How to Pass Your Sleep Study Test
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Electrode Placement
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Types of Sleep Studies
There are many reasons why you may be having a sleep study. I will explain what to expect and everything you need to know to prepare mentally and physically for your upcoming study. I am a registered sleep technologist and have performed hundreds of sleep studies. In doing so, I have learned that most patients feel uninformed prior to a sleep study and do not have full comprehension of the process....no need to worry - this is a painless test and is well worth your time. You don't even have to study for this test!
Diagnostic PSG
If the doctor orders a sleep test it is generally polysomnography and you would be treated as a clinical patient.
The Sleep Test
Each lab is different but the main prerogative is the same. A clinical sleep study is done to see what exactly is going on when you are sleeping. The video is a great example of how a sleep test should be conducted. Many labs look just like the video clip and the procedure is done the same way.
Here is what it doesn't tell you:
You will be fitted with about 23 electrodes for a normal sleep study. The electrodes are wires that are attached to a box with which the signals are transmitted to a computer while they are on you. The electrodes must be filled with a paste that is conducive to electricity. Patients hate the paste and while it is difficult to wash out of the hair it is only used sparingly where the actual electrodes are placed. The tech will use a gritty gel to gently abrade the top layer of skin. This is necessary to get a good, clear signal for the test. Dead skin cells make the signal look junky on the screen.
If the electrode is to be placed on the skin it will usually be taped on with an adhesive tape that is made for this purpose. Notify the lab if you have an allergy to adhesives or latex.
There will be electrodes placed approximately 1 centimeter up and 1 centimeter away on one side, one centimeter out and 1 centimeter down from one eye. This is to detect your eye movements and how much time you spend in REM. Usually before a person falls to sleep they will have slow, rolling eye movements. Your technologist will be watching for this and noting the time it took you to fall asleep. The normal person takes about 10 to 20 minutes to fall asleep this is known as your sleep latency. When you go into REM your eyes will suddenly jerk around and begin moving rapidly. This stage of sleep usually takes about 90 minutes for the normal sleeper to achieve and will be noted as your REM latency.
You will have a few electrodes placed just on the chin, near or under it depending on the lab. These are used to see the muscle tension in your chin or will detect a case of bruxism (teeth grinding).
Electrodes and a band may be placed on or around your ribcage area. These are to detect the pattern of your respirations. When you sleep your body should work to breathe all by itself....if the muscles stop working to breathe it can be an indicator for different types of medical conditions.
You will have electrodes on your clavicle area. These are electrodes that are a partial EKG (electrocardiogram). While it is not a complete EKG there are enough leads to see if there is something unusual going on with the heart function or if apneic events, for instance, trigger a reaction in the heart. Your heart rate and rhythm will be monitored and noted for the duration of the study.
You will have electrodes on your legs and possibly your arms. These leads are used to detect your arm and leg movements when you sleep. Sometimes people have a condition called Periodic Limb Movement Disorder or apneic event can cause a person to jerk themselves awake. Each body movement will be noted.
You will have a plastic tube that is placed below the nostrils called a nasal cannula. This piece is very important as it tells us when you are breathing and if you are breathing through the mouth or the nose.
A small microphone will be taped on the neck area that will record the vibrations of the snoring.
Most sleep studies are recorded in video and sound. A camera with infrared lights will be in the room and audio is recorded by a very small microphone that is activated by sound. The camera is needed to see which position you are sleeping in and each time you change positions a note will be made. Apnea tends to be worse when a patient is sleeping on their back.
Sound is recorded so that the frequency and intensity of snores can be noted. (Usually mild, moderate or loud).
Each piece of equipment is needed. The body gives off clues for specific conditions but it is much like a puzzle. We need to look at all of the pieces together to see the entire picture of your sleep.
It is more difficult to fall asleep with the equipment on but most of the patients do much quicker than they think. The brain has a way of taking over and you drift off to sleep because it is your body's natural need. If you do experience anxiety speak to your doctor prior to the study. They do not like to prescribe sleep drugs because it is most beneficial to see you as you normally sleep. Many drugs affect your brain and sleep. Some drugs suppress REM, some drugs suppress respiratory effort.
Just prior to lights out...the technologist will calibrate the equiment and make sure that everything is working right prior to the start of the study. The tech will give you a series of commands such as blink your eyes 3 times, grit your teeth, hold your breath...and so on. This is done to make sure that every single movement you make is picked up on the screen and being recorded.
Next it is lights out and if you need to use the restroom just speak up - the sound is on!
Investigational Research Study Links
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Coastal Carolina Research Center is a clinical research facility providing medical research, clinical trials, and investigational drug studies in Charleston, SC.
