Newbie Gearing Up for Sleep Study Tomorrow

[kritoke]

Last monday I saw a sleep doctor, I originally scheduled it back in February and they had one cancellation, so got in a week early. After an excessive questionnaire about sleepiness/tiredness with the nurse, finally saw him. He showed me that my throat was too small and there was a tonsil partially in the way on one side combined with a short neck. Told me even if my insurance doesn't cover it, I think he said I have to meet the 30 times stopping breathing an hour to hit that threshold, I should get a cpap machine. Has anyone else pretty much gotten diagnosed that fast with it? I have the sleep study tomorrow and it does sound like at least in part of it, they will use the mask (they fitted me already). I was told that I stop breathing a lot and snoring is very loud (people use ear plugs if in same room). The snorelab app is kind of crazy on my phone, don't appreciate reaching the epic threshold a few times a night. Any advise for making it through the sleep study okay? The doctor will meet with me again on tuesday to discuss the findings. Really hope I can get relief, I used to be an avid meditator and just kind of crash when doing any long term retreats or even meditate for a decent period of time. I figure I've been too sleepy for a few years now at least.

[Julie]

Well, sleeping on your back will encourage many more apneas (as well as snores) so do whatever you can to avoid it overnight - people even wear backpacks, sew tennis balls into their jammies, use foam wedges behind them, etc... In the study, they may want you on your back for part of it to get a 'worst case' scenario, but don't otherwise do it yourself.

[LSAT]

Last monday I saw a sleep doctor, I originally scheduled it back in February and they had one cancellation, so got in a week early. After an excessive questionnaire about sleepiness/tiredness with the nurse, finally saw him. He showed me that my throat was too small and there was a tonsil partially in the way on one side combined with a short neck. Told me even if my insurance doesn't cover it, I think he said I have to meet the 30 times stopping breathing an hour to hit that threshold, I should get a cpap machine. Has anyone else pretty much gotten diagnosed that fast with it? I have the sleep study tomorrow and it does sound like at least in part of it, they will use the mask (they fitted me already). I was told that I stop breathing a lot and snoring is very loud (people use ear plugs if in same room). The snorelab app is kind of crazy on my phone, don't appreciate reaching the epic threshold a few times a night. Any advise for making it through the sleep study okay? The doctor will meet with me again on tuesday to discuss the findings. Really hope I can get relief, I used to be an avid meditator and just kind of crash when doing any long term retreats or even meditate for a decent period of time. I figure I've been too sleepy for a few years now at least.

To be diagnosed with sleep apnea you must stop breathing at least 5X an hour during the sleep study. If for some reason your insurance doesn't cover a CPAP...DO NOT buy it from a brick and mortar DME. Buy it on line.

[kritoke]

Definitely been inspecting different sites, kind of looks like second wind is where a lot of folks go for slightly used ones that are more affordable. Just been trying to get an idea of brands to stick to, kind of sounds like respironics and resmed are the main two brands to stick to. Then verify against the database I have seen folks post on here to make sure if has full data instead of just compliance data to be able to bring it into sleepy head and check for any issues.

[JDS74]

Prepare to arrive at the sleep lab about an hour early to give them extra time to get you set up.
Bring comfortable sleep wear with you to change into before getting in bed.
During the test, just plan to sleep normally so that the test is conducted as close to your sleeping habits at home as possible. Bring a magazine or book in case you want to read a little while before lights out.

The technician will hook you up to all sorts of electronic leads so they can measure things like abdominal movement (as you breathe), air flow from your nose (as you breathe), scalp electrodes (for the EKG so they can tell if you are actually sleeping and what sleep phase you are in), leg electrodes (to measure how much you move your legs during sleep) and chin electrodes (so they can measure facial muscle movement during the night). I'm sure I have forgotten some but it will seem as if the wires go all over.

While that all seems as if you won't be able to sleep, mostly folks just drift off and wake up in the morning.

Best wishes for your study tomorrow.

[Violet West]

--just wear your pajamas to the sleep center
--take a shower before
--be prepared for a LENGTHY process of being hooked up to wires
--I was able to take a pillow and a fan from home, so as to simulate my home sleeping environment (as much as practical)
--You think you won't be able to sleep like that . . . but most people do sleep enough for the study to be completed

[chunkyfrog]

If you can't sleep when it is too cold, TELL THEM.
If they will not turn up the thermostat, they should at least bring an extra blanket.

[kritoke]

I'm hoping I will be okay with sleeping with the stuff on. I've taught meditation for a few years and have been doing it for over a decade now. Even been able to endure a cavity numbing agent not quite numbing it all without the dentist knowing the pain I felt. I at least hope the wires and things shouldn't give me a ton of barriers to sleep, but we will see. They told me to bring something to read or do, as it will take a while to get everything in order. I think they said it could be almost an hour of waiting and things. I'm hoping that the meditation experience/practice will help me adjust to a cpap mask. Just not sure how it will do with facial hair.

[kritoke]

Just got back from the sleep study and cleaning all that goo out of the hair. The sleep technician said she thinks I likely have Hypopnea (very shallow breathing, sometimes called partial sleep apnea) and did stop breathing in the study, but it didn't meet their threshold to put me on a cpap machine. No numbers were given, she said they have like 800 pages of stats they have to go through. So now I wait for about two weeks until my doctor's appointment to see what it all entails.

[HDG1962]

During my sleep study, I didn't meet the threshold during the first part of the night for them to hook me up to a CPAP. The second part of the night (I woke up and was up for 1.5 hours) I more than exceeded it. it won't take that long for them to analyze the data and you'll have your answers.