Sleep study. Who's had one?

[aircooled]

What's you're experience? I got one coming up cause they think I have sleep apnea.

How hard is it to sleep knowing you are being watched with cameras and sensors and stuff?

 

[glenn beck]

I would imagine that would be hard to sleep knowing you are being watched, too many thoughts running through your head

 

[meltdown75]

my ex went... she tried the sleep machine / gear for a while... then eventually settled on a mouth guard which she still uses probably......

i think her sleep at the sleep clinic was fitful at best... she was pretty picky about sleeping spots though. i'd probably be able to sleep from sheer boredom...... man i'd be on the crackberry every waking moment if i was stuck in a hospital setting like that 0_0

no thx

 

[Linflas]

I've had 2 and it was surprisingly easy. Funny thing is when I went in for my second one after they had me all wired up my wife called frantic because her wallet was missing. Long to short they disconnected the wires from the machines and I had to run down through the emergency room lobby 9:30 in the evening in the hospital robe carrying this box with the wires all connected to me looking like some kind of freak. Lucky for us the wallet had fallen out of the car in the parking lot and was still just laying there.

 

[meltdown75]

what's in YOUR wallet

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I had one and it was a nightmare! They want you to stay awake extra hours so you'll be tired well, someone fucked up my appointment and after being up for 18 hours, I had to wait another two hours to get "wired" because they were inundated.

Then they carefully place a dozen sensors on your head using technology from WWII and you have to sleep on your back without moving. If you forget and roll over, they wake you up and begin again. If you start snoring, they wake you up. If you blink, rub your eyes, or flex your toes, they wake you up.

By the morning, I was ready to kill the technician but, I made a point of asking if they would send the results to my general practitioner. Two weeks go by and my doc says she never got the results. I call up the sleep study clinic and they say "Oh, we never send out results unless your doctor requests them." What the fuck did they think my doctor's referral to them in the first place was?

 

[aircooled]

I was told to show up at 8:30 for a 9:30 bedtime w/ sleep number beds (I got to choose the bedtime), so I hope it's not as bad as the last poster.

 

[sjwaste]

I was told to show up at 8:30 for a 9:30 bedtime w/ sleep number beds (I got to choose the bedtime), so I hope it's not as bad as the last poster.

Did you get to choose the sleepnumber?

 

[Pepsei]

i have, you need to ask them to prescribe you some 10 mg Ambien for the sleep study. which should not be a problem. and it works very well, just don't eat right before your sleep study. and take it 10 minutes before you go to sleep.

they will put some sort of sticky goo all over you with patches and wirings, it is irritating.

they probably will outfit you with a nose mask during the study(as opposed to a full face that covers the nose and mouth). because they use that to adjust the pressure on the fly to see what's the perfect pressure for you. the machine will probably have a warm water chamber so it doesn't irritate your nose with cold dry air.

FOR me, a week or two AFTER the study, they gave me a prescription for a CPAP machine (REMaster PRO) and a nose mask at first (it comes with a smart card that takes your reading every session), but I discovered that the pressure was not enough, so In the middle of the night when my nosal passage blocks up, my body would normally open my mouth to breath in more air, but since there is a pressurized mask over my nose, it would cause massive air flow thru my mouth and wakes me up. 1/2 of the time after that i would remove the mask unknowingly and go back to sleep.

I recently got a full face nose/mouth mask and it is working well.

the cpap machine is usually pre-programmed so you can't change any settings. but there are online guides that can let you go into programming mode (just in case).

oh yeah, CPAP machine is the ones where the pressure gradually increased from low to your final settings so that your nose gradually adjust to the increasing pressure.

i think that covers about it all.....

edit: oh i remember, i got a 'full' study, where you first sleep WITHOUT the mask, they take all the readings and then in the middle of the night, if they decide that you probably need a mask, they'll give you a mask and take more readings and adjusting.

 

[arcenite]

If my sleeping issues ever got that bad I would just hire a fulltime anesthesiologist

 

[foghorn67]

I have sleep apnea. Stopped breathing one night and woke up gasping for air. Scared the hell out of me. Might have to get my pallet reshaped.
--edit--Not looking forward to that operation. My buddy had that done and it tore him almost to tears. And he is a tough guy, I am not.

 

[Pepsei]

oh yea, i just recently go 'battery' pack to go with the cpap, because i have too much flex spending that i need to spend or loose it.

that sucker says portable, but it really isn't.. it weights about 16 lbs. i doubt that i can take it to a plane. it is more like a 'camping' type of power source. it also costs $200 after insurance ($900 pre). maybe for plane rides to japan, i'll need to use some sort of DC adapter instead.

 

[polarmystery]

I tried to do it once, but I couldn't fall asleep. After 5 hours of laying in the bed I told them I was going to leave. The bed was very uncomfortable to boot.

 

[Lifted]

Father just order a home sleep study since he couldn't fall asleep at the clinic when he tried it a few years ago. Only 2 wires and a mouth/nose monitor with this unit (according to the brochure).