"I love sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I am awake, you know?" ~Earnest Hemmingway
Investigational Studies
Sleep research is still in it's infancy. There is much to be learned and the more science shows that sleep affects wake, the more we realize we need to know. For this reason, there are different sleep research studies that you may be able to participate in and get paid for your time. The center I worked for did sleep studies in conjunction with many universities and pharmacological companies, such as Pfizer and Merck. Drugs for sleep commonly must be approved by the FDA so sleep centers may be employed to conduct investigational studies to test a particular drug. Contact your local sleep centers or colleges and ask if they are conducting any studies if you are interested in being a participant. You can also google the words: Investigational, research, studies and your state and you may find links to the labs near you that conduct these type of studies.
Research studies may or may not include the use of an investigational drug. The purpose of the study may not be to test a drug. I have been involved in studies where the government was testing to see why people have more accidents working on the night shift. We would have these subjects sleep all day and make them stay awake all night performing "work tasks". They might be asked to do a series of simple to more complicated tasks. The purpose might be to test for reaction time or to see how fast you fall asleep.
If you want to participate in an investigational study there are also certain laboratories that do nothing but conduct research studies in all kinds of fields and pay the subjects. You should read all of the fine print, find out if you will be taking a drug and I would recommend that you find out everything you can about that drug before swallowing it. Don't be a guinea pig for money - and make sure it is an accredited facility.
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Great hub to help bad sleepers. I have insommia and this has been going on since I reached my teens and that was so long ago. Right now I am so tired I'm going to have a nap. Vote up, interesting and useful
In my lifetime I have suffered from everything in your poll, now I sometimes wake up unable to breathe properly especially when my sinuses are acting up. I sometimes wake up tired, but I know I'm not getting enough sleep.
Some nights I sleep like a baby. I snore, my husband snores sometimes and if I have a lot on my mind I have insomnia. But most nights I sleep pretty good. Very interesting and informative hub. Voted Up, Useful and interesting. I am going to get my son who complains of insomnia all the time to read this.
Hi Sunshine - thank you so much! I am glad you talked Dave into going too - CPAP isn't the easiest thing to deal with but it can really be life changing for people that need it! I am sure he tells you he feels a huge difference if he doesn't use it. You bring up a great point too - snoring negatively affects sleeping partners and I have even heard of impending divorces if it didn't stop!! No joking!
Hi writer 20 - I am sad to hear you have insomnia. There is so much that is unknown about that one and very difficult to treat. The best things are stay away from caffeine, maintain a regular wake and sleep time and try relaxation exercises before bed:) Good luck my friend!
Hi Cardisa - oh I am so sorry to hear that! Insomnia is a tough one - there can be so many underlying causes. With apnea at least there is an effective treatment. You should for sure visit a sleep lab - health insurance covers this test most of the time and you won't regret it if they can find out the cause! Sleep is precious - don't let it get away from you:)
Lot of good stuff here. Bob
Hi Susan - You should have your son go for the test...from what we have discussed before I really wonder if he has apnea and the events trigger him awake so much he has "sleep stage misconception." Which means he really sleeps for a few seconds - then has an apnea so quickly that it wakes him from the early sleep stages which makes people feel as if they never slept...when in reality they are having very fragmented sleep! Which is just as bad and makes you feel crappy every day. People get used to feeling that way and think it is normal when it is very abnormal and can be fixed! Good luck!
You can see me up allnight at times..and you just drop by....but I don't feel alone, when I jump bridges or circumcise Bears! Great info in here. might apply math to the logical explanation of this hub. Actually you will need more than 23 electrodes to capture our minds makings feel this Jumping over the bridge so real Yo!
Voted up! Now I dig it WORD!!
Hi Bob - and than you so much again! I do find sleep and the process fascinating...but the average night tech gets burnout after only about 5 years...because we aren't sleeping! lol
Hi Lord! ROTF! Yes we are both always up at night...my sleep has been ruined forever more due to working night shifts. I still think lunch time is 2 a.m.:)
If you had electrodes while jumping over a bridge you could just make a bungee and hang around. lol
Thanks so much for your reading, voting and hilarious commenting!
Well, I see you made the decision to write the hub and happen to do an excellent job too. I have no plans on taking part in a sleep study because I don't have any sleeping problems, but those who need this hub will find it very useful. :) Voted up! :)
Just spotted this in the feed. My wife has recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea.She now has a C-pap machines and sleeps perfectly. I wrote a couple of hubs on the topic. It might help you to read them. I don't want to scare you but Sleep Apnea should not be ignored, it can be lethal.
I wish I could participate in a sleep study - I can sleep only 3-4 hours at a time with intervals of at least 8 hours for the past 20 years. I refuse to take medicine, because of the contra indications, i.e. numbness.
Earnest Hemmingway's quote is hilarious :)
RealHousewife, thanks for this interesting and informative hub about sleep tests.
