I had the same problem of my breathing stopping even before I fell asleep that developed immediately after an acute exacerbation event last May. It happened several times after and I developed some horrible syndrome from it, fear of going to sleep. I solved the problem pretty much by 1) not eating after 5:00 pm. 2) no naps. It was hard to give those up too, lol. There was a third, but can’t remember now what it was.
“Fear of going to sleep” — I hear you! I’ve done a number of things that help slightly — going to bed at a regular time, no screen time within an hour of bedtime, vigorous workout around 4 pm, only a couple cups of decaf coffee at breakfast, lighter dinner meals that are easier to digest.