http://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/pickwick.jpg Right on with the spelling! From Charles Dickens Pickwick Papers, where there was a character who was so fat and always fell asleep (because they couldn't sleep properly because of the weight on the chest) To examine the physiology behind this, studies take normal people, have then lie down, and put 40-50 lbs on their sternum. After a while, they'll breathe like a fat person. It is literally JUST THE WEIGHT. With extended change, the oxygen deprived brain can develop central respiratory failure, where you forget to breathe.