Should I get a sleep study ?

[MigCpap]

I'm pretty much decided on going through with it, but I have some doubts. Mainly because I can't spend $1000 on a sleep study just to find out nothing is wrong. The only culprit that I can point to is I have a slightly deviated septum from a hit I took a a few years ago, my sense of smell lessened after the hit and my nose becomes stuffier frequently. I don't snore, am skinny, relatively fit. I never suspected anything until recently in the last 8 months, when I've been trying to consciously sleep more. It happens that no matter when I go to sleep I'll wake up 4-5 hours later sometimes less, and it will be near impossible for me to fall back asleep. Can CPAP machines work just through your mouth if my nose is the problem ,and do you have to pay the same amount in the 2nd sleep study if they do find you have sleep apnea ?

[Guest]

Mainly because I can't spend $1000 on a sleep study just to find out nothing is wrong.

Are you saying you don't have insurance?
If you are willing to learn and read up here you can use a cpap to test yourself.

It happens that no matter when I go to sleep I'll wake up 4-5 hours later sometimes less, and it will be near impossible for me to fall back asleep.

That sounds more like insomnia.

If you have sleep apnea you can fall asleep easily but the more you sleep the more damage you do to your body. A deviated septum can contribute to that but can also be repaired.

I'm pretty much decided on going through with it, but I have some doubts. Mainly because I can't spend $1000 on a sleep study just to find out nothing is wrong. The only culprit that I can point to is I have a slightly deviated septum from a hit I took a a few years ago, my sense of smell lessened after the hit and my nose becomes stuffier frequently. I don't snore, am skinny, relatively fit. I never suspected anything until recently in the last 8 months, when I've been trying to consciously sleep more. It happens that no matter when I go to sleep I'll wake up 4-5 hours later sometimes less, and it will be near impossible for me to fall back asleep. Can CPAP machines work just through your mouth if my nose is the problem ,and do you have to pay the same amount in the 2nd sleep study if they do find you have sleep apnea ?

[MigCpap]

I do have insurance, they told me it doesn't meet the deductible and that I'll have to pay that much out of pocket.

I hadn't considered deviated septum surgery , because I just thought if I take another hit while playing sports again then it'll be a waste of money. If insurance covers it and I have to pay less I think I might go with that though.

I was thinking with CPAP there would be less of an issue with me getting hit again.

[Guest]

I do have insurance, they told me it doesn't meet the deductible and that I'll have to pay that much out of pocket.

I hadn't considered deviated septum surgery , because I just thought if I take another hit while playing sports again then it'll be a waste of money. If insurance covers it and I have to pay less I think I might go with that though.

I was thinking with CPAP there would be less of an issue with me getting hit again.

I have seen the billable rate to insurance for the sleep study (PSG) in the order of $3k to $3.5k for each night. If your doc orders a split-nite study then if they detect apnea they will immediately begin titration.

These days they are more likely to do an at home PSG which is half as good but may serve your purpose.

Nothing but abstinence will guarantee you won't take another hit. Which sport is causing this damage?

[Julie]

Why specifically do you think you have apnea? It sounds more like an insomnia problem if anything - it can happen not just when going to sleep but after waking up later on. What symptoms of apnea do you feel you have? Do you take any meds?

[dbreweur]

Sometimes they don't have to do two sleep studies - They can do what is called a Split Study where the first few hours is seeing if you have any apnea events and the second half is the titration to find out what pressure you need. I have no idea how much the split study costs, but I imagine it'd be somewhat cheaper than scheduling two separate sleep studies.

They also have much cheaper at home sleep tests that you may be able to do (The hospital I went to had just started offering them), though I think you'd still need a separate in-lab titration test.

[kteague]

You haven't said anything that makes sleep apnea an obvious answer. You might consider the cost of an overnight pulse oximeter reading at home. While it won't definitively rule out sleep apnea, the report should show if there are repeated fluctuations in pulse and/or oxygen level, which could be an indicator further testing is within reason.

[Guest]

Why specifically do you think you have apnea? It sounds more like an insomnia problem if anything - it can happen not just when going to sleep but after waking up later on. What symptoms of apnea do you feel you have? Do you take any meds?

I don't take any medications.

What makes me think I have sleep apnea, is that I have brain fog, I never feel rested any longer, and dreams that I'm aware of are rare now. Sometimes I'm counting the cash register and if I count the quarters and switch to dimes I immediately forget how many quarters I counted. I can't stay awake in any of my classes it's always a fight to keep my head from rolling. I have woken up struggling to breathe through my nose a few times in the past. My attention span is so much shorter I'm afraid for this semester of college. Breathing is difficult even after waking, and I have to take a breath really hard to feel like I get enough air in. I think that mostly has to do with my nostrils sucking in when I breathe or which side of my nose is blocked. That made me wonder how I'm getting enough breath while sleeping.

