I got a copy of my sleep stuy HELP!!!!

justplainbill · Post by **justplainbill** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:28 pm

Stage III/IV sleep is also referred to as delta sleep, delta wave sleep, or slow wave sleep. It is sometimes referred to as deep sleep but this is a term that often occurs in other contexts ("...and Snow White fell into a deep sleep."), so I would not bother to Google it.

You should find some good information in the "Our Collective Wisdom" section of this site (right under the light bulb at the top of the page).

While you are at it, if you have the time do a little research on Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (or UARS) and (maybe) on Sleep Disordered Breathing Disorder. My understanding is that these disorders may also be treated with CPAP even in patient's whose apneas and hypopneas appear to be under good control. This would be an area where the extra information about arousals would be helpful. I suggest you read a little about them so that if these topics come up you will have some way of knowing what the doctor is talking about. You don't want to try to talk medical talk with your doctor but you do want to be able to help him explain his ideas and it is hellpful to have a little of the medical terminology to be able to help guide his explanation when he/she strays into medical jargon. I am not suggesting that you have either of these disorders (don't have enough data, but your doctor does).

Your description of your sleep study experiences sound fairly typical. But I was drawn to the fact that it appeared in each case like you slept fairly well (in terms of total sleep time) but that you also had substantial time awake. The two issues I was trying to get at were whether you are also spending a lot of time awake at home after you first get to sleep and whether you feel similarly fatigued following your sleep at home as you did following your sleep studies. These are factors you would likely be aware of (whereas you would have no way of knowing about how many arousals you have at home or the amount of stage III/IV sleep you get at home).

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Best wishes,
Bill

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:39 pm

My sleep before CPAP:
I would get up to go to the bathroom up to 7 times a nite. Other than that, I thought I was sleeping deep throughout the nite. I would wake up tired and feeling like I hadnt slept at all. I was going to bed later and later, and taking alot of naps.

My sleep after CPAP:
I dont go to the bathroom at nite. I think I'm sleeping all nite. I do not dream. Actually its been along time since I did dream. Could that relate to the lack of Delta sleep? I wake up feeling different every time, sometimes I bounce outta bed, mostly I throw myself to the floor so I'm not late to work. I have increased my sleep time. I go to bed earlier now. I still take naps or lay on the couch too tired to move when I get home from work & school.

justplainbill · Post by **justplainbill** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 8:12 pm

Dreaming is hard to measure at home. According to most of what I hav read, dreaming is usually associated with REM sleep although there are some types of dreaming that occur during stage I or stage II sleep. It is possible to have lots of dream activity but to not remember it. It is theorized by some that to remember a dream you need to have a wakening during or right after the dream.

So being conscious of having lots of dreams prior to CPAP might suggest that you were having arousals and brief awakenings at that time but I doubt that there is a lot of hard science to back up this hypothesis.

Likewise, the fact that you are not conscious of dreaming with CPAP might mean you aren't getting REM sleep (which I think is unlikely given your description of no awakenings and given your titration results) or that you are having fewer arousals/awakenings and that you therefore aren't aware of the dream activity you are having. Again, however, this is chiefly conjecture as far as I can tell.

If you do take naps after work or school, I hope you are using CPAP then also.

Best wishes,
Bill

The increased sleep time and the absence of bathroom breaks

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 5:01 pm

Oh yes I use my cpap every time I close my eyes. I keep hoping it will make a difference one of these days. I still get sooo tired.

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:26 pm

Oh my goodness. I went to the appt at the sleep study lab today. I talked to the Dr for a long time regarding my treatment and how it is not helping me much. About the lack of stage3/4 sleep, I guess that is normal. According to him that is for babies and teens, as you grow older you don't get the stage 3/4 sleep. He is not concerned that mine is 0

I asked about the apap. This Dr does not beleive that it works as well as cpap. He has been apart of clinical studies and there are times when the apap does not change the air flow and wakes the sleeper up.

Because the treatment is not working for me. I now have to take ANOTHER sleep test. This one is a multiple sleep latency test. from 9pm tomorrow until 6pm on Wednesday. I get to sit around ALL day with the electrodes on me. Yeah!! He is thinking maybe my pressure is not set correctly, since I'm still taking so many naps, and tired so much. Plus, I sometimes wake up feeling like I'm gasping for breath and other times I feel like a hurricane is blowing in my face.

I'm so upset, because I'm tired and sleeping alot he thinks I might be depressed. How come everytime a woman has a medical issue that the Dr. can't explain, they get diagnosed with some type of mental illness. I'm not depressed I have sleep apnea!!!! I really expected more from the University of Michigan.

I'm still pushing for data capability.

justplainbill · Post by **justplainbill** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 6:44 pm

Here's hoping that your testing comes up with some useful findings.

One would hope that the fact that your therapy has not had the effects that had been hoped would allow you to suggest (as you doubtless have) that having data that would help demonstrate whether your therapy is being compromised by leak problems and whether you are having apneas or hypopneas at home would be very helpful in confirming where things are working in your treatment and where it might need to be tweaked.

If you get a chance, I would be interested in knowing more about the literature that supports this sleep doctor's contention that slow wave sleep is not important. I ask because this is the second time that I have run into statements from sleep doctors to others saying this and, while I do not disbelieve them, this is somewhat different from the impression I have had from other sources.

Good luck and let us know how things go.

Best wishes,
Bill

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:33 pm

I'm glad you're having that third sleep study - it makes sense to have it. I'm not professional and when I looked at the results they were too confusing for me to guess at what was going on. I'm glad the doctor thinks so too and wants a new titration study.

You don't need a prescription to buy an autopap from cpap.com. If you need to go through a brick and mortar DME for insurance reasons, try to insist on the full data capability. And you can tell the doctor you don't want the auto to start very low - you just want its ability to go higher when you're in REM - and that you can always it set it to the highest range necessary as a cpap if it doesn't work for you. But leave that for after you get your results.

As to the depression question... ... I think I'ld better not start out about what I think of that reflex.

However,

He is thinking maybe my pressure is not set correctly

he's sending you for a new thorough sleep study,so he's not fobbing you off with the depression bit. Just wait patiently till you have the results and hopefully a new Rx - and see what the new therapy does for you.

Good luck.
O.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:10 am

I'm really trying to get a data capability machine. I told him I was shocked that I didnt get one, my ins will cover it. so why not? I told him that when I got Diabetes I got a monitor to check my sugars so that I can make adjustments to my life to bring the levels down when I got High blood pressure I got a cuff to measure the numbers so that I can make changes to my life to bring those numbers down. I got sleep apnea, I got a machine that measures nothing. Just blows air in my face.

I'm gonna be so miserable sitting in a hospital bed all day without the internet, no friends, just me all day. wow lol I might be depressed when I get out. I'm a very optimistic and happy person. No depression here. I'm the one people come to when they are depressed. I am frustrated at my medical treatment. The fact that I was given a machine that does nothing but shoot air.

The Dr was pretty adament about the stage 3/4 sleep being for kids and teens. He was not concerned at all about mine being 0.

sleeplessinaz · Post by **sleeplessinaz** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:14 am

Hi There----Have you had any blood work done to check your thyroid? I have LOW (Hypo)thyroidism before I found out I have sleep apnea----I went to my family doctor as I was so tired all the time too--found out my thyroid was not producing and also had low iron in my blood too --so you need to have your doctor check that before they tell you it is depresson--UGH! We women go thru alot --don't we??? Hang in there!!

Carrie

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:30 am

Oh yes they did a complete bloodwork before my 1st sleep study. I dont have a thyroid problem.

I know of so many woman that when they had a health problem was sent to Pysch. That is why women's medicine is so far behind. That happened to my mom she had IBS for a couple of decades but was told to make an appt for psych. Its all in her head. Finally a forward thinking Dr. diagnosed her and she is being treated.
My appt is tonite for the sleep study. I will be sitting there tomorrow and ther is no high speed, phone, visitors. I'm gonna be soo lonely.

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:35 am

Has anyone had this multiple sleep latency test done before? How bad is it? Will I have to sleep on my back again? I hope not, I have the Breeze mask and that big steel thing on the back would make it impossible to do.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:39 am

Here's UMICH's descriptions of the MSLT.

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/tests/testm06.htm

O.

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:47 am

so its the same thing as a reg sleep test just longer. much longer.
I'm taking dvd's and homework maybe I can get my projects done

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:00 pm

well I'm home now. I slept at the sleep study all nite, then took 20 min. naps every 2 hrs. all day. The one tech said my pressure was up to 14 at times. Thats higher than my titration study. Now I have to wait the 2-3 weeks to see the results.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:14 pm

Welcome back, odawa. And how did you feel after that night?
O.

Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: new Airsense auto set 12/08/14. Cpap pressure is