dreaming I can't breathe and pain in head (Page 1)

Is this episode of dreaming happening for the first time?
Have you been experiencing other sleeping problems before?
Are you going through stressful period of life?

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I've never experienced this before or ever had sleep problems. I have suffered alot with depression (started as postnatal) but i have it under control and am not on meds at the moment.

Theres nothing particularly stressful in my life, apart from 3 kids lol.

I'm just shattered all the time due to lack of good sleep and its affecting everything i do.

Do you usually have this experience when you are about to drop off to sleep, or just upon awaking from sleep?
Do you get a feeling of 'presence'?
Do you feel an intense sense of dread and terror when you have these episodes?

you have a sleeping disorder, go see a sleep specialist, they can monitor your sleeping and give you the help you need. I have the same problem you do, and the docs told me I can't breath well at night and my body builds up adrenalin and cause me to have nightmares and anxiety attacks. Sounds like you have the same problem. When you wake up and can't move, it's because the chemicals released into your body to make it immobile so you don't move and hurt yourself, it's normal.

I have been having a similar problem...that is...with the pain in the head. I will be dreaming, and then all of a sudden i will start experiencing an excrutiating pain in my head. This is not a headache or anything of the sort. It is a throbing pain as if my brain is expanding and contracting and is just getting ready to explode. In the dream, i feel alot of pain and pressure in my head and i start screaming....and then i wake up. The only thing that scares me is that when i wake up, i actually feel a little pain in my head. It's nothing like when i'm dreaming...but this leads me to believe that the pain that i feel is happening for real, and not just in my dreams. It's kind of like a aftershock. I don't know what to think.

I have a similar problem to all of you except this doesn't happen frequently. I sleep on my stomach, and occasionally I will have an intense, throbbing pain in my left rib/lung. I am aware that this is happening but can't wake myself up. It feels as if someone is doing a hymlic manuveur and I'm going to sufficate. I would love to know whats wrong with me!!!

Wow that really sounds terrifying... I read this because I wanted to find out about my breathing problems at night too. I'm pretty much sure that it's because I'm physically not able to breathe, but my deep sleep and dreams don't allow me to wake up. I sleep on my stomach a lot as well and I'm sure I just have my face in the pillow or something. I can't breathe well in whatever dream I'm having, like it's part of the plot, but I do nothing about the fact that I'm literally smothering my face or laying weird. I feel like it goes on forever and it gets Really bad, but I must just move my head before I basically sufficate, then repeat. I'm afraid I may actually, completely unintentionally, sufficate myself in my sleep, so I'm gona talk to my doc. I can definitely understand how built up adrenaline from the distress influence my dreams: they're bad and blurry with major anxiety.. probably because I CAN'T BREATHE.
Though I don't get them, I think your head and rib/lung pains are absolutely happening for real, not because you're going crazy, but from a literal lack of oxygen and you're strife to breathe normally... like the throbbing head pain from puking a lot or dry heeving, or after I would make my face turn beat red in front of my friends when I was 5... I was pretty dumb.

I have recently had the same problem. For instance, last night I was dreaming that my wife and I were arguin(she died 3 years ago) and I could not breath. I tried to tell her this but could not speak. Latter, I had another dream in which I saw a bear in the distance. I tried to hide from the bear and while doing so I stopped breathing. I I went to a home and a middle class couple said I was a drunk derelict. I could see myself turning blue. I woke up and my heart WAS BEATING VERY FAST. i TOOK MY BLOOD PRESSURE AND IT WAS NORMAL. i BEGAN TO FEAR THAT i WOULD DIE SOME NIGHT IF i DID NOT WAKE UP.Your letter reassured me. I am fairly certain that when oxygen levels drop too far, CO2 and adrenaline levels increase so that you wake up naturally. increase, waking you up. However, I think that we should both see a doctor. Once again thank you for the post . I am sorry for the capitals .

it happens to me very often especially when i sleep on my back i feel like i cant breath move or yell or even talk i feel like people are moving around me talking and they cant realize whats happening to me than in tht dream i try to calm my body and force my self to wake up once i do its all gone it first happened with me a 1998 a week before my dad could die and since than its been happening i guess it happens when your body is not relaxed

