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Suggest Treatment For Acid Reflux

Posted on Sat, 14 Feb 2015

Question: I woke up from a sound sleep & couldn't breathe. I felt as if my throat was closing. I sounded like I had croup. It only lasted a few seconds, but seemed like minutes. I got up & walked around & tried not to panic. Breathing came back to normal. What could have caused this?

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (26 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Acid reflux

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for posting the query.

The sense of breathing difficulty in the early morning hours without any history of cold could be due to acid reflux from the stomach into the throat.

When the acid from the stomach regurgitates into the throat it causes inflammation in the larynx leading to thickening of the vocal cords and thus breathing difficulty.

Do not worry! It is not a serious problem. My suggestion to you is to avoid lying down immediately after the dinner and use a bigger pillow in order to raise the headend and avoid the reflux.

Hope I have answered your query; I'll be available for the follow up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad