Why a person suffocates at night: causes, symptoms and treatment. Sudden attack of suffocation

Asthma attacks at night, or suffocation, are the last, pronounced degree of shortness of breath. This means that at such moments a person acutely feels a lack of air for normal breathing, fear for your life appears due to a sudden attack. Choking in a person can develop for several reasons. These are foreign bodies that enter Airways, tumor in the bronchi or larynx, bronchial asthma, lung cancer, pneumonia, pneumothorax. Possible nighttime asthma attacks due to illness of cardio-vascular system: myocardial infarction, heart disease, pericarditis.

The very phenomenon of suffocation is explained by the fact that at the time of an attack, oxygen stops flowing into the blood and obstruction of the airways occurs. At the same time, during the day a person may not be bothered by shortness of breath during any physical activity. So, attacks of suffocation and night cough may occur for the following reasons:

bronchial asthma, which causes obstruction of bronchial obstruction in the lungs;
, which violates the structure bronchial tree and, like myocardial disease, it causes blood stagnation in the pulmonary circulation;
asthma with heart failure, which is also caused by stagnation in the pulmonary circulation.

Bronchial asthma at night

Seizures bronchial asthma at night can be caused by several factors. For example, the lungs may fill with too much blood, causing decreased tone nervous system. Also, the cause of an attack can be a change in the person’s position in bed. Most people who face this problem find it very difficult to endure nighttime suffocation. In this state, the patient constantly tries to catch more air in his mouth, the skin becomes covered with cold sweat, and there are frequent cases of tachycardia.

When diagnosing, the doctor will clearly hear strong wheezing and crepitus above the base of the lungs. And on next stages this will be wheezing over the entire surface of the respiratory organs.

More than half of cases of nocturnal asthma occur due to increased venous pressure in the patient. This can even be noticed visually: the veins in the neck swell more than usual. With this diagnosis, not only the lungs are damaged, the liver may become enlarged and swell subcutaneous tissue, other signs of heart failure appear.

Attacks of suffocation at night also occur with left ventricular failure. However, you will most likely confuse this symptom with a regular cough.

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Bronchial asthma attack at night: what to do?

Nighttime panic associated with a sudden attack can be very frightening not only for the patient himself, but also for those around him. In such a situation, it is very important to have a balanced, confident and calm person. He must be able to provide first aid and relieve the symptoms of bronchial asthma.

First, the patient must be rid of all tight clothing that can squeeze the body and interfere with proper breathing. Next, provide a constant flow of water into the room. fresh air and help me choose during an attack comfortable position, which will make it easier to breathe and cough. Optimal and the right option The following is considered: sit the patient astride a chair, while tilting him towards the back of the chair so that he transfers his weight to his arms.

There is a method using hot water, the temperature of which should be about 40 °C. You need to put either your arms or your legs in it. In this case, your arms can be bent in elbow joints, and if you put your feet in the water, then the easiest way to achieve muscle relaxation is by bending your knees and simply steaming them. With this procedure, you can use mustard plasters. They are placed on the feet and hands.

The main thing is to know for sure that mustard will not cause allergic reactions in humans. If the cause of the attack is not bronchial asthma, but heart failure, then you can rub the heart area and chest with a cloth soaked in a solution of vinegar, water and salt. But when pulmonary diseases such compresses are contraindicated. In the case when you do not know the exact cause of the attack, it is better not to experiment and let the patient catch his breath.

If you see that in the evening symptoms of an upcoming attack of bronchial asthma have appeared, then it will help to prevent it onion compress. To do this, you need to grate 2 onions and put the resulting mass on the area between the shoulder blades. Cover the area with paper, a cloth on top and wrap the patient in a woolen scarf. This compress must be kept for 3 hours, after which it must be kept warm.

In the event that suffocation does occur, you can use this technique to alleviate it. Place the patient on his back and use two palms to press on him 10 times. chest at the moment of exhalation. This will help allow more air to enter the lungs when you inhale.

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Treatment of asthma attacks

An asthma attack at night is not just a cough, but the likelihood of complications and even the risk of death. The body will not be able to withstand for a long time without a normal supply of oxygen. Therefore, the patient must be constantly monitored by his attending physician.

Every patient suffering from suffocation needs individual plan treatment, course of medications and constant monitoring.

The treatment itself, depending on the development of the disease, may change. If this is your first time experiencing asthma attacks at night and you don’t know who to turn to, then you need an ambulance health care. And the diagnosis should be established after examination by a cardiologist, allergist, pulmonologist or psychotherapist.

Choking attacks can happen to anyone. But this is especially unpleasant when they happen at night. If a person suffocates while sleeping, this can be very frightening. And for good reason, because such a phenomenon can be a sign of a serious pathology.

What is suffocation

This is a condition where there is a sudden lack of oxygen. It may occur due to spasms caused by external stimuli. An attack of suffocation at night takes a person by surprise. Waking up from lack of air, he does not understand what is happening and why this happened to him. Added to the lack of air panic fear, and the condition may become even worse.

Such seizures can be a sign of many serious diseases. Therefore, if this happens at least once, it is necessary to inform the doctor about it.

Causes of night attacks

There can be many reasons for this condition. Let's name some of them.

One of the most common reasons the occurrence of suffocation in a dream is an attack allergic asthma . Asthma patients feel more or less well during the day ok, but at night the body relaxes, and a malfunction occurs in the form of such an attack.
Heart failure can also provoke nighttime asthma attacks due to a decrease in pressure in the venous vessels.
The presence of gastritis can cause aspiration of stomach contents into the lungs. This most often occurs at night when the patient is sleeping. As a result, he wakes up from the attack and tries to clear his throat. If there is a lot of vomit and no one is nearby, the person may die.

Junk and stale food can give severe shortness of breath or an attack of suffocation. The same can be said about overeating at night.

Working in hazardous industries without protective equipment leads to suffocation due to irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory system by harmful substances.
Heavy physical activity in daytime put stress on the lungs. As a result, an attack of asphyxia may occur at night.
Strong odors are extremely undesirable in the bedroom. For example, strong-smelling flowers or spilled perfume, even if it is your favorite, can trigger allergies. Inhalation of such odors within a few hours becomes unpleasant, causing headache and bronchospasm.
Air pollutants also have a detrimental effect on breathing. If a person lives in an area where there are chemical plants or factories that emit gases and smoke into the atmosphere, he may wake up at night from this condition.
Respiratory infections can occur with signs of asphyxia.
Stressful situations negatively affect the heart, resulting in heart failure, accompanied by nightly attacks of lack of air.

Cold and sharp changes temperatures create their own negativity, negatively affecting breathing. Taking new medications can cause such side effects. Smoking and intake alcoholic drinks negatively affect the pulmonary system. New growths in the chest are also one of the causes of nightmares; a person may wake up with the fear of suffocating.

The patient is given first aid. And its measures depend on the reasons that caused the attack.

Symptoms of night suffocation

During this state, a person cannot speak, because speech requires the passage of air through vocal cords. But during an attack this is impossible. At this moment, it is important that those around you, if anyone is nearby, know what an attack looks like and can help the person.

It looks like this:

the skin becomes pale, but a blush remains on the cheeks;
the nasolabial triangle turns blue along with the fingers;
Fear appears on the patient’s face, he tries to inhale air, but he does not succeed or succeeds with great difficulty;
the pulse quickens, the face becomes covered with sweat;
depressions form in the spaces between the ribs;
Veins swell in the neck.
If you listen to the lungs at this time, you can hear noises with wheezing.

If the patient cannot cope on his own and no one helps him, the consequences can be sad. A person will suffocate in a few minutes.

Children's night attacks of asphyxia

Sudden attack may occur during the day small child if it enters the respiratory tract foreign object. For example, a part from a toy, candy or other small things. This can also happen at night if the child falls asleep with this object in his mouth.

If parents notice such a condition in a child, he needs urgent help by removing foreign object. To do this, press sharply on the sternum. If that doesn't work, turn the baby upside down and tap him on the back.