Hello everyone, I stumbled upon this forum because of sleeping disorders I have also. It all started with me as a teenager. I would go to sleep and feel as though I wake up, but could not move or speak. Sometimes I would feel as though I'm dying but could not wake myself up. This particular disorder has somewhat gone away as I've grown into adulthood. I am 31 yrs. old now and it comes back every so often and still scares me. My other problem is when I sleep on my back I have trouble breathing and gasp for air in my sleep. I am overweight and the problems sleeping on my back could be due to sleep apnea. Maybe weightloss could cure the sleep apnea? I don't know. But the disorder of not being able to move or wake up is frightening with a capital "F".

here's my issue, my friend has had a problem when she sleeps and she wakes up and has to take a deep sudden breathe because she wasn't breathing...she is a 23 yo athlete, well now it has advanced to where she was in the parking lot and blacked out, she said it felt as if it was exactly like the sleep problem, she woke up with a blanket on her and people standing around her...docs don't know what is wrong andi'm trying to research teh creap out of this, but its kinda hard to do.

This really reminds me of me. The first dream I had like this was a month or two ago maybe more. I dreamed I was in a rain forest and it was on fire and they told us to get in the ditches and crawl so we would be safe but I caught on fire and felt an intense burning sensation, at this point I figured out I was dreaming somehow so I tried to wake up. Everything was dark, I couldn't breath or move and it was so hot and I thought "Oh my god the house is on fire and I'm dying in my sleep." I tried for what seemed like ages to wake up. I tried calling to the person that sleeps in the same room with me..."Help, help the house is on fire..." but I didn't feel like I said anything I didn't hear myself say anything, but apparently he did and he flipped on the light switch and I woke up when the light turned on. I felt like I woke up with a gasp but he said that I didn't gasp. I've had more than one since then but the most recent one was yesterday. I dreamed I was in a huge house that had a ton of ghosts. Then me and these people I obviously knew (but I had only seen one of them before) went somewhere....then the only thing I remember after that is everything was dark and I felt like I couldn't breathe or move again, finally somehow I was able to wake up, and guess what? I felt like I woke up with a gasp. I asked the person who stays in the same room with me to watch me to make sure I don't stop breathing since we generally go to sleep at different times, and he says he hasn't noticed me not breathing....but he really isn't that bright to be honest o.O. Its getting to where I just don't want to sleep....

it happens to me also, since childhood, i'm 30 years old now, happens i would say once o twice a year, usually when i sleep on my back, and it would happen also like 4 to 7 times a night, can't wake up, and i don't want to go back to sleep, but like the third time it happens, i can control and yes, i can imagine myself flying in a relaxing place, , beach, island for example, though it hurts like hell in the beginning, but i found a way to control that , after that it stops, but i know it's sleep dosorder, try doing this, think of a nice place, make the pain go away, it helps me, good luck!!!!!

Same happens to me eh its not a fun thing to talk about but your screaming for someone to help you and your cant move all I do is calm myself down and try to sleep it off till the adrenaline goes down then I try and shake my leg or shoulders to kinda kick me out of the sleeping but yes its a terrifying thing to experience and I say for me its my weight also...right now I use a breathing mask it just blows air in my face at night its called cpap machine...expensive plus needed a sleep study first but I don't know what i would do without it.

we have same problem. but my aunt once told me that if ever that dream occurs again, just move your toe. i dont know what's the relation of moving a toe but i really worked for me. its kinda weird that you cant move or do anything except for your toe..it does move if that happens..

hey....i noe wat u mean by that.....i too sum times feel it....its a normal dream and suddenly it gets nasty...its not a nightmare.....just a simple plot gone wrong....i hear a screech followed by excruciating pain and breathlessness.....u cant move ur hands or feet....although they do if u try a bit hard.....u might try to open your eyelids...momentarily...if ur lucky enough u come out of it...but if u close your eyelids right away....it repeats ......i figured out it not a disorder....jst try moving your body....even if u go thru d entire thing u jst fall asleep......this thing usually happens before i am in deep sleep.......the MAIN prob is d PAIN....wich jst increasing exponentially......

I get it too; a crushing feeling in your brain that sometimes bring you to your dream or out of it.

