Waking up every night at the same time bloated, panicky

Posted by coloronin @coloronin, Dec 10, 2019

I started having this issue about two months ago. I wake up almost every night at approximately 2 am feeling bloated or full, nauseous, can't breathe a d panicky. THIS IS NOT A PANIC ATTACK. I know what those are and this ain't it. I've sleep with a CPAP machine for years without issues so I don't think is it. Doesn't matter if I go bed at 9 pm or midnight I will always wake up with these symptoms around 2 am. Any ideas what this might be? Why is it ALWAYS at the same time?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Sleep Health Support Group.

engelee | @engelee | Dec 10, 2019

I’m going out to the edge of the plank here, but I have to give my feedback. You have done well noticing that there is a stable pattern to your experiences at night. Just because it is so tight a pattern leads me to think that you are having anxiety and depression. The bloating May be ca result os some air swallowing before or as you are waking up. This could be related to the air swallowing. Your CNS autonomic nervous system switches to “alert” and you become fully awake in a fight or flight situation. You aren’t crazy,but therapy and antidepressant would start to deal with this. Why are you so worried about it being “anxiety”? We all experience it . Be brave for yourself and visit a mental health professional.

John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Dec 10, 2019

Hello @coloronin, Welcome to Connect. I also use a CPAP and have only had one instance of waking up with stomach pain other than my normal nightly trips to the bathroom. When it happened to me a few weeks ago I believe I got a little food poisoning which woke me up with sharp stomach pains, bloating and then dry heaving at first. I was sick for 2 days. I can relate to the anxiety but I think as @engelee mentioned, I think we would all experience it if we had the same symptoms. I did find an article that may be helpful for finding a cause.

What’s Causing My Stomach Pain at Night?
-- https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/stomach-pain-at-night

One of the causes listed was Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Mayo Clinic has a Video Q & A about IBS and How We Can Help here:
-- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/webinar/on-facebook-live-ibs-and-how-we-can-help/

Have you discussed the new symptoms with your doctor?

canister75 | @canister75 | Apr 5 10:49am

Same issue here. Never had a sleep issue in the past, suddenly waking up short of breath every night around 2-3am. On a bad night it can repeat 5-10 times. Makes life very difficult. I share your frustration with the default answer to any unanswered medical condition being stress or anxiety.
If you mention waking up at that time many go straight to stress as cortisol levels increase around that time. They increase at this time for everyone - not just those waking up at 2am.

I am still working on solving my issue but i believe it is related to my stomach. After waking i often burp. I think bloating puts pressure on my diaphragm making breathing more difficult, and i think this might be waking me. Trying Antacids, De-gas medication - not having much luck. Also altering my diet and excluding things that can cause bloating like lactose. I have stopped eating late which definitely helps. I am booked in to see a Gastro and hopefully he will provide some feedback.