But there are other reasons for suffocation in sleep:

allergic edema;
croup caused by inflammation in the larynx;
stenosis;
birth injury;
nervous excitement;
rickets;
stomach or heart problems;
cold.

Such conditions often lead children to fatal outcome. The percentage of such cases is very high.

Diagnostics

To understand why attacks occur at night, you need to diagnose correct diagnosis pathology present in the body. To do this you need to contact diagnostic clinic, where specialists differentiate the disease from others and prescribe the correct treatment.

In order to distinguish asthma from obstructive bronchitis, the doctor pays attention to the signs characteristic of these diseases:

asthma most often affects young people, and bronchitis is a disease of middle and old age;
Asthma occurs acutely, with coughing attacks, shortness of breath and irregular breathing rates. With bronchitis, the cough is constant, as is shortness of breath;
When listening to the lungs, asthma produces the sounds of dry wheezing, and bronchitis reveals dry and wet wheezing.
cardiac asthma is accompanied chronic diseases heart and blood vessels. Breathing is gurgling, wheezing of various sizes is heard in the lungs, tachycardia and arrhythmia are present.

To identify or exclude neoplasms, the doctor gives a referral for bronchoscopy, X-ray and CT. Thrombosis pulmonary artery determined by listening to the lung and based on clinical picture. The patient suddenly begins to feel short of breath, and dry wheezing is heard in the lungs.

If attacks occur during stress, but no wheezing is heard in the lungs, we can say that neurosis is to blame.

First aid for eliminating an attack of suffocation at night

As a rule, night attacks occur away from the hospital. And it’s good if at this moment someone is next to the patient and knows how to provide him with first aid. What to do to help a person in such a situation? You must adhere to the following algorithm:

First of all, you need to call an ambulance.
Before the doctors arrive, you need to help the patient rise up. vertical position, sit down or better yet stand up. Try to calm him down.
Give the opportunity to breathe freely. To do this, unbutton your clothes on your chest and open the windows.
Try to warm the patient's hands and feet. To do this, place heating pads or lower them into warm water. Can be used as heating pads plastic bottles. But you need to fill them carefully; too hot water will cause them to shrink.
It is useful at this moment to place mustard plasters on the chest, or on the back.
Give a tablet of Ephedrine or Euffilin to drink.

If a person suffers from asthma attacks at night, it is better for him to keep a thermos with hot drink in the bedroom. It is better if it is tea made from expectorant herbs. This may help you cope with the situation.

If suffocation occurs due to allergic edema, he should be given antiallergic pills or given an injection of Prednisolone. In the case where the symptom arose as a result of a foreign object in respiratory system, the measures are the same as for drowning. To do this, you need to squeeze the sternum and tilt the victim's head down. Pat on the back to make the item fall out.

If the victim is unconscious, he may swallow his tongue. This needs to be checked and pulled out if necessary. After removing the item, you must do artificial respiration and cardiac massage until the ambulance arrives. In the future, the person will have to take antibiotics to avoid developing pneumonia.

Asthma attacks are relieved with inhalers and aerosols. Good effect Gives chest and back massage. The disease itself must be treated in a hospital. Before this, you need to find out the reason that caused it.

When none of the above is at hand, and a person is experiencing suffocation, you can use ammonia. Give it to the patient to smell. A piece of ice taken internally may provide relief. Valerian tincture and baking soda may be first aid in this case. Many people use mint and menthol candies.

Activities to strengthen the respiratory system

To prevent night attacks from recurring, you need to take care of the condition of your lungs. To do this, you should avoid places with severe air pollution. Walk more, go outside the city into nature. Go to resorts at least once a year.

In an adult, attacks can occur from bad habits, you need to get rid of them. Keep your home clean. It is useful to play sports and perform breathing exercises.

Night asphyxia can end very badly for the person to whom it happens. To avoid relapses, you need to find out the cause and treat the disease.

Bronchial asthma is a fairly common disease nowadays that manifests itself in the form of attacks. severe cough or shortness of breath, as well as suffocation - dangerous condition when a person cannot take a breath. Every person needs to know in case of an attack of suffocation caused by bronchial asthma, and how to relieve it.

