Forgetting to breathe

Post Reply New Topic

Do any of you ever find yourselves so absorbed in what you're doing that you notice, after thirty seconds or so, that you haven't been breathing? If so, is it an autistic thing, or does it happen to everybody?

I forgot to breathe and I died.

Along with blinking, steady heart rate, my nose being in the center of my view all the time, tends to go unnoticed many a time.

My therapist suggests it's anxiety; it frequently happens when I'm driving a car.

One doesn’t usually “forget” to breathe.

One only seems to consciously feel he/she “forgets” to breathe.

Respiration is usually an involuntary, necessary action, though apnea can occur.

Are you putting us all on?
Is this a deliberate spoof of those recent "do you ever forget to eat" threads?

Or do you actually experience what you have described here?

Breathing is an unconscious reflex.

It's probably not that you've forgotten to breathe altogether, but you've been doing shallow breathing and it feels like you haven't breathed.
I'm sometimes guilty of this.

I think maybe you mean what is sometimes described as unconsciously holding your breath? Yes I do this. It happens if I’m very intent on something or maybe very scared. I think it’s normal, provided you become aware before passing out!

I do this ^

I wish I could forget how to breathe permanently.

Feeling crap ?

when i get very absorbed into what i'm doing, my breathing will usually, unconsciously, become very shallow and infrequent until it reaches a point where i have to stop, and pant to catch my breath


this usually scares the people around me and draws concerned stares.

I think most people here have misunderstood me. What I meant was this:

Or perhaps this:

It is often described as a stim

I have central sleep apnea. It is neurological and is described as the brain forgetting to breath. I have to use a machine at night. But I find myself during the day feeling short of breath and gasp for air. I’m not sure what this new development is about.

I have had this happen to me when too fixated on something and snap out of it gasping for breath. The same as when I have held my breath intentionally.