Sleep Testwas Miserable

What a night. Two hours total of non REM sleep. I had several mild but non recordable episodes, didn't sleep deep enough. Was not the best experience. Wish they would have offered a sleep aid prior, now they want another test. Interestingly, I called my insurance and they will pay for a CPAP based on the MDs prescription not the sleep test results. I don't want to spend another night in a sleep lab. I'm frustrated and really just want to forget the whole thing.

You have come to a great place for help. Please do not give up! My first study was horrible too .. I hardly slept and freaked when they tried to give me the mask in the middle of the night. My first week on CPAP was a nightmare too. Your life is worth giving it another try. I so hope that is why you came here. Most nights, I am sleeping like a ROCK .. and, I was one of those flop like a fish sleepers before CPAP.
AuntieNae

Purchase burial insurance now......

Well, no one likes them. You said you wanted to forget about the sleep test night. Why don't you?

If it were me, I'd insist that the doctor write a specific cpap machine on the prescription. Insist on a data capable machine and take charge of your own therapy. Ask about the Resmed Elite II, for example. Its one of the best on the market.

Why don't you fill out your profile so we can get a better idea of what equipment you are talking about? Then we could be of more help.
Jay

DBHMEH wrote:What a night. Two hours total of non REM sleep. I had several mild but non recordable episodes, didn't sleep deep enough. Was not the best experience. Wish they would have offered a sleep aid prior, now they want another test. Interestingly, I called my insurance and they will pay for a CPAP based on the MDs prescription not the sleep test results. I don't want to spend another night in a sleep lab. I'm frustrated and really just want to forget the whole thing.

Yep, sleep tests are often no fun. I was still having pain from my cancer surgery a few months before. The sheets on the bed had been washed in some kind of heavily perfumed detergent (Tide, I was told) and I was sneezing and coughing most of the night. The bed was too soft, and I didn't have my grab-bar to help me turn over.

The doc reading my report grumbled about my poor sleep architecture. Well, hey -- if they expect me to go to bed 2-3 hours ahead of my normal bed time, and tell me they're going to haul me out of bed around 4 hours ahead of my normal wake-up time, yeesh!

Nope, I didn't want to go back for the titration study, either. But I will give the sleep center full marks in that they got me unscented sheets. And thanks to what I learned here, I knew to call them and request an appointment with their mask specialist to try on masks and find one I could tolerate so I didn't have to suffer whichever one they picked for me. (I'm claustrophobic and can't stand straps across my face, or the idea of a full face mask.)

I sure as Hades didn't want to be doomed to sleeping the rest of my life hooked up to a glorified hair drier. But you know what? In the last three months, my pain issues have been less, I'm waking up earlier in the morning, and waking feeling more rested.

Adapting to CPAP isn't always easy -- but it's worth the battle.

Mine was a nightmare as well. Don't give up, let your Doc write the script and get going. You'll find few people who went from a lovely sleep study to a comfy mask to a good nights sleep with no problems. You're typical.

DBHMEH wrote:What a night. Two hours total of non REM sleep. I had several mild but non recordable episodes, didn't sleep deep enough. Was not the best experience. Wish they would have offered a sleep aid prior, now they want another test. Interestingly, I called my insurance and they will pay for a CPAP based on the MDs prescription not the sleep test results. I don't want to spend another night in a sleep lab. I'm frustrated and really just want to forget the whole thing.

My sleep tests were not great experiences either...

1st test: Did not sleep a wink due to severe lower back muscle spasms from moving the wrong way 2 days earlier. I had been sleeping at home and thought I could in the lab... but the back was killing me. Took me a full 1/2 hour to get out of the bed at 4:30am in the morning... then rang the alarm and told the nurse the test was over since I was not sleeping and did not expect to.

2nd test: Much better although it did take me a while to get to sleep and I woke up several times.

3rd test: This was the titration and I went in very sleep deprived. Worked well enough for them to get a pressure number but not well enough for the pressure to be accurately determined.

Since the last test I have been on a machine where I discovered my pressure needs are 2 - 3 points higher than the titration. The sleep lab also suggested the pressure needs would be higher in their report.

I started feeling *much* better after about a month on the hose.

Now I'm working on losing weight and eating better so I can feel better again.

Whatever you do, do not give up on this!