Hi Cagsil - thank YOU so much! You are so lucky not to have any issues there - it can really affect all of your life. I used to not at all - I used to fall asleep watching the news - not after working night shifts though. I am still on a terrible schedule but since I am allowed to work when I want it isn't a huge deal. Thanks for the up votes and the great comment:)
Hi molometer - yes you are preaching to the choir. I am registered in sleep medicine and highly promote that anyone pursue a diagnostic sleep study if their sleep is not normal:) Thanks so much for the comment - I am VERY familiar with CPAP and how it works:)
Hi Martie - that is terrible! Have you ever had a sleep study? You should! What could be causing you to wake up might not be obvious until you do - some people sleep with animals and find it is the animals that wake them up and they don't even have a real problem!
I wish you sleep for Christmas! lol
Just read through the hub and looks like you have it under control.lol I am attending a sleep clinic on the 17th Jan for a sleep study after seeing the good results my wife has experienced.
Good work for sharing your experience. Thank you.
That is wonderful news to hear! And I'm glad you left the comment anyway because maybe someone who is more curious about the CPAP procedure would love that info:). I think it's one of those "not too much of a good thing" things! Lol. Let me know how your test goes!
Hey, RealHousewife! I flunked the sleep test twice. Once at the hospital, and once at home. I'm doing okay right now. Back then, those sleep tests were horrible. Who could SLEEP when you're hooked up to a machine? Jeez. I couldn't be myself! I don't have sleep apnea. Lucky for me, when I occasionally snore, my husband laughs and thinks it's cute. I can't say that for a lot of people.
Hi Arlene - ahhh good test to fail! Yay! Some people snore and it doesn't affect the quality of sleep...and you don't want CPAP unless you have to have it. It's a treatment (I think the only one that is 100% effective) if used right. Drug free too! My husband refuses to use CPAP though he needs it...but when I hear him snoring I push him on his side - positional therapy:) lol. Thanks so much for the comment!
This is great information! I am supposed to have a sleep study done sometime soon. I have insomnia and one day I fell asleep while driving...luckily I woke up just in time to avoid an accident...
After 2 years of CPAP, I still find it difficult to sleep. Of course, I was a night shift tech for 18 years and find those hours normal. I sleep much better during the day.
I have been a "day shift" person for the last 8 years, but still do not like to sleep at night. Perhaps I will never get used to sleeping nights. Is there a cure?
I tried every pill I could find that would allow me to sleep at night with a CPAP. Yes, I also tried no pills at all, but I absolutely cannot sleep without them. Basically, due to chronic pain, I found Vicodin to be the one that works the best. It controls my pain and relaxes my throat at the same time. This is why it is an effective cough suppressant. But believe it or not, there are nights when even Vicodin will not work and I just cannot fall asleep.
Laying in a bed unable to sleep is the worst. Especially when I finally get sleepy as soon as the sun comes up. I think there really should be two worlds - one for day people and one for night people. We would just have to intersect during the evening hours. Ha!
Hu Justateacher! Oh I'm glad you are getting the study and I'd be really interested to hear how it goes! Good luck! It's so worth it and if they can figure out what's disrupting your sleep and fix it you will be a new person!
Best wishes!
Hi Austin - I know you struggle with your CPAP but I'm praising you for continuing to use it. I bet you know it makes you feel worse to sleep without it at all. There are some that will always struggle with it due to having the wrong pressure or mask..so many variables. I wish I could titrate you myself....then I'd be happy!
Working nights goes against the grain of our natural instinct - it isn't really healthy unless you have no issues and even then they say it takes about 7 years off your life to work night shifts! Yikes! I can't switch to a day shift....even when I do manage to sleep normal hours I wake up at 2am without fail. Lunch time! Lol. But since I can make my own hours it isn't so disruptive...glad I do not have to work a day shift! I always felt like a vampire - trying to rush home before day light and shopping in the middle of the night:) I agree and doctors offices should be open for appointments too! Lol.
My sister is here - she can't believe you made the Dream Catcher either! Haha! I showed it to her and my nephew and they were amazed. My nephew has a friend whose grand mother is 100 percent Indian and makes a ton of them but he said they don't look THAT good:)!!!
You should see what I've been working on with the Aztec and Maya images these past few days. They are turning out amazingly well.
Every time I make a dreamcatcher it's better than the one before because I learn a new trick or something. I still have the first one I ever made and it looks truly obnoxious compared to the ones I make now.
I'm going to start making some aztec and mayan ones for next year.
I can't imagine goign through a sleep study. After all, I toss and turn so much at night, I would probably pull all those little attachments off. I know for me I grind my teeth at night. Eli says it is so loud at times it is almost deafening. He snores and unless I fall asleep before him... I have a hard time falling asleep at all. If he isn't home, I stay awake all night. I guess my sleep schedule is pretty wacked out.
