What can be improved about the sleep lab experience?

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 11:51 am

I had a pretty OK couple of trips to the sleep lab. I can think of a few things though that would have made it much more successful.

1. More time to get acclimated to the setting and the available equipment.

2. Bring my own pillow!!! did this the second time, wish I had the first.

3. Make the room look less like a hospital or hotel room.

4. The ability to try out the equipment before the night of the study.

Please add any and all other suggestions that would have made your night at the sleep lab better.

Tampa Tom · Post by **Tampa Tom** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 12:54 pm

And, WIRELESS technology on the sensors they glue to you!

Boomer · Post by **Boomer** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 1:01 pm

Just a few, fairly minor things I can think of....

The tech's had coffee brewing all night. I understand they probably need some to help them stay awake all night, but I could smell it, all night long, made me want to get up and have a cup!! Maybe they could have relocated the coffee pot......?

The bed was way too soft, made my back sore. An air-adjustable bed would be a good solution to that, as each 'visitor' could adjust to their own preference.

Had to sleep in 'jammies', which I have not done since I was a kid, besides all of the wires and monitors, also had the added discomfort of the jammies twisting/slipping/bunching while I tossed and turned, trying to get to sleep.

The oximeter display in the room was very bright, lit up the whole room with this weird purple light, just another annoyance.

BigHeart · Post by **BigHeart** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 1:05 pm

Wireless would help tremendously. On my first test, I had no recorded leg movements. On the second test, for the titration, I told them that I didn't want the leg sensors, since I kept gettting tangled in the wires (I am a side sleeper with a pillow between my knees) and since they were unnecessary for me. They gave me a hard time about it, but finally agreed. I think the tech called the sleep doctor, as I was ready to walk out if they attached one more wire to me. But there were still about a dozen wires, even without the leg wires. I would rather have a less sensitive test that could be done at home. And the price was totally unreasonalbe, several thousand dollars each time, as I recall.

Snowdog · Post by **Snowdog** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 2:20 pm

Ah yes, how they could make the sleep study better.

I think most of my ways of improving the experience boils down to listening to what the patient says.

I spoke in an earlier post about the issue I had with being a side/stomach sleeper and being basically forced to sleep on my back for the test. Every time I would roll over the "Voice Of God" would tell me to get back on my back. That's gotta skew the results because I never sleep on my back.

Next, both times I had my sleep tests the room was freezing. I complained about the being cold both times. The second time I got one, just one, of their poor excuses for a blanket (more of a sheet than anything).

Finally, I had a problem with the nose mask. The only way I could breathe was to keep my neck and jaw rigid. The second I would let things relax everything would swell up like a balloon, the soft part of my pallet (sp?) would swell up and block my sinuses so I couldn't breath. If I kept everything rigid I could breathe but not sleep. When I told the tech she basically accused me of opening my mouth. No, my mouth was never open during this. Opening your mouth was the text-book answer so that's what she gave. We went back-and-forth on this for probably five minutes. She even went as far as bringing in a second tech that admonished me for opening my mouth. No matter how many times I told them that my mouth was closed their answer was, "well, when you open your mouth...".

So, any sleep techs that might be reading this, listen, listen, listen.

Shout out to Boomer, I thought that I was the only one who had the "jammie", um, problem.

texan27028 · Post by **texan27028** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 2:28 pm

My experience wasn't all that bad. At least it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was expecting something from the 1984 movie - Dreamscape with Dennis Quaid and Kate Capshaw. I had visions of a big snake/lizard thing coming into my dreams and trying to kill me. I was surprised at how 'homey' the sleep lab was. I really was expecting to be put behind a glass wall with people in lab coats carrying clipboards walking back and forth all night.

I could have done without the wires, so going wireless would be a big plus. The room wasn't that bad, and they had a 'white noise' machine that helped block out all of the outside noise. I use one at home, and have for several years, so I was REAL glad to see that.

The main issue with me was all of the wires. I usually toss and turn all night, which made strangulation a real possibility.

Richard

4Katie · Post by **4Katie** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:25 pm

What could be improved? My first thought was 'what couldn't'!

