbs can only serve prophylactic. In this capacity, they have proven themselves well:
   • Rosehip broth, containing a large amount of vitamins, antioxidants.
   • A decoction of strawberry leaves lowers blood pressure.
   • An antiallergic effect has a decoction of wild rosemary.

1. Massotherapy. Well relaxes, relieves tension, preventing attacks of suffocation on nervous ground. If you do it regularly before bed, you can reduce the frequency of attacks.
2. Breathing exercises. A set of exercises will help train the respiratory muscles, which will develop the ability to relieve a sudden attack.
3. Physiotherapy procedures. Good effect gives: ultrasound therapy, UHF, inductothermy, electrophoresis.

If falling asleep is associated with the appearance of a feeling of suffocation, then the treatment of the problem must be approached comprehensively. If the situation requires it, then you should not refuse hospitalization, the clinic will conduct course treatment the underlying disease, which significantly reduces the likelihood of death from suffocation. And such an outcome is not excluded, especially in a situation where there is no effective remedy at hand.

Seizure Prevention

For adult patients who are at risk of developing sleep apnea, it is important preventive measures, these include:

• Regular wet cleaning.
• Remove all objects and things that accumulate dust from the bedroom.
• Before going to bed, you need to ventilate the room.
• Nutrition must be balanced.
• News healthy lifestyle life.
• Eradicate bad habits.
• Visit your doctor regularly and take medications in the presence of serious chronic pathologies.

Almost everyone can wake up in the middle of the night from discomfort in the chest, some discomfort and a feeling of tightness in the chest, but if such symptoms are accompanied regularly, then they cannot be ignored. This could end badly.