Gerald wrote:Purchase burial insurance now......

My sleep studies, the test and the titration (which is to find the optimal pressure) were awful. During the first test when I got diagnosed, I slept 98.5 minutes without the mask and a whopping 4.5 minutes with the mask! When I went to my titration, I was able to sleep for at least three hours, but it was rough. The beds are pretty crappy, and it's a clinical setting, so you get what you get.

What I think Gerald is trying to say is don't give up on it. Getting treated for OSA is really, really important as it can wreak havoc on your body; maybe not immediately, but damage will occur at some point. I'm on my second night with my CPAP, and I am starting to feel a little better already. It is hard to get used to it, but I think with a comfortable mask (more than half the battle) and a quality machine, you will hopefully begin to turn your thinking around.

Bite the bullet, grin and bear it, and go for another test. Ask them if you can use a sleep aid or something. It might help.

Good luck, and DON'T GIVE UP!

HEY---Mine was a nightmare as well!!! You can't just give up, let your Doc write the script for your machine (get a data capapable one) & mask ---and get going on your theraphy. Most of us had a horrible night in the sleep lab---don't know why they call it a SLEEP lab when no one really sleeps there!! LOL! Keep on thinking how great you will feel after a few nights of therapy at home--I so look forward to going to bed now!!!

Carrie

I had my first sleep study a week and a half ago. It was miserable. I slept about 2-3 hours and never went into REM sleep. And that was after taking two Ambien.

There were too many noises, the bed was too hard, the electrodes tickled and it drove me nuts not scratching them.

And it didn't help any that the first time I started to relax, the tech startled the hell out of me by asking me if I needed anything adjusted so I could fall asleep. The second time I started to relax, the tech startled me by walking into my room and suggesting I sit up and watch TV until I was drowsy. He came in again later to reattach an electrode that came off my leg. And I had to call him in again to unhook me so I could go to the bathroom. Then...I finally slept for a little bit.

And now it's been 1.5 weeks, and they still aven't "scored" my urgent sleep study. When I know they don't have data and haven't titrated me. Bleh!

The whole idea of forcing someone with a sleeping problem to undergo a sleep study is ridiculous. It's like showing up to the emergency room with a broken leg and they say, "Let's get you on that treadmill!"

We (The CPAP Nation!) need to organize and storm the FDA with torches and pitchforks about lifting prescription requirements on CPAP machines.

As soon as they get around to scoring my piss-poor sleep study, I'm going to do my best to get them to just prescribe me an autoset CPAP based on my own data collection. If they refuse, I will ask them to give me a home study kit. They apparently have one available for rent through their DME, but don't tell people about it. Obviously it's not going to be as thorough as a full sleep clinic polysomnography, but they are unlikely to ever get full results on me, asking me to sleep in that setting.

Anyway, I know it's rough, but keep fighting. This is your life and your health.

Me too- my first night was awful. I think I was mentally scarred, plus I didn't know about the Ambien option. The titration was much better- I took some Ambien, and also knew what to expect, which made a difference. The bed still sucked, though, and overall, I think the whole thing is creepy. I slept decently, though. Hang in there- I know its really hard.

Mine was miserable too. Uncomfortable bed, too cold, wires that kept me from turning over easily. I remember bursting into tears part way through and I didn't sleep much at all.

I have a few questions and comments about your sleep study. The first question is do you have any written results at all? Next, what is a non recordable episode? No REM sleep and no deep sleep is not unusual if you have apnea. Constant arousals from apnea can keep you from reaching the deeper sleep stages. There can also be breathing related arousals without apneas or hypopneas? Do you know if this is what happened to you?

Try to find out everything you can about what this study showed. If you slept at all it should show something.

I also think that, if your insurance will cover it, you should have another study. You're not specific about what made it impossible to sleep but it should be possible to address these problems. My second night in the lab I practically packed a suitcase with everything from warm socks to a portable fan. And Ambien can help a lot. Finally, if the problem was the lab itself, you should be able to go to another lab.

If you get a cpap machine without a decent sleep study you will have to do a lot of guesswork that the study may make unnecessary. Yes people do it but usually only when they have no choice.

Good luck.

Midnightowl

PS I also didn't have many of the symptoms and I flunked the Epworth Sleepiness test but I had severe apnea nonetheless.