Thank you guys for the suggestions.

[Julie]

Ok - it's important to separate things.... apnea is when (overnight) you stop breathing in your sleep for a few (or sometimes a lot) seconds. How you breathe during the day is entirely different and something to be investigated separately. You may incidentally have developed e.g. asthma (or any other breathing problem) but there is othewise no connection to apnea. Apnea occurs once air has come in through your nose or mouth but then can't get down into your bronchial passages due to blockage by e.g. your tongue, or an anatomically narrow passage, etc... that's 'obstructive' sleep apnea - the most common type. There is also central apnea, and/or complex (a combo of both), and in central apnea your brain just doesn't trigger breathing at all, a different thing from obstructive apnea. But both of those do NOT occur when you're awake and you would not be aware of their happening - only if someone watched you sleep and noted that you stopped breathing and eventually gasped for air, and the cycle would then continue all night (though with normal breathing between events) which is what causes sleepiness in the daytime - you haven't slept for half the night due to arousals (gasping). So don't decide you have apnea based on anything that happens when you're awake... do get your breathing tested by e.g. a pulmonologist (or your GP could refer you for testing). Of course you could have both apnea and a separate (e.g. asthma) breathing problem, but don't mix them up.

[chunkyfrog]

Look online for the epworth sleepiness questionnaire. The results might be helpful.
Ideally, you should have video of yourself sleeping, or observation by a human in the room with you.

[ChicagoGranny]

Mainly because I can't spend $1000 on a sleep study just to find out nothing is wrong.

I know you said you don't snore, but how do you know? You are asleep!

As a first step, how about trying a snoring app for a few nights? https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snorela ... 43604?mt=8

[Sylvia54]

My symptoms started out the same as yours but it was years before I was finally diagnosed with sleep apnea.
I would wake up to use the bathroom after 4 hrs sleep and would not be able to get back to sleep.
Sometimes I was lucky enough to get 6 hrs and felt better. Many times my sleep left me feeling unrefreshed along with feeling
wired and tired.

Chronic insomnia is a symptom for some people with sleep apnea.
I am a small person who has tongue obstruction apnea.
I also have flow limitation and respiratory arousals.

You might want to look up UARS, a similar type of sleep breathing disorder with insomnia as a common symptom.

I suggest you see a sleep doctor or ENT specialist.
Don't keep suffering, get some help soon.

xpap has helped me somewhat since I started treatment last April.

[ChicagoGranny]

I am a small person who has tongue obstruction apnea.

How do you know the tongue is the cause of the obstruction?

[Sylvia54]

I am a small person who has tongue obstruction apnea.

How do you know the tongue is the cause of the obstruction?

Hi ChicagoGranny, It was my sleep doctor who told me that.
I've read that it's common, especially in post menopause. Due to loss of hormones, the tongue and throats loses
muscle, loses elastisity. This is what I've read in more than one article. Also, there are just as many older women who get sleep apnea
as there are men. Of course, many women don't know they have it or choose not get treated.

I have a question for you; I came across an older posting of yours that said you felt better while sleeping at a lower
elevation. I think this is true for me also. I live in the high desert, approx. 2700 ft above sea level.
Last Nov. I stayed near UCLA, real close to the ocean and I felt more refreshed from my sleep in the mornings, even from only
5-6 hrs of sleep.

Today there is a good article on Yahoo.com. It's titled; "What Is Sleep Apnea, and Should You Get Tested?"
Steven Y. Park, M.D.,U.S.News & World Report

Lots of Good Information there.

[ChicagoGranny]

the tongue and throat

Ahhh (Pun intended.), that is what I was getting at. The most common immediate cause of obstructive sleep apnea is collapse of the tongue, soft palate and other throat tissue. I don't think it is accurate to say "tongue obstructive apnea", unless the patient has undergone uncommon, advanced examination that shows the tongue alone is the cause of the obstruction.

I came across an older posting of yours that said you felt better while sleeping at a lower
elevation. I think this is true for me also. I live in the high desert, approx. 2700 ft above sea level.
Last Nov. I stayed near UCLA, real close to the ocean and I felt more refreshed from my sleep in the mornings, even from only
5-6 hrs of sleep.

Let's move! I can pack in one day. A suitemate would be nice.