I stop breathing just before I fall asleep. Does anyone else experience this?

Just as I am about to fall asleep and I can feel myself start to drift away, I suddenly find myself sitting up and gasping for air. It's so odd. I never experience these symptoms during the day. Rarely, do I experience them at all, actually. It is not a nightly thing. It has happened to me 6 times in the past 2 hours tonight. I do not have asthma, however, I am a smoker with a long pack-year history. Sometimes, it is hard for me to breathe while laying flat, however, I can correct this if I breathe through my mouth and not my nose, so I don't think it is actual orthopnea. Also, I do have anxiety disorder, so maybe it is just a panic attack. Either way, it's scary as hell. I'm waiting on my health insurance at work to kick in and I will see a doctor. Until then, does anyone else experience and/or know what is causing it? It's absolutely terrifying. I was feeling rather nauseous and shaky before bed, so it probably is anxiety.

Note: I really do not think this is sleep apnea. My father has it, however. I do not snore at all. I do not wake up feeling tired. I do not have any of the symptoms associated with sleep apnea. While technically it is apnea, defined as periods of not breathing IF that is even what I am experiencing, I do not think I would be clinically diagnosed with sleep apnea, especially given my age and gender (25/female) as it is more common in men over 35. It's probably just anxiety.

Yes! it happens a lot to me. I'll fall asleep and my eyes pop open and im jumping out of my bed. I don't know what it is, but i find sleeping on a lot of pillows, keeping your head levitated really helps it.

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sleep apnea