I usually get it from 1)sleeping too late, or 2)during a bad dream,but i found a way to counter it as you can say?

Mm, one is by going to sleep earlier and two is when you're awake, take a huge breath of air and continue breathing. I'm not sure if he crushing is due to the lack of oxygen in the brain, but it hurts. The weird thing about this is..it leaves me in a state where I'm dreaming a lucid dream(half subconscious and unsubconscious) when the crsuhing begins. It feels like i'm bieing hurled out of my dreams and into it agan, and i can change it to some degree. Pretty awesome but comes with a price.

Sorry for diggig this up but i waa just doing some researchThats exactly the same thing that happens to me. What also happened was in the shprt time before that, i had really broken sleep: i woke up like every five ninutes for a good twenty minutes. Maybe this could be a factor?

I have a very similar problem to this, in fact pretty much the exact same symptoms you exhibit. I'll be in a deep sleep and something triggers these episodes. I don't have to be having a nightmare or anything dream related, I believe it's something else influencing these "attacks". Usually what happens is I dream that I'm awake but I cannot breathe or move. I try to move in reality and in the dream I am struggling to move. Everything is so well rendered and life like it feels like I'm awake. I try to call out for help but I am breathless and unable to form words. Breathing becomes very difficult and I continuously have dreams inside dreams of trying to get out of bed and get help. I sometimes wake up for seconds and my eyelids are very heavy; I have to fight from falling back asleep. When I finally do wake up I'm drenched in a cold sweat, ache all over, and I find I'm breathing quite rapidly. Near as I can tell this is a panic attack or sleep paralysis. I'm going to see a doctor to see if I can get help.

I just read your question tonight and this probably comes 2 years too late to help you, but I've had similar problems when dreaming. I can't comment on your head pain, but it helps me to keep my head elevated higher than the normal pillow height (use 2 pillows). This usally alleviates the dreams where I can't breathe or move. I don't yet have all the answers as to why this happens, but I'm confident God will lead me to the answers. Be blessed.

Not sure if anyone will read this, post is kind of old, but I think I know exactly what you are experiencing. Unfortunately it's because of my own experience so I don't have a solution for you but I thought I would share my experience. Sometimes I'll be in a dream and I'll dream that i'm being suffocated or drowning or something like that or just passing out for no reason (it varies a lot) and it feels like i'm getting closer and closer to dying and then I realize that I'm dreaming so in the dream i'll try to flail my body around and do anytihng I can to wake myself up and usually I do wake up but it takes a little while, sometimes I wake up with a headache and sometimes I don't. If I had to describe the exact feeling it almost feels like i'm sleeping in a position that cuts of circulation to my head? If that makes any sense... not sure if that can even happen that's just the best way to describe the feeling, and I don't know if it's a coincidence but this mostly happens when i'm lying on my side with my pillow putting any pressure on my neck, usually when I roll over on to my back I am able to get to sleep without this happening. I had this happen pretty regularly up until a few months ago it kind of just stopped happening but the other night it happened again so I decided it was time to start looking for answers.
My only guess is Sleep Apnea, after having read the description, it would make sense to me if this was happening because of something obstructing my breathing.

Does any of this sound similiar to what you are experiencing?

There are some ymtoms of sleep apnea but this is a spiritual matter. According to all of your testimonies you are being attacked in your sleep by night creatures or spirits or demons. Research Incubus & sucibus demons who atack humans during the night. There are bouts when you feels as if you're going to die stop breathing and the more you struggle to move the more you stop breathing. The crushing head pains the lack of movement. There even bouts of people being sexual molested and raped during these bouts. These spirits can take on any images or human form man or woman most times its images that you could be familiar with celeberities ex girlfriend or boyfriend spouse or friend stranger you seen. The only way to be rid of the night demons is by the Power of the Holy Spirit the power of GOD. Some of you may need deliverance where the spirit may have taken a dwelling inside your innerman or woman and already have power to manipulate your will. Generally Praying before you sleep fends off thses creatures from attacking. But if you are not in covanant relationship with Jesus Christ these demons can return at will. If you are a beleiver in Christ do not fear them they prey on fear but seek delivernce at your local assembly or a True Bible Believing Ministry.