Here's how to control it! When you start choking, tap the base of your throat a few times. This will help the muscles to relax. Also, think to yourself "this can only last 30 seconds - not even a minute. I can easily hold my breath for a minute!" Thinking these thoughts will help you not to panic. Doing these two things simultaneously really WORKS!!! i've had this awful coughing/choking thing all my life too but since I have started doing these 2 things, i have not had a choking spell in almost a year! And have definitely stopped several occasions right at the start from developing into a big coughing fit! Try it next time & see!
Here's how to control it! When you start choking, tap the base of your throat a few times. This will help the muscles to relax. Also, think to yourself "this can only last 30 seconds - not even a minute. I can easily hold my breath for a minute!" Thinking these thoughts will help you not to panic. Doing these two things simultaneously really WORKS!!! i've had this awful coughing/choking thing all my life too but since I have started doing these 2 things, i have not had a choking spell in almost a year! And have definitely stopped several occasions right at the start from developing into a big coughing fit! Try it next time & see!
Here's how to control it! When you start choking, tap the base of your throat a few times. This will help the muscles to relax. Also, think to yourself "this can only last 30 seconds - not even a minute. I can easily hold my breath for a minute!" Thinking these thoughts will help you not to panic. Doing these two things simultaneously really WORKS!!! i've had this awful coughing/choking thing all my life too but since I have started doing these 2 things, i have not had a choking spell in almost a year! And have definitely stopped several occasions right at the start from developing into a big coughing fit! Try it next time & see!
Here's how to control it! When you start choking, tap the base of your throat a few times. This will help the muscles to relax. Also, think to yourself "this can only last 30 seconds - not even a minute. I can easily hold my breath for a minute!" Thinking these thoughts will help you not to panic. Doing these two things simultaneously really WORKS!!! i've had this awful coughing/choking thing all my life too but since I have started doing these 2 things, i have not had a choking spell in almost a year! And have definitely stopped several occasions right at the start from developing into a big coughing fit! Try it next time & see!
Here's how to control it! When you start choking, tap the base of your throat a few times. This will help the muscles to relax. Also, think to yourself "this can only last 30 seconds - not even a minute. I can easily hold my breath for a minute!" Thinking these thoughts will help you not to panic. Doing these two things simultaneously really WORKS!!! i've had this awful coughing/choking thing all my life too but since I have started doing these 2 things, i have not had a choking spell in almost a year! And have definitely stopped several occasions right at the start from developing into a big coughing fit! Try it next time & see!
Well I'm no doctor but, I have had these same problems with the choking when awake. I have had this problem since I was on life support in 2008. I'm not saying that the reason I choked is because of this, but I didn't have the problem until after that. I will choke so violent that I almost always lose bladder control and sometimes in very embarrassing places. I never know when I will choke or for how long (how many days). Sometimes it is only for one day sometimes it's for several days. Anyway, the only thing that has helped me with this is throat spray. You know the numbing kind. I used to drink something hot afterwards, but to stop my choking I spray my throat and then blow my nose and use some nose spray to try and break up any mucus that might be hanging around. I use to get very scared, I couldn't talk, people would try to help, but there's nothing that they can do to help except get me the spray. It always seems to be on my left side of my throat. Don't know why.
This is exactly what happens to me and your details are what i would have written if i was explaining my episoides.im 49 and this has been happening to me for lets say 30 years im still trying to find an answer. I have heard that some people relate it to stress. its very scary im a nursery teacher and this happened only the other day when i was in the classroom with 11 children, i ran out grabed my bottle of water, and tried to revive myself after i couldnt get any words out you would think that i had a really bad cough or sore throat... sometimes i think i wont make it as i try so hard to breath, and my hearts starts racing, thinking it will come out of my chest..... so it looks like its just something i have to live with...
Im 42 years old and this happened to me when i was in high school. Im a filipino canadian
High school - i have flu - cough and lots of mucus during that time plus weather in the Philippines
- when that happened i thought im going to die and i remeber that i was jumping out of panic because i couldnt breath, everyone heard me grasping for air then yes after few sec its all good.
Im awake
2nd is during university days coudlnt temember exact thing that i was doing
Im awake
3rd is still in the university but again im sick. so i said to myself myabe it only happens when im sick
Im awake
4th- already married early 30s
My wife heard it first time and got scared. I was sleeping and my wife heard me that i was grasping for air and told her that its ok not to panic
5th i was fixing my motorcycle im not sick, dont have any flu or anything
Like you just swallowed and same thing
6th - already in canada
Told my doctor and he thought its just sleep apnea because it happened when i was sleeping
There are other occassions but couldnt recall what i was doing
Now this happened again jan 2016
Sleeping and couldnt breath.
