you might have what is called sleep apnea. also known as snoring but you may have it severe enough that it causes you to stop breathing. look for a doctor that specializes in this and have a sleep study performed to determine if the reason you stop breathing and they can also tell how many times you stop breathing while you sleep.
when i sleep on my back as i fall asleep i stop breathing. is this normal? . after i stop breathing i jolt up turn on my side and can then fall asleep. it concerns me that my lung muscles are not strong enough to breath while i'm laying on my back but perhaps it's normal. i'm 5' 8" 190 lbs and exercise daily (run lift weights sports) and am 47.