I had a sleep study last night. I very nearly had two at two different centers, but we got that straightened out and I only had to be in one place at a time.
I arrived at 7:30pm, and was shown to world’s most boring and utilitarian hotel room. It had a TV with basic cable, but no WiFi, so StackOverflow was deprived of my brilliance for the night. Around 9:30 the technician came in and started drawing on my head and attaching electrodes. As well as ones around my head, there were ones under my eyes to measure eye movement, ones on my legs to measure “restless leg syndrome”, ones under my chin to measure teeth grinding, a couple of straps around my chest to measure breathing, and others on my chest for the ECG. The wiring bundle was about a 2 or 3 centimeters in diameter. And then, just to make sure I couldn’t sleep, they hooked up a nasal cannula with another tube that sat on my upper lip to measure my breathing, and a pulse-oximeter for my finger.
With all that on, it was time to try to sleep. And believe me, I tried. Besides the wires that pulled every time I moved, and the hoses in my nose, I also had to contend with a narrow single bed and a not very comfortable mattress. I was actually surprised when I woke up one time during the night because I had thought I wouldn’t sleep at all. Turns out I did, just not well or long.
They kicked me out of bed at 6am, and here it is 7:08 and I’m using the WiFi at Panera to try to catch up, but what I really want to do is go home and sleep. Unstudied.
No WiFi? Torture! And what’s with the teeny/uncomfortable beds? It makes no sense.
Partner has just been given a referral for a home sleep study, which sounds interesting. I think it’s with these folks. They include video recording, so I guess we’ll have to wear clothes to bed, but otherwise – own bed/own space sounds like a big plus.
I had to wear a pulse-ox to bed the other night, and every time I reached out to Vicki in the night it tugged and woke me more up and reminded me not to. Very annoying. I can imagine it would be worse with a head full of electrodes and tubes. So I’m not sure a home study would be a huge improvement.
Maybe you gave that information already, and I missed it, so I ask here: why are you going?
Do your expect to help it with your pain?
Is there money involved? Or advancement of science?
That’s why the Borg sleep standing up.
Totty: I was referred to this study because my doctor thinks that sleep apnea can be related to chronic pain, so he wants to know if I have sleep apnea.
This is yet another in a long series of doctors who wanted to see if I met their pet theory about pain, and once they discover I don’t, they lose interest.
You got TV? When I went for a sleep study a few years back it was just a room with a tiny uncomfortable bed and a table to put your bag on, nothing more.
Right outside the window were two huge AC units which went on and off all night (alternately, none the less) and the clinic was situated right in downtown Bowmanville, so every kid who blasted across hwy2 all night in their rice burner with a fart-can muffler sounded like it was in the room with me.
Like yourself, everytime I moved I pulled off a wire or harness and the tech had to come into the room (via the extremely bright hallway) and fix things.
It felt like I didn’t sleep a wink. Astoundingly the sleep tech said I “slept great” when I walked out like a zombie at 6am the next morning. Fun.
Needless to say despite continued sleep issues I’m not rushing back for another study.