4 Reasons Why You Forget to Breathe When You’re Awake or Asleep

PDF download Download Article
Learn why you subconsciously hold your breath with our helpful guide
PDF download Download Article

Forgetting to breathe momentarily may sound scary, but it’s a really common occurrence. It may happen when you’re awake if you’re really focused or stressed, but it may be a sign of sleep apnea if it happens while you’re asleep. Keep reading, and we’ll walk through the most common reasons why you may forget to breathe and how to fix the issue. We’ll even cover proper breathing techniques to help you catch your breath.

Things You Should Know

  • Looking at a screen or deeply focusing on something can make you forget to breathe momentarily when you’re awake.
  • Stress and anxiety can change your breathing patterns and make it feel like you’re forgetting to breathe or catching your breath.
  • See a doctor if you stop breathing or gasp for air while you’re asleep because it could be a sign of sleep apnea.
Section 1 of 3:

Why do I forget to breathe when I’m awake?

PDF download Download Article
  1. When you’re watching a gripping movie or playing an intense game, there are times you may involuntarily hold your breath. During work, you may get “email apnea” when you’re watching your inbox or reading through a document. When you’re done focusing or when your body recognizes it needs more air, then you may suddenly become aware that you need to breathe. [1]
    • Quick Fix: Try taking a break from your screen every 20 minutes, take a few deep breaths, and move around a little bit. You may also try taking a short walk to get your breathing back to its normal rhythm.
  2. In moments when you’re feeling really overwhelmed or stressed, or if you’re anticipating something to happen, you may hold your breath without realizing it. Because you’re holding more tension in your body, it’s harder to catch your breath and it can feel like you’re forgetting to breathe. [2]
    • Quick Fix: Try to remove yourself from the situation, if possible. Take a second to close your eyes and focus on taking deep breaths . Inhale slowly through your nose and gently breathe out through your mouth.
    Advertisement
  3. Some people online report that they regularly hold their breath without any other reason besides it being a bad habit. [3] If you’re still not quite sure why you’re holding your breath while you’re awake and it happens regularly, talk to your doctor. They may help find an underlying cause and help find ways to help you catch your breath.
    4. Advertisement
Section 2 of 3:

Why do I forget to breathe while sleeping?

PDF download Download Article
  1. Sleep apnea is a condition where your breathing repeatedly starts and stops while you’re asleep. Other common symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, gasping for air, drowsiness during the day, dry mouth, headaches, and waking up frequently throughout the night. [4] If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, contact a doctor to perform a sleep study and find treatment options. [5]
    • Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type, and it occurs when your throat muscles relax and block your airways while you’re asleep. You may be more at risk if you’re overweight, are a smoker, or if you have a family history of sleep apnea. [6]
    • Central sleep apnea is less common and is caused when your brain doesn’t send signals to your body to breathe. The condition is usually caused by other problems, like infection, stroke, or heart failure. [7]
    • Common treatments for either type of sleep apnea include wearing a specialized mouthpiece that opens your airways or putting on a CPAP machine while you’re sleeping, which has a mask or nosepiece that supplies continuous air pressure to help you breathe.
Section 3 of 3:

