In the past few years I have frequently woken up startled and fearing death. Sometimes my body is numb, my heart is palpitating, I am gasping for air and have flashes of light. I have limited my intake of food and caffeine related drinks in the evening hoping to minimize the frequency of incidents and I do have fewer incidents but these episodes continue to interrupt my sleep. I never have any trouble falling asleep, it is the annoyance of waking up many times throughout the night and there are days where I am very tired. Sometimes I am left feeling fearful for the next nights sleep.
I was not aware of any sleep disorders I may have until I was out of town with a colleague who is a nurse and was very disturbed with my sleep pattern for three nights. She commented on this as not being snoring but almost like I stop breathing and then try to catch my breath or gasp for air. She stated it was eerie. She highly recommended I have a professional assessment, which I am in the process of doing but the wait time has been 6 months and I am still waiting for an appointment.
Do you have any helpful suggestions or recommendations for my future appointment?