The wires are just horrible. I move around when I sleep - and when I'm trying to fall asleep, and the wires made that just about impossibe. They insisted on keeping the overhead light on, which was ridiculous. It was on low, but still on.

My second night was even worse (probably cuz I knew what I was in for). I HATED the CPAP and the mask that covered my nose and mouth. (Especially fun when the idiot asked me a question.) My nost tends to be congested, and when I'd try to breathe through my mouth I was afraid I'd suffocate. I found out later that they start everyone at a setting of 10. WAY too much for me. My personal setting is only 6. (Wouldn't you think they'd start at the bottom and work up???)

Add to all that the fact that my tech was a guy. A very nice guy, a very professional guy, but still a guy. Made relaxing and sleeping even more difficult.

Let's just say I hope I NEVER have to do a sleep study again!

FairSpirit · Post by **FairSpirit** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:31 pm

The two sleep studies I had done were good. The room I was in was nice and very home-like. I had no problem with them asking me to sleep on my back, I'm glad because I could NEVER have done that! They said whatever position I was comfy in was fine.

The first time I forgot to bring my fav pillow to use, but remembered it the 2nd time. Bringing your own pillow really helps. I had VERY nice techs both times and the bed was pretty comfy. I hardly slept but it was just cause I couldn't get sleepy, and being in a different place with all the wires just kept me awake.

My 2nd study with the CPAP, I kept having rainout and I just wasn't used to wearing a mask while trying to sleep. Of course with me, if I know I NEED to sleep, my body just never listens. LoL!

2listless · Post by **2listless** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:46 pm

My best suggestion...... forget the entire experience.

1. 3 cameras and a 2 way mirror was an instant no-no for me. Could not relax after that.....

2. Do not own "jammies", did not buy "jammies" .... slept in jogging pants and one of my SO's T-shirts that go to my knees. Fought with the jogging pants all night, too hot, too uncomfortable. Not to mention I kept socks on because the floor was so obscenely dirty I did not want any portion of my anatomy to accidentally touch it.

3. It looked like a hospital room, it is a hospital room. Hard hospital vinyl recliner, TV on elevated stand, no remote, bright overhead lights, peagreen hospital walls, brown tile floors, generic bathroom down the hall - 8 rooms away did have a double bed - I sleep in a king. Too soft, cheap bargain city foam pillows. A cheap motel would have been more pleasant.

4. Absolutely wireless....how can people sleep with 4000000 feet of wire and electrode and other crap strapped to us. The breathing straps were the worst -drove me crazy. Felt like a woman from the 1920s wearing binders.

5. Took my picture in the very sexy and attractice outfit I was wearing so the doctor would "know" which patient they were talking about.......yes, everytime I see him I wear the same outfit and glue electrodes to my head.

6. The humidifier was full of floating iron and calcium deposits - it was so disgusting. I actually asked the tech to empty it out and refill it. Trust me, you would have nothing in your home that looked like that! YUK

7. Read the forms that we fill out. Gee, we know our bodies better than you do.

8. Just do an at home test - it would be easier. Sitting there dying of boredom until they told you they had to start the test, is a joke. Sleep time: 13 minutes.

When will I do it again? When hell freezes over!

4Katie · Post by **4Katie** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 4:09 pm

OMG! 2listless, your report makes mine sound like a night at the Ritz!

That filthy place was a HOSPITAL?!?!?

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 4:53 pm

I had a clean room and a nice tech but insurance only paid half so was mad about that, had to pay up front. I hated the wires and all, and the "back only" ,was rediculous, I never sleep on my back. Then I had to go to bed at 9:30. I mean I had to, I was watching the TV and the tech said I had to turn it off and go to sleep! So I laid there until 1:30 AM before I nodded off as I never go to bed that early. Then, by the time I would get all settled in I would have to go to the bathroom down the hall. That was a pain so I would put this off as long as I could in a cold room so was uncomfortable. All in all, I think sleep test s are a waste of time. They ought to just set us up for a week with an auto with software. It would give better results and we would sleep more and more natural to our habits.