Symptoms of bronchial asthma

The disease manifests itself in the following phenomena:

What factors trigger an asthma attack?

An attack of bronchial asthma is usually provoked by the following factors:

cigarette smoke;
strong smell of soap, household chemicals;
car exhausts;
strong aroma of perfume;
consumption of some medications.

An attack of suffocation can occur instantly or after a few minutes. It is necessary to detect an attack in time, not to panic and know how to relieve it.

What signs indicate an approaching attack?

The occurrence of suffocation in a patient with bronchial asthma can be predicted in advance. The approach of an attack is characterized by the fact that a person begins to sneeze frequently, cough heavily, and develops runny nose with mucus. In addition, the patient also feels a sore throat and headache.

A person may also experience dizziness, panic, anxiety and restlessness, bad mood, weaknesses.

ABOUT possible emergence a night attack of suffocation is indicated by sleep disorders and increased coughing before going to bed.

Choking seriously threatens a person’s life and you need to know how to relieve this attack and provide first aid.

How to provide first aid and how to relieve an attack of bronchial asthma

First aid measures include taking the patient correct posture and application medicines. When an attack of suffocation occurs, the patient should take the position of a coachman: it is necessary to sit down, straighten up, stick out the stomach a little and relax the diaphragm as much as possible. Your arms and legs need to be completely relaxed, hanging down. This technique helps to slightly reduce choking.

When the first manifestations of bronchial asthma and suffocation are detected, the patient should be given a special medication prescribed by the attending doctor to eliminate the attack. Prescribed for asthmatics.

Important! The recommended dosage of the drug should be observed very carefully. A minimum of 20 seconds should pass between sprays of the medication.

Inhalations have a bronchodilator effect, due to which phlegm and mucus leave much faster, and the lumen of the bronchi is not clogged with them. After coughing up mucous secretions, as a rule, the patient feels much better.

In addition, you can use a folk remedy for an attack of bronchial asthma - a compress based on. For this purpose, you need to dissolve 15 grams of powder in one liter of water, moisten a piece of natural fabric with this solution, squeeze it well and apply it to the chest. For best impact, apply a hot terry towel on top of the compress. Using this technique, you can achieve relaxation of the muscles of the respiratory tract and help the patient cough up. The duration of this procedure is no more than half an hour.

It is known that drinking natural coffee reduces spastic contractions of the bronchi and helps relieve suffocation during an attack of bronchial asthma. For this purpose, it is recommended to drink more than two cups of coffee.

Using an inhaler

In order to get the maximum effect from inhalation, at the time of providing first aid, you should know how to use it correctly. To ensure comfortable use, medicine bottle is placed in a special mouthpiece, with the help of which the medication enters the respiratory tract.

Before each inhalation, the device must be shaken thoroughly and turned upside down. Then the patient needs to do deep exhale, take the end of the mouthpiece into your mouth, carefully pressing it with your lips, inhale strongly, pressing sharply on the aerosol with the drug. You need to inhale until the entire volume of the medicine is in the respiratory tract.

Important! During inhalation, the patient should tilt his head slightly forward for the best delivery of the medication.

After finishing the inhalation, the person needs to drink some water and rinse his mouth. You should not allow smoke to come out of the mouthpiece when spraying the medicine, since in this situation the medicine does not enter the respiratory tract. Incorrect use of an inhaler will not help stop an attack of bronchial asthma and suffocation during first aid.

Medical first aid

When providing first aid, you should carefully monitor the well-being of the asthmatic. In a situation where first aid does not have any effect or the suffocation only gets worse, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance. While waiting for the paramedic, you need to calm the patient as much as possible, give him something to drink big amount liquids and prohibit lying down, since in such a position suffocation increases.

In a situation where the skin of an asthmatic begins to acquire a light blue tint when suffocating, his consciousness becomes difficult and he raises his chin and shoulders, trying to take a breath, you need to call a resuscitation team, since these signs indicate failure of the respiratory organs and the possibility of death of the patient.

First aid provided by doctors consists of eliminating attacks of bronchial asthma using medications, which are administered in the form of injections, droppers or inhaler. In a difficult situation, a sick patient needs to be taken to the hospital. In a situation where attacks of bronchial asthma drag on for a long time and are difficult to treat, the asthmatic must be provided with intensive drug effects and oxygen therapy. This condition indicates that the patient has a life-threatening condition.

Thus, all close people of an asthmatic should know how to relieve an asthma attack in order to provide him with first aid in time.

Those who have ever experienced a sudden attack of suffocation in a dream understand how scary it is. A person is overcome by fear and feels absolutely helpless. Panic begins from the feeling of lack of air. Sleep is disturbed due to fear of suffocation; there is a feeling that someone is pressing on the chest. When you fall asleep, you don’t have enough air or you jump up in the middle of the night from a rapid heartbeat and the feeling that you are suffocating – it doesn’t matter, you urgently need to look for the cause of this condition and take action. To do this, you cannot avoid visiting a doctor.

The most likely causes of suffocation in sleep

During night sleep, the oxygen content in the blood drops sharply, and the concentration carbon dioxide increases, then suffocation occurs during sleep. If breathing is impaired, one may suspect the presence of serious problems in organism.

If such an unpleasant attack occurs only occasionally, then the reason may lie in physical overexertion and stress. Periodic cessation of breathing during sleep is alarm signal, requiring immediate medical attention.

Among possible reasons night suffocation can be called the following:

Obesity. If there is a large amount of excess fat, the diaphragm is compressed, which leads to a decrease in the space for the lungs. It becomes impossible to take a full breath.
Acid reflux provokes heartburn; when lying down, stomach contents are released, which rolls up to the throat, blocking the airways. It becomes difficult to breathe and a cough appears, like protective reflex to free the larynx.
Excessive use of cigarettes, especially smoking before bed. Nicotine, entering the blood, increases arterial pressure, heart rate increases, and the risk of suffocation increases. Breathing is blocked for literally a few seconds; there is no danger to life, but discomfort is guaranteed.
Deviations in the alternation of sleep rhythms can cause difficulty breathing.
Pregnancy – harmless reason, but gives the woman discomfort. Weight gain occurs, which can cause suffocation.
If asthma attacks occur at night, the cause may be pathologies of the nervous system. Often this symptom occurs with VSD; manifestations of pathology are most acutely felt during periods of hormonal changes, against the background of overwork. The first signs of the disease resemble neurosis, and then the condition worsens and now at night there is difficulty breathing, panic, and increased sweating.
Accumulated mucus in the nasopharynx can also block the throat from free air movement. This symptom interferes with normal sleep, but the use of medications will quickly eliminate it.

The listed reasons do not require serious treatment and are easily removable or temporary, which does not pose a danger to human health and life.

Sleep apnea due to serious pathologies

Many people complain to the doctor that I suffocate in my sleep. If this happens with enviable regularity, then the reason may be serious illnesses that require medication and sometimes surgical treatment. These include:

Bronchial asthma. Attacks of the disease can occur not only at night, but during sleep it is most dangerous. Any allergen to which the patient’s body reacts can provoke bronchospasm. Allergy may be to house dust, animal hair, smell of products household chemicals or perfumes. Breathing is characterized during attacks by a sharp inhalation and a prolonged exhalation with a whistle. This diagnosis requires the presence of medications nearby to quickly stop the attack.
Sleep apnea. The syndrome develops due to loss of muscle tone in the palate. It's happening in the background age-related changes, obesity, chronic fatigue.
Arrhythmia. There is a rapid pulse, pain in the heart, shortness of breath, and weakness. During an attack, a person may suffocate in their sleep.
Heart failure. The heart cannot pump blood normally and, as a result, gas exchange is disrupted and oxygen deficiency appears in the tissues, which leads to respiratory arrest. There is a danger of dying in this state.
Angina pectoris. Most often, an attack of pathology is observed against the background of daytime physical fatigue or neuro-emotional stress. There is pain behind the sternum, shortness of breath. Tachycardia may be observed.
Pneumonia. At its peak, pneumonia makes breathing significantly more difficult, which can cause a feeling of suffocation.
Diseases thyroid gland. When the thyroid gland is not functioning sufficiently, its tissues grow and a goiter appears, which puts pressure on the trachea. If you lie on your back, you get the feeling that someone is choking you and a lump comes to your throat.
Panic attack. Mental disorders and instability of processes in the nervous system lead to suffocation in sleep due to rapid heartbeat and panic.
Sleep paralysis. Develops at the moment of emerging from sleep. It becomes difficult to breathe, anxiety and fear appear, which paralyzes. IN severe cases Hallucinations may develop. If you realize that the condition is not dangerous to health, then literally in a couple of minutes everything will return to normal. The areas of the brain responsible for movement will finally wake up and send the necessary signal.

All of the listed pathologies should not be ignored by doctors. Required serious treatment to prevent tragic consequences.

Symptoms of suffocation

Symptoms of night suffocation gradually replace each other; the attack goes through several stages in its development:

During the first phase, the work of the respiratory center increases. The frequency and depth of breathing increase, blood pressure rises, and the heart begins to beat faster. There is a risk of developing a stroke or heart attack.
At the second stage, breathing slows down, the skin becomes bluish tint, lips turn blue.
Next, a malfunction in the functioning of the respiratory center begins to occur. Breathing is delayed, convulsions appear, sharp drop blood pressure.
In the fourth phase it is broken heartbeat, observed sharp breath and a rare exhale.

Death from suffocation is quite possible, especially if there are serious pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

Diagnosis of pathological syndrome

To prescribe treatment, the doctor must find out the cause of such conditions, and for this it is necessary to conduct an examination of the patient, which includes:

blood and urine tests;
X-rays of light;
bacteriological examination of sputum;
cardiogram;
tests to determine the allergen;
analysis to determine lymphocytes in the blood and their activity;
spirography;
tomography;
To assess the functioning of the body during sleep, polysomnography is performed.

To clarify the diagnosis it is important differential diagnosis to exclude diseases with similar symptoms. Please pay attention to the following points:

Asthma and obstructive bronchitis can have similar symptoms, but with the first pathology the wheezing in the lungs is dry, and with bronchitis it is wet. In addition, with bronchial disease, shortness of breath is constantly observed.
Distinguish pulmonary thromboembolism It can be due to a sudden feeling of lack of air. An attack can occur at any moment, not just at night.
A feeling of lack of air, as a sign of neurosis, almost never ends in suffocation. Most often, such manifestations are observed after stress; wheezing is not detected in the lungs when listening.

After determining the cause, the doctor may prescribe effective therapy the underlying disease that provokes such attacks.

Providing first aid during an attack

Regular attacks of suffocation can result in coma or death of a person, so when the first symptoms appear, you should call a doctor. Assistance actions should include the following:

Try to calm the person down.
Help him take a sitting position and provide fresh air, if necessary, open the window.
If there is a diagnosis of bronchial asthma, then it is necessary to give Eufilin.
If an allergy is the culprit of the attack, then take an antihistamine, for example, Diazolin, Clarotadine.
If choking is observed against the background of heart failure, then the drug “Nitroglycerin”, a warm foot bath, and blood pressure medications will help.

During an attack at night, you should not give a person anything to drink; the muscles of the pharynx are in a tense state, which can cause a new attack.

If you see what's nearby dear person begins to gasp for air, breathes heavily and periodically interrupts, then you need to wake him up, help him sit up and provide assistance.