Proper Breathing Technique

PDF download Download Article
  1. Choose a nice, relaxing chair to sit in and keep your back straight. Put both feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart. Keep your arms relaxed on the armrests. [8]
    • Alternatively, lay flat on your back with your arms slightly out from your sides and your palms up. Keep your legs straight, or bend your knees to put your feet flat on the floor.
    • If you’re wearing any tight clothes, loosen them or remove them so you aren’t restricting your breathing.
  2. Take one hand and put it flat against the middle of your chest. Take your other hand and place it just below your ribcage on your stomach. While this isn’t required, it helps you feel when you’re breathing from your diaphragm compared to when you’re breathing from your chest. [9]
    • The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle right under your ribs, and it’s the main muscle you use for breathing. When you use your diaphragm to breathe , it pulls more air into your lungs so you get a deeper, fuller breath. [10]
  3. Close your eyes and focus only on your breathing throughout the exercise. Slowly inhale through your nose and count to 5 in your head. As you breathe in, expand your stomach instead of your chest to use your diaphragm and get the most air in your lungs. [11]
    • If you have trouble getting a deep breath over 5 seconds, try inhaling for 3–4 seconds instead.
    • Avoid sucking in your stomach and raising your shoulders when you breathe in because you’ll get a shallower breath with less air. [12]
    • Breathing in through your nose helps filter out dust and allergens, and it warms up the air so your lungs function better. [13]
  4. Purse your lips and blow out all the air in your lungs over 4–5 seconds. Take your time as you exhale and don’t try to force the air out quickly. As you breathe out, contract your stomach to relax your diaphragm. [14]
  5. Take a few minutes of your day to focus on your breathing and use your diaphragm correctly so your body gets used to doing it. Aim to do breathing exercises around 3–4 times a day, and don’t be afraid to increase the amount of time you do it to strengthen your diaphragm even more. [15]
    6. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Are there any exercises you can do to keep your lungs healthy?
    Ni-Cheng Liang, MD
    Board Certified Pulmonologist
    Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang is a board certified Pulmonologist and the Director of Pulmonary Integrative Medicine at Coastal Pulmonary Associates affiliated with the Scripps Health Network in San Diego, California. She also serves as a Voluntary Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine while volunteering for the UCSD Medical Student-Run Free Clinic for uninsured patients. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Liang specializes in pulmonary and respiratory medical concerns, mindfulness teaching, physician wellness, and integrative medicine. Dr. Liang received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Liang was voted as a San Diego Top Doctor in 2017 and 2019. She was also awarded the 2019 American Lung Association San Diego Lung Health Provider of the Year.
    Ni-Cheng Liang, MD
    Board Certified Pulmonologist
    Expert Answer
    30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every day helps with lung health. It helps to clear mucus, it also improves your lung capacity, and in general, your functional capabilities. In terms of breathing exercises, I can recommend one that is taught in pulmonary rehabilitation classes, which is called pursed lip breathing. This works for anyone anxious or stressed as well. But particularly for those people who have obstructive lung disease like COPD or asthma. What you do is, inhale through your nose, you inhale fully, and then you blow out through your mouth, as if you're blowing out birthday candles. And then you prolong the exhale, at least two to four times longer than the inhale to fully exhale all of that stagnant air.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 12
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      • While it’s normal to forget to breathe every so often, talk to a doctor if you notice happening more frequently. They can help determine if there are any underlying causes and offer potential treatments.
        Thanks
        Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Breathe
      How to
      Use a Nebulizer
      How to
      Put On a Breathe Right Strip
      How to
      Circular Breathe (for Beginners)
      How to
      Use Voldyne 5000
      How to
      Stop Mouth Breathing
      How to
      Stop Hyperventilating
      How to
      Breathe Deeply
      How to
      Measure an ET Tube
      How to
      Perform Breathing Exercises and Benefit Your Mental Health
      Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing to Strengthen Your Lungs & Relax
      How to
      Use a Vaporizer
      How to
      Cure Shortness of Breath
      How to
      Stop Heavy Breathing
      Advertisement

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about breathing health, check out our in-depth interview with Ni-Cheng Liang, MD .

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-right-mindset/202011/is-your-computer-screen-stealing-your-breath
      2. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/body-sense/201009/waiting-exhale
      3. ↑ https://yogainternational.com/article/view/are-you-holding-your-breath-heres-how-and-why-to-stop-pausing/
      4. ↑ https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-apnea/symptoms
      5. ↑ https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-apnea
      6. ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obstructive-sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20352090
      7. ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003997.htm
      8. ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/breathing-exercises-for-stress/
      9. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9445-diaphragmatic-breathing
      1. ↑ https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/lungs/body-controls-breathing
      2. ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/breathing-exercises-for-stress/
      3. ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/learning-diaphragmatic-breathing
      4. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22734-mouth-breathing
      5. ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000053.htm
      6. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9445-diaphragmatic-breathing

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 77,820 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement