polysomnograph

tiredted · Post by **tiredted** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 8:26 pm

Hello everyone,

I recently decided to get tested for sleep apnea as I realized I had most of the symptoms. I had a very difficult time getting to sleep. Fortunately, the hospital's equipment failed and I have to go back for another test. I'm fortunate that happened only a few hours into the night. Any suggestions on what I can do to ensure I fall asleep there? I really want this to work the second time around and see if sleep apnea is my problem.

If I am diagnosed with apnea, I'll be back asking questions about cpap machines and masks. There are a lot of them!

Thanks for your help.

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 9:09 pm

Do you have a circumstance where you can't help but dose. If so try to recreate it. Otherwise I would say try to show up exhausted.

When you get your diagnosis fire away on the questions!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:45 am

I think you can ask your doctor for an Ambien to take along, to help you get to sleep in a timely manner when you get your next chance at the sleep clinic. I'm no doctor, but I've read of Ambien being used for that purpose and not interfering with the study results.

Titrator · Post by **Titrator** » Thu Nov 25, 2004 10:57 pm

If you are having your test in a hospital setting, they will have ambien there for you. The criteria for giving ambien at the sleep lab I worked at was that the patient had to not be able to fall aleep in the first hour of the test.

The key to gathering clean data is to have a patient who is asleep. Try to keep your sleep hygiene in line. No caffiene that day, remember caffiene has a 12 hour half life. No naps that day, and force yourself to get up early the day of the test and go all day, no matter how tired you get.

One other rule of thumb is to tell the sleep lab before the appointment, what hours you keep. If you work 2nd shift and you don't go to bed till 4 or 5 in the morning, you may need a special arrangement with the lab. I have seen this accomodation made for people who work 2nd and 3rd shift. You just have to ask.

Don't be shy to ask for Ambien. It will knock you down, but will not diminish respiratory drive, like other drugs like valium and klonopin.

Regards,

Ted

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 6:17 pm

Interesting about the Ambien. I was told that the sleep lab uses NO drugs of any kind. It can be dangerous in people whose apneas are caused by the central nervous system. One thing I think is really important is to find a dr who specializes in sleep apnea. So many are recommending surgery, etc., which will not help in most cases. It's scary because there is so much misinformation out there about sleep apnea & oftentimes the dr's don't know what they are talking about either.

tiredted · Post by **tiredted** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 2:37 pm

Thanks for all the replies. I checked with my doctor and he doesn't want me to take any medication to help me sleep. I'll just go there as tired as possible and not have any caffeine that day. Now that I know what to expect, I think I'll be a little more at ease which should help me sleep. Thanks again for all the help!

Tiredted · Post by **Tiredted** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 5:44 pm

Tiredted,

I am also new at this. I have had the machine 29 days.

My appt was at 9pm and I had to drive 1 1/2 hrs to get there!! So I drove down earlier, got something to eat and walked in the mall. I arrived at 8:30 and they took me in right away.

I was nervous, but I had already taken a shower, eaten and walked off some nerves. I asked all kinds of questions as they were MAKING ME PRETTY!!

Make sure you take something comfortable to sleep in. I should have taken slippers.

Good Luck!
onemorething

RestInSeattle · Post by **RestInSeattle** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 1:27 pm

During my sleep study I didn't do anything special but just showed up.

I was amazed that even with all the 25 + wires and the cameras and such, that I fell asleep in less than 5 minutes. Some of us have no problem "falling asleep" it's just the quality

I think many will be amazed at how quickly their fatigue will overwhelm the concern of the wires, etc.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 1:56 pm

I'm sure I'd fall asleep just fine for a PSG, but then I've spent a year reading posts on various message boards. I'd have a very good idea what to expect (and I'm a laid back, very un-anxious person anyway.) Most people going into it without a clue apparently also sleep long enough for a useful study.

But..... I'd still take an Ambien as I walked through the door - just in case. I cannot imagine the frustration of waiting and waiting for the "big night", going through all that, and then find out I hadn't slept long enough to produce as much data as possible. Getting in enough sleep time to barely meet the requisite minimum wouldn't be good enough for me. That's just how I look at it, through uninsured eyes (and no sleep study ever.) I'd definitely want my full money's worth of sleep/study time.

tiredted · Post by **tiredted** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:24 am

My doctor wouldn't allow me to take an Ambien. I got maybe three hours sleep the night before. Needless to say, I was out in no time, even with all the wires hooked up. It was a split study. Around 2:30 in the morning, they came in to hook up a mask on me. I suppose this means I have at least some level of apnea. Otherwise, I doubt they would have used the mask on me. I had a little trouble going to sleep with the mask but I did eventually fall asleep. I'm going to see my doctor Tuesday for the results. I'll keep everyone posted. Thanks for all the help!!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:30 pm

You made it, tiredted...good!

Yep, the mask half-way through sure sounds like you "qualifiied" to join the happy ranks of cpap users from now on.

When you go to see your doctor Tuesday, be sure to ask him for a copy of your study results.

loonlvr · Post by **loonlvr** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 8:43 pm

I too am a laid back person and wasn t nervous about the sleep study. But after hooking up all those wires i sure felt uncomfortable. By the morning i felt like i had very little sleep. But i was surprised that i had slept enough to get results. I don t think it takes very long for the techs to figure out that you have apnea.

snamvar · Post by **snamvar** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 6:01 pm

My experince was very similar to loonlvr. I suffer from insomnia and I was certain that I did not get any sleep. But the 1.5 hours of sleep was enough to detect my apnea.
My suggestion are make yourself as comforable as you can. Take your quilt and pillows with you. Take care of everything mentioned in the previous posts. Don't force yourself to go to sleep! Let it happen. If you are too anxious, go there one night before your test and watch others. Nothing to it. Trust yourself.
BTW, having done it once, I found it much more comfortable the 2nd time. Good luck.