4Katie · Post by **4Katie** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:00 pm

I never even CONSIDERED sleeping on my back. One minute in that position, and I'm in excruciating pain.

Shouldn't the whole point of the sleep study be to to see what happens when you SLEEP the way you normally do???

I'm with rock and roll - the studies would be much more meaningful if they just taped us at home.

I've got my machine now - no more sleep studies for me!

christinequilts · Post by **christinequilts** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:24 pm

My wasn't too bad and I'm glad I had it done at a sleep lab. I was one of those people who the doctor swore had OSA but the test showed 60+ central events per hour (and 1-2 obstructive) along with Alpha Wave Intrusion. The double bed was pretty comfortable; they had a TV (with remote), recliner, private bath, and even a fan if it gets too hot. The only major complaint I had was for my titration- the gal who assigned rooms for the night didn't look at the doctors order closely enough to see I needed a BiPAP ST titration and they couldn't do it in the room I was in plus the tech wasn't happy she didn't know it was a BiPAP ST titration in advance. I had to raise a fuss 7 threaten to leave before they finally had me and another patient switch rooms though his tech did have to reconnect all the wires to the junction box which she wasn't happy about. All of this plus the tech having to get the BiPAP ST set up and review the protacol took over an hour so it was past 10pm when she hooked up her other patient because it was a split night study. It was midnight by the time she got me all hooked up...and the 6:30am wakeup call was way too early for someone who needed 12-14 hours sleep per night at the time (I'm never doing a sleep study on a weekend again...during the week they have daytime staff to take over so you can get enough sleep before getting kicked out). One simple clerical error can really screw things up.

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:53 pm

of the two nights I did the sleep studies the 1st was possibly amongst the worst nights sleep that I can recall.

Initial night was a bad night's sleep & I kept waking - head hurt the next day & felt pretty sluggish.

The night I went in for the pressure setting (my H2O cms was ultimately set at 15) was a lot better and next day I did feel ok all day. I took that as a sign this CPAP could work well once I train it

The people we deal with at RNSH have always been very nice. They ask us to arrive by 7:15, ask when we prefer to go to sleep (1st time I went off at 9:30 as I had nothing else to do - bad mistake - bad night's sleep).

Second time in I took my notebook PC with integrated digital TV & watched that until I felt ready to doze off.

The RNSH clinic is part of (IIRC) Australia's largest hospital (Royal North Shore Hospital). I actually 1st went there for a sleep study in 1989 but was advised I didn't have OSA - the recent return was prompted by my wife saying she can't sleep worrying because I keep stopping breathing & for at least the past 3 years or so she prods me in the night to roll on my side. She also says it really only happens when I am on my back but esp after any drinking (wine beer).

Before I went to this new series of sleep studies I lost about 8 kilos (just over 1 stone) and am now at 93 kilos (14st 10lb? - I hope the comparison is accurate). This didn't seem to change (improve) the condition according to my wife.

In summary, I can't fault the clinic. I did dislike the myriad of wires and the bed was certainly not the most comfortable.

DSM

so tired · Post by **so tired** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:43 pm

Gee, I just can't say I had that bad of an experience. The first was the worst b/c I hardly slept at all, and was bonkers b/c of that. The second one was fine although I do find it a bit creepy to sleep while I have a camera on me, but I do see why. I remembered to bring my own pillow,and read while I was waiting. I usually go to bed very late, and all three times I was able to wangle as late a time as possible to turn the lights off. I kept de-sating on my side during the second study and the tech came in and gently woke me up to turn on my back to see if I would then qualify to have the O2 added. The third time I forgot my pillow and I think they left a night light on and that kept me awake longer than necessary, but all in all they weren't nearly as bad as I expected! The beds were comfortable and they adjusted the temp in the room to whatever I wanted. You guys come on down here and try my sleep lab!

What can be improved about the sleep lab experience?

What can be improved about the sleep lab experience?

Improving Sleep Study

RNSH Sleep Studies Unit - nice folks - nice setup

Mask	Humidifier

Humidifier