Shortness of breath - feeling like I can't catch my breath

A friend of mine has been complaining about these terrifying dreams where she feels like she’s suffocating. She wakes up in a total panic because she's gasping for air and just can't catch her breath. Does anyone have any clue what might be causing this?

She's a pretty heavy smoker, by the way.

Asthma?

apnea

Has anyone here heard of Aetna?

👋 👋

depression

Imagine a 25-pound cat just plopping right onto your chest? I'm totally serious, though, I've actually lived through this! 😁

Are you trying to say some young (hungry) tiger is gonna jump on her chest...

What kind of cat weighs 26 pounds? 😲

My neighbors used to have this Persian cat that was basically the size of a newborn calf 😍 I loved him so much, but man, when he first sat right on my chest while I was sleeping, I legit thought I was having a heart attack because I seriously couldn't breathe from how heavy he was! 😁

restlesspanther1 said:depression

yep.

Panic attacks and depression aren't the same thing.

Sleep apnea

It’s definitely not depression or panic attacks—honestly, it isn't even a psychological thing at all. It’s almost entirely physiological...

Anyone who deals with it knows...

That’s such a relief—I was honestly starting to worry I was slipping into a depressive episode myself... 😲
(It tends to happen to me whenever I sleep on my back, and then I end up having these vivid dreams where I can't catch my breath.)

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting here 👋.
I’ve actually dealt with the exact same thing—waking up gasping for air, followed by those mild panic attacks, and eventually getting diagnosed with PTSD.

Bast said:A friend told me.......

She’s mostly full of it, anyway.

Is there anything else I should even bother adding?

Kenneth Hernandez67 said:Panic attacks and depression are two entirely different beasts.

But let’s be real here—people dealing with depression often find themselves blindsided by sudden panic attacks, dizzy spells, racing hearts, and all those nasty symptoms of high blood pressure...

I’ve been dealing with anxiety for a long, long time—it’s basically my shadow at this point. But lately, over the last few months, things have taken a really weird, uncomfortable turn. I keep having these recurring nightmares where I’m literally choking to death. It’s always the same setup—my mom, my sister, whoever is around—but nobody actually steps in to help me. I wake up gasping, feeling like there's a physical blockage in my throat, and I just can't swallow my own saliva... it’s like a total struggle to even get a swallow down. Last night was more of the same; I jolted awake from that exact dream feeling like I couldn't swallow anything. Even though I could swallow fine once I was actually awake, the sheer panic from the dream itself just hit me like a freight train.
I don't have a cold, my sinuses seem totally fine, but I constantly deal with this thick, nasty mucus sitting right between my nose and my throat. Sometimes it feels so thick that trying to swallow it feels like an impossible task.
One time I went to see an ENT about all this, and after checking me out, he basically just told me to "find a hobby" or something to distract myself... which is great, thanks doctor, super helpful. I mean, sometimes I can cough it up and spit it out, but still. So now I'm wondering about these dreams—why is this happening while I sleep? Could this be tied back to stress or some deep-seated fear? Because honestly, when I wake up from these episodes, I am straight-up fighting for air.

Everyone knows the drill. It happens to me every single night—just waking up out of nowhere with that pure panic hitting my chest. Everyone keeps telling me it’s all in my head and I just need to go see a psychiatrist.

