Is it apnea or something else

Hi all I am 46 years male obese , I do snore at present I have no health issues

However I have this condition of breathlessness which is difficult to explain so please bear with me

1) Such incidents are like once or twice a month, increases in winters may b due to nasal congestion 2) I don't sleep on my back I have habit of sleeping on my chest I never had these attacks on sleeping on back 3) these attacks are triggered mainly when my wife who is on bit heavier side puts her leg on my back in sleep. Maybe once when such is not a case. 4) as soon as I stop breathing I feel my body is paralysed unable to move. Simoultenously I am in dream like situation wherein I shout to my wife to shake me up as I cannot breathe. I vigoursly try to shake my body as a signal for her to remove her legs. 5) I try to physically lift my neck repeatedly it's like rise and fall. Mainly itstheright side of neck which I sleep on hence I can feel the muscle pain there 6) meanwhile I keep asking myself is it the end? Am I gonna die? 7) finally I manage to wake up breathing after struggle

So are these characteristics of regular sleep apnea or it is something else. In particular do all of you go through dream sequence wherein you shout for someone's help to wake you up so that you can breathe

Please advise thanks

Welcome. Can't comment on all the stuff you wrote about but can say that the only way to know for certain you have sleep apnea or other sleep disorders is to have you primary care physician order a sleep study. A sleep study will point you in the right direction.

I would seek a physician who holds an MD designation in sleep medicine and tell him/her my story.

Hello. I agree you should speak with a sleep physician about your experiences. It is possible that you need to be tested for sleep apnea. There is also a condition called sleep paralysis, where people describe similar experiences. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has some information on sleep paralysis here that you might find helpful or interesting.

Sorry about the information I gave regarding speaking to our primary care physician. I HAVE TO have all my referrals go through my PCP because I am on a managed health care insurance plan (HMO). I just can't call a specialist but have to get a referral. Also, while this forum is primarily about sleep apnea type issues, other issues may require different areas of medical expertise and a PCP may be able to sort this out with you better than a sleep doc initially (just my non-professional opinion). Again, just tossing out my subjective amateur opinion on this.