the trick is to keep breathing...

Larry stops breathing when he is sleeping (sleep apnea). It's not good. I often thump him or whisper "keep breathing" in his ear whenever I catch him holding his breath.

Larry's one of those people who is very confused when he's groggy. When I wake him to remind him to breathe, I usually get a very confused and humorous response. For example:

"I AM!"
"Why?"
"I was underwater."
"I'm breathing through my snorkel!"

Or my personal favorite:

"I couldn't be more confused if wild monkeys were flying out my butt!"

Last night he was holding his breath in his sleep again. When I told him to breathe, he lifted his head and looked at me:

"I wasn't breathing?! That's not good!!! I NEED TO BREATHE TO LIVE!"

Yup, that's generally how it works.