Hi Erik and welcome! Gasping for breath is classic with sleep apnea. What's happening is, you're sleeping and either your windpipe is collapsing in on itself, or your tongue is relaxing to the back of your throat, blocking the windpipe, also known as obstructive sleep apnea, or, in the case of central sleep apnea your brain is essentially "forgetting" to breathe. The gasping happens when you've gone for 10 seconds or more without taking a breath. Are you also snoring? And if so, is the snoring getting worse?
You say you were diagnosed with mild sleep apnea last year. Were you not prescribed with a CPAP then? That it is happening with the usage of alcohol or sedatives makes me think it might be central sleep apnea.
I would definitely contact my doctor and see about a second titration sleep study.
Good luck and let us know how you're doing.

Erik, liz is right, also alcohol or a sedative will make it worse, if yu have been diagnosed with SA no matter the serverity you need a CPAP and mask and the sooner the better. Just because you don't feel it all the time doesn't mean it doesn't happen, good luck.

I used to wake up gasping for air until I got my CPAP. It's literally saved my life! Even mild sleep apnea needs a CPAP. I have mild SA and I used to stop breathing 9 times every hour. All it takes is ONE of those times to die. SA is a serious illness, and one that needs to be treated, or it can take your life. I don't want to frighten you, but SA is very serious. Please don't drink alcohol before bed or take a sedative, which can make SA worse. You've made a great decision to ask your doctor for the CPAP titration! Good luck!

Hi everyone -
Thank you for replying. I do snore but I don't know if the snoring is getting worse. My first sleep study indicated that I had an overall apnea/hypoapnea index of 5.3. I have asked my doctor for a CPAP titration perscription today but I haven't heard back yet. I was originally perscribed with a CPAP but my cardiologist said that since I have mild sleep apnea, if I lose weight I could avoid the CPAP. I never lost weight but I am losing weight now. I'm waiting to hear back from my doctor on the CPAP titration so i can get my CPAP. Hopefully it will be soon! Thank you for your information. I will write again once I hear back from my doctor.

Erik, you just have mild SA. apart from snoring do you have other symptoms like daytime tiredness, foggy head, headaches anything else? You could possibly lose some weight and go below 5 which is technically not SA but you would also need another sleep study to confirm it.

Hi Erik. mild SA is still SA. When you wake up gasping for air, it is your brain waking you up so you can breathe again. You're wise to ask the doc for a script for cpap.

Hi everyone, thanks again for your responses. My doctor has given me a perscription for a CPAP titration so I can get a nose mask. I am definitely looking forward to using it. I don't have daytime tiredness, morning headaches or fogginess in the head but I am still going to do the CPAP. I am slowly losing weight and I am avoiding alcohol, etc. I will write again once I get my CPAP. I know it will be difficult to get used to, but I will perservere.

Glad you are getting set up! It's easy for some to get used to using a CPAP and hard for others, and I really believe your attitude plays a big role in how well and how quickly you adjust. Those that balk at the idea of using one have a very difficult time adjusting. Those, like myself that know how beneficial a CPAP can be adjust much quicker. It took me maybe a week before I was sleeping 8 hours a night.
The fact that you have asked for a prescription tells me that you have a positive attitude about this and so I'm thinking you'll be one that adjusts pretty quickly.
I look forward to hearing from you after your titration study! Good luck!