There are various reasons a person may wake up gasping for air. These include sleep apnea and postnasal drip. While waking up gasping for air is not uncommon, it can be extremely frightening.

Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing that you were gasping for air during sleep can be scary and something you shouldn’t ignore. It can be a sign of a serious health problem.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When the smoke-laden air is so thick you can see it, as you could yesterday, and as you can today, you naturally start to wonder if it will hurt your lungs. So, this also begs ...

But sometimes, our breathing becomes restricted, whether due to infection, allergies, exercise, or some other cause, forcing us to take deep, gasping breaths to quickly draw in more air.