Basic methods of therapy

The choice of methods for treating suffocation depends on the cause of this condition, but most often you can rely on the following:

Drug therapy. Medicines are selected taking into account the underlying disease. If you have an allergic attack, then antihistamines should be on hand. For pathologies of the heart muscle, medications prescribed by the doctor to relieve pain and lower blood pressure.
They can also help homeopathic remedies. When a person falls asleep and wakes up in the middle of the night with a feeling of suffocation, you can try taking a course of Ipecacuanha. If the attack is caused by neurosis and problems with the nervous system, then Moschus will help. With a lack of air for a reason allergic reaction can be fought with Sambucus. Treatment with homeopathy must be combined with the use of medications and traditional medicine.
Treatment folk remedies. But you shouldn’t start with it when there is serious pathology, then you can’t do without medications. Medicinal herbs can only serve prophylactic. The following have proven themselves to be excellent in this capacity:
- Rosehip decoction containing a large number of vitamins, antioxidants.
- A decoction of strawberry leaves reduces blood pressure.
- A decoction of wild rosemary has an antiallergic effect.

Massotherapy. Well relaxes, relieves tension, preventing attacks of suffocation on nervous soil. If you do it regularly before bed, you can reduce the frequency of attacks.
Breathing exercises. A set of exercises will help train respiratory muscles, which will allow you to develop the ability to relieve a sudden attack.
Physiotherapeutic procedures. A good effect is achieved by: ultrasound therapy, UHF, inductothermy, electrophoresis.

If falling asleep is associated with a feeling of suffocation, then treating the problem must be approached in a comprehensive manner. If the situation requires it, then you should not refuse hospitalization; the clinic will conduct course treatment underlying disease, which significantly reduces the likelihood of death from suffocation. And such an outcome is not excluded, especially in a situation where there is no effective remedy at hand.

Seizure prevention

For adult patients who are at risk for developing sleep suffocation, it is important preventive measures, these include:

Regular wet cleaning.
Remove all objects and things that accumulate dust from the bedroom.
Before going to bed, you need to ventilate the room.
Nutrition should be balanced.
News healthy image life.
Eliminate bad habits.
Visit your doctor regularly and take medications in the presence of serious chronic pathologies.

Almost anyone can wake up in the middle of the night from discomfort in the chest, some discomfort and a feeling of tightness in the chest, but if such symptoms accompany regularly, then they cannot be ignored. This could end badly.

Suffocation (state asphyxia ) is difficulty breathing in a person, which manifests itself in paroxysms, and at the same time it is ultimately observed oxygen starvation body tissues.

How does suffocation manifest?

Choking in children and adults is severe , a feeling of tightness in the chest area, the appearance of cyanosis skin. The feeling of suffocation is painful for a person who is afraid of lack of air and fear of death. This symptom is present in children and adults when various diseases. The causes of suffocation, as a rule, are the presence of pathologies of the cardiovascular system, lungs, and respiratory tract. If the patient develops pulmonary diseases, then suffocation occurs due to a violation of the supply of oxygen to the blood and subsequent obstruction of the human respiratory tract. With asthma, there is a sharp feeling of lack of air, the person is severely suffocating. — serious disease, because breathing is a basic human need. Therefore, breathing problems are a kind of signal of serious danger, and the person experiences a serious fear of death. At the same time, it is possible. After a cough and attack, suffocation does not bother the patient

A constant feeling of suffocation in the neck and chest may occur after physical activity. IN in this case choking is a signal oxygen deficiency in the respiratory and circulatory system.

If a person experiences suffocation at night, he suffers from cyanosis, the patient’s skin becomes covered with sticky sweat, and is sometimes present. Wheezing in the lungs can also be heard. In most cases, people who suffer from attacks of nocturnal breathlessness experience increased venous pressure, an enlarged liver, and other symptoms of heart failure.

Why does suffocation occur?

To take all measures to get rid of this unpleasant symptom, it is necessary to clearly know what exact causes of suffocation occur in a particular case. If symptoms of suffocation appear, first of all, one should suspect the development of bronchial asthma , pneumonia , chronic , emphysema , bronchial tumors , foreign bodies entering the respiratory system. Bronchial asthma is more common among young and middle-aged people.

The state of suffocation manifests itself in a number of diseases of the cardiovascular system. This , hypertensive and hypotension , aortic insufficiency , heart defects , arrhythmia , cerebral hemorrhage and etc.