All this i remember i swallowed my saliva. I learned that you dont really have to tap anything.
Just Hold your breath like you are playing under water
Relax
Do not panic
Do not jump do not run
Relax and in few sec like 5 -10 sec you would be able to breath
Im just sad that no doctor knows about this. Someone can die because of this
High school - i have flu - cough and lots of mucus during that time plus weather in the Philippines
- when that happened i thought im going to die and i remeber that i was jumping out of panic because i couldnt breath, everyone heard me grasping for air then yes after few sec its all good.
Im awake
2nd is during university days coudlnt temember exact thing that i was doing
Im awake
3rd is still in the university but again im sick. so i said to myself myabe it only happens when im sick
Im awake
4th- already married early 30s
My wife heard it first time and got scared. I was sleeping and my wife heard me that i was grasping for air and told her that its ok not to panic
5th i was fixing my motorcycle im not sick, dont have any flu or anything
Like you just swallowed and same thing
6th - already in canada
Told my doctor and he thought its just sleep apnea because it happened when i was sleeping
There are other occassions but couldnt recall what i was doing
Now this happened again jan 2016
Sleeping and couldnt breath.
All this i remember i swallowed my saliva. I learned that you dont really have to tap anything.
Just Hold your breath like you are playing under water
Relax
Do not panic
Do not jump do not run
Relax and in few sec like 5 -10 sec you would be able to breath
Im just sad that no doctor knows about this. Someone can die because of this
I occasionally experience these frightening symptoms as described here as I fall asleep either in bed or napping during the day. Gasping and coughing so hard causing bloodshot eyes. I have not seen my doctor as it happens rarely but would like to know what causes this.
Hello, It's happened quite a few times to me too,, it used to be a fairly rare thing, but recently it's happened more regular about three or four times a year. Most of the time it takes me about 45 seconds to get air back in, and I always try to remain calm and breathe. I am like you in that I need to be alone, it's worse if others are around as I sense their panic. My husband is good as he's seen this happen a few times and helps to keep me calm. Today I had a really frightening episode when I was in a cafe and out of know where I felt the saliva go down the trachea and instantly I went into auto pilot as I tried to breathe, however I was in a cafe with a friend and I could sense her panic, and the other peoples panic and then I realised I just could not breathe at all. Apparently I had gone purple, my friend screamed for someone to help me (oh God the embarrassment!) and luckily someone came. He stood behind me with both his arms under my ribcage and kept pulling his arms inward in a pumping motion, I thought 'This isn't going to work' but somehow I finally gasped for air. My friend was jumping for joy and I was and still am in shock, as this was the longest time and I felt like I was going to pass out. I would like to know what would happen if I did pass out, would I have died or would I have started to breathe again? This has scared me quite a lot. Thank you for all of you who have shared.
I wrote above that I don't breathe for 45 seconds and I realise that's probably wrong, but it feels like it. It feels like forever until that beautiful breath comes again.
Wow thank you for collating a way of dealing with this. It's so frightening when it happens.
I don't have an answer either, but this also happens to me. It's been happening almost every day for the last 8 months.
I'm 29, not overweight, fit, I have asthma and allergies and orthostartic hypotension.
I've had ct scans, ultrasounds, X-Ray's, blood tests, etc. I have an allergy to cats and have 3 at home. That could be a factor of it?? My immunologist is going to test me for food allergens in 2 weeks. Maybe it's all to do with allergies?
The night time ones are the worst. You wake up literally feeling like you're choking.
I have terrible anxiety about the whole thing, especially when I'm driving by myself.
I'm 29, not overweight, fit, I have asthma and allergies and orthostartic hypotension.
I've had ct scans, ultrasounds, X-Ray's, blood tests, etc. I have an allergy to cats and have 3 at home. That could be a factor of it?? My immunologist is going to test me for food allergens in 2 weeks. Maybe it's all to do with allergies?
The night time ones are the worst. You wake up literally feeling like you're choking.
I have terrible anxiety about the whole thing, especially when I'm driving by myself.
Thank you so much...I will certainly try this Joanie
Hello people. My son deals with this. I've been told it is a Laryngospasm. He's only 24 months and has been swallow massive amounts of air with every cough or sneeze since birth. I am lucky that he experienced this so young because we found that if he can burp it fixes the inability to catch a breath. He doesn't communicate well so I can't ask him if he feels "the liquid trickle" however I can hear him swallow the air and it's descent down the esophagus as I said, if he burps we are golden but without that burp we have a struggle until he can burp. I've been told he can breath through a straw that's been cut in half, that it'll even out the breathing until the spasm passes however we never tried it because he burps fairly easily. Google this type of spasm folks!