apnea in dreams

My boyfriend has a recurring dream that disturbs him and myself greatly. He is going down an enclosed flight of stairs towards a doorway. He recognizes this stairwell as one in the house he lived in as a child. When he reaches for the doorknob, it is cold and wet and the stairwell fills with mist or fog.

Suddenly the grim reaper is tickling him and he is laughing but there is no sound. He cannot cry out or make any noise and he cannot breathe. He also tries to pull on the hood to reveal the creature but is unsuccessful. He does not jolt awake but rather struggles to get free before he finally wakes up gasping for air and sobbing and suffering from a terrible headache.

Sometimes he walks in his sleep and has fallen and even broken his nose while having this dream. He does snore loudly and I wonder if he suffers from sleep apnea. This would account for him not being able to breathe, but the theme of this dream is chilling and worrisome. It bothers me even more that he has experienced this same dream since he was a child. Can you help us?

—Emily, Age 35, Single, USA


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