Choking in Your Sleep: Causes, Risks & What to Do

Waking up choking, gasping, or gagging during sleep can be a frightening experience, often described as feeling like you're suffocating. While it may be caused by something harmless, it can also be a sign of a more serious condition like obstructive sleep apnea.

In this article, we explain what might be happening and when it’s time to take action, including how our home sleep test can help you get answers fast.

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Why Do I Wake Up Choking or Gasping in My Sleep?

Waking up gasping or choking in your sleep can be alarming. You may feel like you're suffocating or struggling to catch your breath. While occasional symptoms might be harmless, frequent episodes can be a red flag for a serious medical condition — most commonly obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common causes of choking or gasping during sleep. It's a sleep disorder where your airway repeatedly narrows or closes, often without you realising. Each time this happens, your oxygen levels drop, triggering a brief awakening — often with a snort, gasp, or choking sound.

Symptoms of OSA may include:

  • Loud snoring

  • Pauses in breathing during sleep

  • Morning headaches

  • Excessive daytime fatigue

  • Poor concentration or memory

OSA is linked to long-term risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease — but it can be diagnosed and treated quickly.

Book a Home Sleep Test – results in 2 working days, reviewed by NHS-trained sleep experts.

Yes. When stomach acid flows back up into the oesophagus, it can irritate the throat or mouth and cause you to wake choking or coughing. This is called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD), or more simply, acid reflux.

Common triggers:

  • Eating large meals late at night

  • Coffee, spicy food, or alcohol before bed

  • Lying flat too soon after eating

  • Hiatus hernia

Tip: Try elevating the head of your bed and avoiding meals 2–3 hours before sleep. If symptoms persist, speak to your GP or a sleep specialist.

Can Acid Reflux Cause Choking in Sleep?

Postnasal Drip and Night-Time Choking

Postnasal drip occurs when excess mucus from your nose or sinuses drips down the back of your throat. While lying flat, this can cause choking, coughing, or gagging.

Triggers may include:

  • Hay fever / seasonal allergies

  • Sinus infections

  • Cold viruses

  • Deviated septum or chronic nasal congestion

Treatments that may help:

  • Antihistamines

  • Nasal sprays (steroid or decongestant)

  • Saline rinses like NeilMed or sinus irrigation kits

Could It Be Heart Failure?

In rare cases, sudden breathlessness at night may be a symptom of heart failure, particularly something called paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea. This happens when fluid backs up into the lungs after lying down, causing you to wake gasping for air.

Signs may include:

  • Swollen ankles

  • Frequent night-time urination

  • Persistent breathlessness

If this happens to you suddenly, seek urgent medical care via A&E or NHS 111.

When to Get Help

If you or a loved one regularly wakes gasping, choking, or struggling to breathe, don't ignore it.

We recommend speaking to a specialist if you experience:

  • Loud snoring and observed apneas

  • Night-time choking or gasping more than once a week

  • Unexplained fatigue or poor concentration during the day

Our home sleep test is an easy, accurate way to assess whether sleep apnea is behind your symptoms.

Man sleeping with a sleep monitoring device on his wrist, labeled "YURSHEAT ONE," connected to a sensor on his arm. Two icons on the side read "Comfortable" and "Easy to Use."
Open box containing a WatchPAT One device, wearable technology for sleep tracking, with accessories and instructions.

What is the Home Sleep Test?

  • Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition. 85% of people who have it are undiagnosed.

    Our home sleep tests provide a quick, convenient and affordable way to have sleep apnea confirmed.

  • These are small watch-like devices that are worn on your wrist overnight. This is cutting-edge technology that gives extraordinarily detailed information on your sleep - which is a fascinating thing to uncover, and a vital step in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

  • The home sleep test measures a number of different things:

    • Blood oxygen levels

    • Heart rate

    • Activity of your nervous system (called peripheral arterial tone, or PAT)

    • Movement (known as actigraphy)

    • Snoring pattern and volume

    • Chest movement and breathing effort

    • Body position

  • Our home sleep tests include free delivery. They are dispatched the same day if ordered before 12pm.

FAQs

  • Not always. Reflux, nasal issues, or even anxiety can cause similar symptoms. However, sleep apnea is a common underlying cause.

  • The best way is to take a clinical sleep test. We offer home sleep tests with 2-day turnaround and support from NHS-trained specialists.

  • Yes, anxiety and panic attacks can occasionally cause nocturnal choking, though they usually present with other symptoms like racing heart or sweating.

  • Choking during sleep can be caused by obstructive sleep apnea (when your airway closes temporarily), acid reflux, or postnasal drip. If it happens regularly, a home sleep test can help identify the underlying cause.

  • Yes. Acid reflux (or GORD) can cause stomach acid to irritate your throat while lying down, triggering choking, coughing, or gasping. Avoid eating late, raise the head of your bed, and speak to your GP if symptoms persist.

  • Sleep apnea often causes choking or gasping due to repeated pauses in breathing. If you snore loudly or feel tired during the day, it may be a sign of undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea.

    Take a Home Sleep Apnea Test – results in 2 working days.

  • This can happen if your swallowing reflex relaxes during deep sleep, or if postnasal drip increases saliva in your throat. Sleep apnea or acid reflux can also contribute. A clinical sleep test may help clarify the cause.

  • Occasional reflux can happen after large meals or alcohol. But frequent choking on acid may signal GORD or a hiatus hernia. It’s important to get this checked, especially if it disrupts your sleep.

  • Yes — GERD (acid reflux) is a common cause of nighttime coughing and choking. You may also feel a burning sensation in your chest or throat. Over-the-counter antacids can help, but speak to a doctor if symptoms persist.

  • If it happens once, it could be reflux or mucus. But if you regularly wake choking, snorting, or gasping, it could be sleep apnea — which increases your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and more. Diagnosis is simple and can be done from home. Take a Home Sleep Apnea Test – results in 2 working days.