Hey, I’m not even sure if this is the right spot for my mess on the forum, but honestly, I’m just hoping someone out there might have an actual answer for me.. So, here’s the deal: I’m 17, decent build, don't smoke, stay away from drugs, rarely touch alcohol. I’m not exactly an athlete or anything, but I do physical labor for work. Back in April, this whole nightmare started, and I’ve been struggling with it ever since. One night, everything just tightened up in my throat—like, super tight, like I was trying to breathe through a straw, and my throat felt bone dry. I went to the ER, they did an EKG, and everything looked totally fine. O2 saturation was 99%, blood pressure was 120/80... They gave me a 10ml injection of diazepam, which calmed the panic attack down, but that tightening sensation in my throat? It wouldn't budge. Things actually got worse after that, so they sent me over to the local hospital for more testing. I ended up in the cardiology ward—basically the internal medicine wing for heart issues. I spent two nights in the hospital, and man, it was a hellish experience—fever, shaking, chills, the constant fear that I was actually dying... After that, I stayed in the observation unit for eight days. I was mobile, conscious, had a good appetite, etc. The only thing bothering me was that throat tightness. They did a thyroid ultrasound, all clear. Did several EKGs, which occasionally showed ventricular extrasystoles (doctors say it’s nothing to worry about).. Lung X-ray came back clean too, no noise, pulmonary results were perfectly normal. Then they did a color Doppler echo. Results: mild tricuspid regurgitation (which apparently 90% of people have, so whatever).. Heart is supposedly perfectly healthy. They also ran a spirometry test, FEV1/FVC was 98%.. Diagnosis: "Somatoform disorders." So, they sent me to a neuropsychiatrist clinic. I took some Bosnyal tablets, but didn't feel a single bit of relief. Eventually, they discharged me because, according to them, I’m "healthy." But since then, I’ve been dealing with heavy dyspnea, so I ended up hospitalized again at the psych ward because of that throat constriction... I’ve cycled through everything from standard sedatives to various meds like Ambien, Lexapro, Xanax... At the psych ward, they diagnosed me with body dysmorphic disorder, sexual dysfunction, hypochondria... Everyone keeps telling me nothing is wrong with me, but I can't just accept that. I go home, try to play soccer, and suddenly my throat tightens up so bad I feel like I'm going to throw up; I can't catch my breath... I go to my doctor, get prescribed Xanax 0.50mg plus Parosel 20mg.. Took it for 20 days, zero change. Then my neuropsychiatrist put me on a bunch of other stuff—Ranital for the nausea, Rivotril, Risperidone, etc.. I also had a gastroscopy, which was normal. Tested positive for H. pylori, but the doctor told me I didn't need the triple therapy. Thyroid hormone tests? All great. So, I went home and stopped taking all the meds that weren't doing anything... For a while, I thought I could just deal with it. But one morning, the second I open my eyes, I can't take a deep enough breath. It scares the life out of me. And now, it's getting worse. Every ten days or so, it hits harder; I can't seem to fill my lungs because it feels like my stomach is pressing against my ribs, squeezing my diaphragm so I can't get air in. Otherwise, I'm okay—I've got energy, a good appetite, no swelling in my legs or ankles, no pain, just this weird discomfort in the middle of my chest. No liver palpitation, sometimes I feel those extra beats when I'm lying down, I'm not losing my mind, I don't feel fatigued... It's just that when I run, my tonsils tighten up and I get hit with this wave of nausea like I'm gonna barf. It happens when I'm hungry too. Even after the triple therapy, nothing moved the needle. Now I'm just wondering what to do and how long this is supposed to last.. I can't take it anymore, but I can't die either... I know this is a massive novel, but I am desperately looking for help. Doctors keep filling my head with "you're fine," while I'm stuck searching the internet for anyone with similar issues just to figure out what's happening to me. Sometimes I genuinely feel like I'm dying, and it's terrifying. Plus, I've got this acid reflux burning in my stomach area too. Thanks in advance! 🙂 🤷

Look, you’re dealing with classic symptoms of acid reflux—specifically GERD, which was most likely triggered by your H. pylori infection. It honestly blows my mind how far some doctors will go, ignoring such textbook symptoms just to slap a mental health label on a 17-year-old and start throwing pills at them.
You can find entire threads dedicated to GERD on the health forums.
You’re going to need to retake that H. pylori test, and if the bacteria is still hanging around—which is entirely possible since it's incredibly stubborn—you'll have to go through the treatment cycle again. Your issue is purely mechanical. Think of it this way: there’s a sphincter between your stomach and esophagus that acts like a valve, designed to keep stomach acid from splashing up. Sometimes that valve gets weak because of an infection or other factors like obesity, allowing stomach contents to surge upward. This shows up as chest pain, heartburn, or that sensation of a lump in your throat, especially at night when you're lying flat. Of course, it feels absolutely terrifying, which triggers panic and makes your clinical picture look way more dramatic than it actually is. My husband deals with GERD, and whenever he gets hit with an episode at night, he completely panics because he's convinced he's having a heart attack.
You should try to skip heavy late-night meals, stay away from chocolate and mint tea, and sleep with your head elevated. A gastroenterologist can prescribe medication to ease the discomfort, but honestly, you'll probably deal with this from time to time for the rest of your life.
Do a little digging on Google regarding GERD; there are endless articles out there.

So, if you’ve run all the tests and nothing physical is showing up, we’re probably looking at something psychological here. That tight feeling in your throat and the sensation like you can't quite get enough air? Honestly, that's a super common precursor to a panic attack. Have you thought about sitting down with a psychiatrist? As for meds, you really have to give antidepressants at least a month or so to actually kick in before you can tell if they're doing anything—if they don't work after that, then you just pivot and try something else.