 

[Genx87]

It isnt the being watched part that made it hard to sleep. It was the dozens of probes they put on your body and face.

But I learned a lot. Basically provided I sleep on my side my sleep apnea is non-existent.

 

[Pepsei]

I have sleep apnea. Stopped breathing one night and woke up gasping for air. Scared the hell out of me. Might have to get my pallet reshaped.
--edit--Not looking forward to that operation. My buddy had that done and it tore him almost to tears. And he is a tough guy, I am not.

chances are you actually stop breathing more than once a night, you just do not remember. ask your sleeping partner if you have one, if you snore. which is right before your air passage completely blocks off and wakes you up.

my sleep study shows that i stop breathing 15 times a night. the guideline is 10 for a machine if i remember correctly.

are you slightly overweight? that causes sleep apnea too.

edit: maybe that was 15 times per hour... it was a year ago, and i forgot.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I took a sleep study survey for the University of California at Berkely. It was a study on night owls and paid $25. They also required a DNA sample.

 

[JulesMaximus]

what's in YOUR wallet

Your wife's phone number.

 

[foghorn67]

chances are you actually stop breathing more than once a night, you just do not remember. ask your sleeping partner if you have one, if you snore. which is right before your air passage completely blocks off and wakes you up.

my sleep study shows that i stop breathing 15 times a night. the guideline is 10 for a machine if i remember correctly.

are you slightly overweight? that causes sleep apnea too.

No, I am heavier than average...but I lift. 5-11, 190lbs. And yes, I do snore, and got kicked a couple of times to get me breathing, but never remembered. It's only that one incident that I was conscience of.
I also was trying to guide in an air strike in one night, using all sorts of military jargon. And I don't know that much military speak. From that sounds of it, we were pinned down and desperate for help. too bad I don't remember any of it...it could have been fun.

 

[Viper GTS]

If you can get by with CPAP use that. The surgery doesn't always work, or may work for a while but then end up on CPAP anyway.

It's a little annoying at first but you'll quickly reach a point where you dread sleeping without it.

For those of you already on CPAP... A humidifier with a heated hose makes a lot of difference. The condensation rainout on cold nights is enough to prevent humidifier use (nothing will wake you up like cold water running up your nose). A $10 hose cover + a $15 reptile heat cable keeps the air temperature up enough to avoid it entirely, & your sinuses will thank you.

More thoughts:

Insist on a data capable machine along with the software to read it yourself. If you post here your inner geek will love it. Plus you can essentially do your own sleep studies. Think you're not sleeping well? Find out for yourself how often you stopped breathing and for how long. Track your heartrate and oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter if you really want the full sleep study effect. This stuff isn't cheap, but for under $1500 you can be into a full data capable machine + software + pulse oximeter. If your employer offers an FSA that's a convenient way to pay for it.

I can post an example from my data machine if anybody wants to inspect my sleeping habits.

Viper GTS

 

[Pepsei]

ah cool. why didn't i think of that? all i need is a 'card reader' the card i have looks like a dishnetwork smart card. i've never saw my doctor, i always make appointment with my NP and she uses a clunky looking card reader on her old HP pc. I'm sure my super computer can run that software. i should be able to snag a copy of the software from a friend who works in the lab.

I have about $900 I need to spend before the end of the year. I was going to buy nicotine patches and give them to my friends. I guess I'll check cpapexchange. where do you get your supplies online?

 

[BabaBooey]

I did one a couple years ago,slept as much as usual and found out I am getting 15-30min of actual REM sleep a night...no wonder I am stressed out....D:

 

[Viper GTS]

I've been buying from cpap.com for a couple years now. Their prices are decent, they ship fast (I usually do overnight because I'm impatient & hey it's FSA money so it's not like I feel it anyway).

Their mask insurance is pretty cool too, masks are damned expensive & ordering online makes it hard to tell what will fit/be comfortable/not piss off your bedmate/etc. The insurance lets you pay for the right to return it for any reason, no questions asked.

Viper GTS

 

[Pepsei]

Yes, the mask is the very important. I really didn't like the older style where it ends up 'bruising' the bridge of my nose if i'm not careful.

i love my latest mask, it's a respironics 'fulllife' , it eliminates the need for forehead support so there is less contact on the face. and it's light too.

looks like i can get EncoreViewer CPAP/BiPAP Tracking Software 1.0 + PCMCIA Card Reader for $139. at least that'd get me started.

 

[Adrenaline]

I had a sleep study done this year. My first night was to see if I had it. I had wires galore hooked up to me and fell asleep before they could fully calibrate it. The second night they hooked up the CPAP and I fell asleep in less than 5 minutes. They suggested I take Tylenol PM both times but I can sleep anywhere with no issues.

My test results were I stopped breathing 84 times an hour without the machine, severe sleep apnea for the lose. Sometimes I wear my machine, sometimes I don't. Overall my sleeping is better and my wife told me the nights I wear it I sleep really good and the nights I don't are hit and miss.