A feeling of suffocation accompanies some mental illness. Choking may accompany reactive psychosis , claustrophobia , paranoia etc. This symptom also appears in some common diseases- at , sepsis and etc.

Some external factors can also cause suffocation. negative factors. It's an overdose narcotic substances, poisoning ethyl alcohol, in pairs of different toxic substances. This symptom is characteristic of some types of allergies.

Choking at night can occur in a person due to too much blood filling the lungs. This occurs due to changes in the tone of the autonomic nervous system. Choking in sleep is difficult for most people.

A feeling of choking in the throat sometimes manifests itself as a consequence high sensitivity esophagus, muscle activity disorders. A feeling of choking in the throat may occur due to the high sensitivity of the esophagus. The reasons for the manifestation of such a symptom may be the experience of strong emotional shocks, fast breathing, state of anxiety. That is, a lump in the throat very often appears due to nervousness. Throat spasms are especially common among those who experience prolonged stress.

One should not write off other reasons that may provoke such symptoms. It can be physiological problems throat, thyroid dysfunction. Symptoms of choking in the throat in some cases also appear due to diseases associated with spinal pathology. Sore throat and signs of choking in the throat area occur with injuries to the esophagus. Treatment is prescribed only after an accurate diagnosis has been established.

Choking may occur when acute nephritis . This most often occurs in older people. Sometimes suffocation in this case is taken as a manifestation hypertensive crisis or heart attack. However, with myocardial infarction, suffocation can also appear as a symptom of the disease.

How to get rid of suffocation?

In most cases, an attack of suffocation occurs in a person outside a medical facility. Therefore, urgent first aid for suffocation. Therefore, knowledge of the basic principles of providing such assistance can be useful to every person. Providing assistance for choking, first of all, involves facilitating the breathing process. It is important to calm the person who is having an attack. Emergency care for choking is provided after the person has been moved to a sitting position. It is imperative to ensure a good flow of fresh air. Heating pads are applied to the legs and arms, and the patient's legs can be immersed in hot water. Mustard plasters are placed on the chest or back under the shoulder blades. If first aid for suffocation is provided, the patient can be given one tablet orally Euphyllina And .

Providing first aid for suffocation when foreign objects enter the respiratory organs is carried out in the same way as for drowning. It is important that first aid is provided without panic, promptly and correctly. To delete foreign body from a person’s larynx, you need to compress his chest. When pressure is applied, the foreign object is pushed into the airways. First aid for suffocation caused by a foreign body getting inside is then provided as follows: the victim needs to be helped to lean forward and clear his throat. If you faint, the victim should be placed on his knee with his stomach to prevent choking on vomit. If a foreign body gets into the child's respiratory tract, they lift him up by the legs and pat him on the back so that the baby clears his throat.

After the patient has been given first aid, he must be taken to medical institution. After breathing has been restored, an appointment is made antibiotics to prevent pneumonia.

If suffocation occurs due to allergic edema, must be given to the patient, or. A quarter glass of 10% solution is also given or calcium chloride . If there are no positive changes, 2 ml is injected intramuscularly.

If a patient is bothered by attacks of suffocation at night, provoked by bronchial asthma, then night attacks are treated with drugs that relieve bronchospasm. This ephedrine , theophedrine , antasman , they must be taken orally. An attack of suffocation during bronchial asthma can also be relieved with the help of aerosols and inhalers. However, in this case it is important to ensure the necessary degree of inhalation to relieve a sudden attack.

First aid for an attack of suffocation caused by asthma can also be provided by applying a heating pad to the arms and legs, also to ensure air flow venous blood The patient's feet can be immersed in hot water. Asthma symptoms will become less severe.

Emergency assistance to a person who has a sudden attack of bronchial asthma and cough can be provided by massage of the upper body. You need to massage from your head down your back and chest.

If the question arises of how to relieve an attack, and at the same time there is no necessary medications, urgent Care during an attack, it can be provided with the help of some available means. You can let the patient smell it, let him swallow small pieces of ice. Baking soda helps thin mucus during an attack. If the attack cannot be relieved on your own, you should definitely call emergency medical help.