Do you forget to breath during wakefulness?

[Lee2263]

Or breathing gets so shallow and/or slow, you're not sure when the last moment was air was inhaled? Or just had the feeling of the next breath coming just turn off?

This has been a stressful week but this breathing signal thing started about 10 days ago.

And isn't the force of the air supposed to help your lungs inflate to take in air?

[Snoredog]

Or breathing gets so shallow and/or slow, you're not sure when the last moment was air was inhaled? Or just had the feeling of the next breath coming just turn off?

This has been a stressful week but this breathing signal thing started about 10 days ago.

And isn't the force of the air supposed to help your lungs inflate to take in air?

Huh? wakefulness? what is that? You mean sleep onset events?

Shallow breathing or onset sleep centrals show up at sleep onset, I don't really think they are centrals but shallow breathing, in my case as I relax I begin breathing more shallow to the point I starve myself of needed air, my fight or flight response kicks in and wakes me where I start the whole process over again.

While CPAP machine somewhat inflates the lungs that is not its sole purpose, its purpose is to splint or hold the airway open with pressure.

I find with use of the machine it keeps me breathing more normally where the shallow breathing goes away. There seems to be a lot of anxiety associated with those sleep onset events so that goes away also where a person can fall asleep comfortably.

These sleep onset events might be noticed moreso when taking a nap vs. retiring for the night.

[jjposey]

If you are talking about forgetting to breath while you are wide awake - I do it all the time, esp if I am concentrating on something. I just figured most people did.

[Lee2263]

Wakefullnes, is being wide awake, and you're breathing, just stops. No urge, no tension comes on to say, 'foolish one, take a breath'. LOL!

Funny you mention the 'fight or flight' part that wakes you up. I don't wake up, even before taking the Beta Blockers and CNS meds, I just don't wake up but can have multiple events in an hour and continue sleeping.

[danw61]

I forget to breath while I'm awake sometimes. Usually when I am tired, but definitely still awake, sitting or even standing.

[Guest]

Yeah, I find breathing to be something I have to consciously do most of the time.

Occasionally I'll notice that I've been breathing without really thinking about it... other times I'll notice that I haven't taken a breath for 5-10 seconds without feeling any air-hunger. Mostly it's something I have to think about.. it doesn't happen automagically or anything, like my heartbeat. I've heard people talk about breathing as though it's an automatic thing that your diaphragm does for you, but it doesn't seem that way to me unless I'm sleeping.

[Arizona-Willie]

If I wear my Pulse oximeter while watching tv or sitting at the computer playing poker etc. etc. and have the alarms set ... they will go off from time to time.

My oxygen level goes down below 80 quite easily at times.

Last year Mayo was doing an MRI of my abdomen and the nurse(?) came and told me to breathe faster.

I've had enough MRI'S that they don't faze me and I relax well.

I was on the verge of going to sleep that day. She said I was only breathing 7 times a minute and they needed me to breathe 11 - 15 times a minute because the machine takes a slice every time your chest gets to a certain point in the breathing cycle. It was taking too long to do the test because of my slow breathing.

The slow breathing when relaxed also, of course, contributes to my O2 saturation going low.

I'm kinda relieved to know I'm not the only one who either breathes too shallow or too slow or even stops entirely when awake ( more or less ).

[shortbus]

I'm the same way.

I spent the better part of 6 months going to doctors to find out why I stopped breathing while awake that I ended up getting a sleep study by chance and it found my OSA.