When/if to repeat a sleep test

[Tigerlily]

Fingers crossed that you get real answers!

Thank you Julie, I hope so!

[Tigerlily]

I hope you get some good answers! You might ask your doctor whether it would interfere with the test, esp re narcolepsy, if you took a prescription sleep aid.

Yes, I do need to find out what supplements to discontinue if any. I don't want anything to hinder the test. I'm don't take sleep aids (besides using essential oils).

[Tigerlily]

So, I'm not quite sure what to do in regards to my cpap during the test.

Simply put, my presciption was cpap 7, 8 years ago. I haven't had it at that pressure for many years, it would be totally inadequate, as shown in the pictures in this thread. So, now I use apap 12-15.

During the test, do I use what I use at home? (they know what I was prescribed), therefore they will know that I am playing around with my own pressure experiments. I certainly don't want to do anything that would raise a red flag that may cause my insurance to not cover my test, they would look for any reason, I'm sure. If I go from my current pressure to 7, I will definitely have a lot more episdodes.

[ChicagoGranny]

So, I'm not quite sure what to do in regards to my cpap during the test.

You don't have to do anything with regard to CPAP settings. The lab will use its own machine. The technician will start out at a low-pressure setting. If your airway starts to collapse, he will increase the pressure. Eventually, the technician hopes to find the lowest pressure setting which keeps the airway open. This process is known as titration.

[Tigerlily]

Ohhhh, I thought I brought my own machine.

Yeah, the titration is what they did during my original sleep study 8 years ago. But I thought with this repeat one they would put me at what I have been using. Si, that makes it simple then.

[Pugsy]

They will be using their machine....easier to monitor from the other room they will be in and change pressures remotely if needed.
Would be horribly disruptive to your sleep if they tried to do the testing on your machine and had to try to adjust pressures.

Check with the lab as to what meds or whatever you can take...while normally it wouldn't be a big deal you are also going to be trying the narcolepsy testing and some meds might impact that test result.
Most people don't get the narcolepsy testing part.

[klm49]

So, I'm not quite sure what to do in regards to my cpap during the test.

Simply put, my presciption was cpap 7, 8 years ago. I haven't had it at that pressure for many years, it would be totally inadequate, as shown in the pictures in this thread. So, now I use apap 12-15.

During the test, do I use what I use at home? (they know what I was prescribed), therefore they will know that I am playing around with my own pressure experiments. I certainly don't want to do anything that would raise a red flag that may cause my insurance to not cover my test, they would look for any reason, I'm sure. If I go from my current pressure to 7, I will definitely have a lot more episdodes.

I would take my mask.

[Tigerlily]

They will be using their machine....easier to monitor from the other room they will be in and change pressures remotely if needed.
Would be horribly disruptive to your sleep if they tried to do the testing on your machine and had to try to adjust pressures.

Check with the lab as to what meds or whatever you can take...while normally it wouldn't be a big deal you are also going to be trying the narcolepsy testing and some meds might impact that test result.
Most people don't get the narcolepsy testing part.

Thank you Pugsy, that makes sense. I only take thyroid medicine, I think that is ok. I did stop taking my 5-htp, as it helps with sleep. I only stopped it two nights ago and I'm already sleeping so much worse. Sigh! It will be a long week and a half.

I didn't even start taking it for sleep, nor did I know it would help, I took it for anxiety/stress. But, my sleep paralysis became so much better and less wakings. After my test, I will go back on it for sure!

[Tigerlily]

I would take my mask.

Definitely! And my earplugs, face mask and wedge pillow.

[Tigerlily]

Well, back to square one…..no narcolepsy, no idiopathic hypersomina, a “pretty normal” sleep test according to my sleep dr, except ONE thing…I hardly feel normal!! I have tiredness EVERY SINGLE day, impaired cognitive abilities, increased anxiety, sleep paralysis, and even cataplexy like symptoms. If my sleep apnea is so well controlled and it isn’t the other two things, WHAT is it? It’s something. The only thing I really can discern from sleep test is that I don’t spend NEARLY enough time in deep sleep, which would explain the sleepiness I guess, but not the other symptoms.

The only reason my sleep latency was that long was because I never sleep good in a different location, while being monitored and I had a different mask I wasn’t used to.

Also, I’m puzzled how I slept “so good” at pressure of 8. If you all look back at the beginning of this thread, I’ve been sleeping with it higher than that for many years. And I adjusted it up even more to reduce my episodes and improve my numbers. Why do I need so much more pressure at home than in the sleep lab?

[Tigerlily]

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[Tigerlily]

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[Tigerlily]

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[Pugsy]

Well....maybe your crappy sleep quality isn't from airway issues.
Sleep apnea isn't the sole cause for crappy sleep.
Maybe your unwanted symptoms are related to not enough deep sleep...or maybe they are related to something else totally unrelated to any airway issues.
People can have crappy sleep for lots of reason and the airway issue is the only one that can be fixed with cpap.
I know that isn't what you wanted to hear because you want and expect cpap to fix all your problems but sometimes it just can't.
It can't fix bad sleep that isn't caused by something other than airway issues.
I know we all want it to because that's the easiest fix but sometimes life doesn't give us easy. It sucks. I have first hand experience with that ugly fact of life right now going on in my life. It sucks big time.

[Tigerlily]

I know, but I wanted an answer from this sleep study as to the cause. Leading up to it, I did not think it was my sleep apnea as my numbers were “pretty good” people said here.

But I don’t understand how they say 8 cpap is my ideal pressure. I think I am currently at 11-14 apap and my ahi is around 1-3 usually. If I dropped it to 8, my numbers would be awful. So why is it so different at home vs sleep lab?