 [ Symptoms ] i sometimes feel breathless when sleeping on my side but i do not know if it is a health problem or just stress over the past few weeks i have felt out of breath when falling asleep while lying on my right side i wake up almost in a panic with my heart racing but i feel better when i sit up for a while and eventually can sleep like normal this does not happen every night though and does not happen if i nap during the day it also only started after i had a health scare unrelated while lying in bed which left me afraid to fall asleep is this a real issue or just anxiety about what happened before [ Disease ] you are asking a question that could not be answered over the internet we do not know anything about you your medical history but more importantly we have no way of examining you andor ordering any diagnostic tests before attributing any medical condition to stress or anxiety a medical provider must first rule out all organic causes that could be attributed to your array of symptoms i would strongly suggest that you see your medical provider    someone who knows you and your medical history    for a thorough diagnostic evaluation