This was great information though. Now if they ever put me in a sleep study, I will no what to expect! A few years back they wanted to take my tonsils out, but before they would do it, they wanted to do a sleep study first. I thought it was unnecessary so I declined and just sucked it up. But - if they ever take that action again - I guess it doesn't sound too horrible. But I would rather be the technician! :)
Austin - you should! That will be a popular design I bet. With 2012 coming up? For sure! Yeah - the girls compared mine to yours - we all laughed:) lol. But hey it's still not bad for the first one and the girls and I are making more just for the fun it is. I have to say - the work you do is so perfect it looks like it was manufactured! I told my sister about the feathers - so cool.
It really killed my hands though! You have to hold that stuff so tight! I put the one I made by my birds now - I want them to have good dreams too:) haha!
BBG - the ONLY fun part - is being the tech:) lol.
They take all the wires and bundle them up in like a pony tail style fashion. And most people with apnea are tossers:). They don't usually pop off - a good tech knows how to make them stick:) lol.
You know - I have to say it's not the worst thing if you need the study....since it's so good to sleep every other night for the rest of your life - giving up the one with a little annoyance is worth the trade. I have had kids - the youngest ever was like 10 months old! Lol. He did swell! Keeping the equipment on a baby - now that's hard!! Lol. I could have you tucked in and asleep in 15 mins:) wish I had my own machine - I'd come over and make sure you guys all had good sleep!
There are home tests - but those are not very good at all - they are not reliable and a waste of time unless a miracle has occurred I don't know about.
I'm not sure these clinics are around in the UK. They maybe and would be a great idea. I have insomnia which isn't too bad at times. Also my wife snores when she's over tired which is just as well as I'm awake!! It is surprising really that we don't know an awful lot about our sleep and the importance of it. Glad you decided to write this. Voted up or is it "pimped" now as Linda would saylol.
Both the hub and comments here are very interesting. I don’t think there are so many sleep clinics around the UK as in the US, and from what I’ve heard you need to have very serious problems before you get referred, like falling asleep during the working day. I know one person who was like that and now has a CPAP.
I found BarberGirl’s comment about pulling the attachments off and your reply above about the baby interesting.
BBG, I agree with Kelly that you’re not likely to lose the attachments - one of my daughters was on CPAP for several weeks as a baby and also had many electrodes attached to her for months. (She came a tad early at 26 weeks.) The only one that occasionally came off was the one measuring oxygen - that was because it was attached by a band wrapped around her foot rather than by a sticky pad on her chest. Even it didn’t come off often.
She did very occasionally manage to pull the CPAP tubes off even when she she was tiny, I can remember the nurses making jokes about her wearing it on her head. But she was awake at the time, and displaying the astonishing spirit that got her through!
My first reaction was to the headline. I thought, "No! Not another test I have to stay awake and study for." I was relieved when I kept reading.
Merry Christmas to you RHW. You're the best and the hostess with the mostest!
The Frog
Hi Brian - wow! I'm surprised you guys don't have more sleep clinics! You should start one! Lol. Do you know - in our lab we had 8 beds and they were full EVERY night - we worked 24/7! We had a snowstorm once with 10 inches of snow and not 1 person would cancel so the techs didn't have to risk life and limb driving to work....nope not one cancellation. People are very serious about it here....sleep is like food or water - you have to get it:) lol.
Thanks so much for that and for being a good pimp! Lol
Melovy Hi! Omg! The UK needs more sleep labs - ! You just have to say you have trouble sleeping here and they will try to find a fix. Wow! Unusual to have babies on CPAP too but it DOES happen as you well know:). I was the only technologist that had kids and I liked working with them so they would always try to schedule me with the children. The babies were the fun patients and often much more cooperative than the big people:) lol
And right - we know how to put that equipment on so it doesn't pop off - the oximeters are the hardest thing to keep on - even with adults.
Aww I can just picture a little baby with CPAP - my goodness I wonder how many centimeters of sir pressure she needed? Or if she was on BiPap pressure? 26 weeks and amazing! All 3 of my daughters were 4 weeks early but I had gestational diabetes so they were all 6 - 7.5 pounds anyway.
Well I'm glad she's not on CPAP now - And I bet you are too! Thanks for that awesome comment - babies are very rare to treat....wish I could have been her tech:)
Hi FP! Yep this test - the only one you can sleep through and pass:) lol. Thanks so much for hopping over to check it out! I hope you are having a peaceful and happy holiday! And of course - I am hoping you are sleeping well and having great dreams!
I have insomnia. I live alone now, but Dad snored very loudly and that was a problem. I have had a similar test before.
Hi Flora Breen - so how do you cope with the insomnia if you don't mind my asking? I hope the test wasn't so bad - and I think the worst part is trying to get the gummy paste out of your hair. I'm supposing they just confirmed it's insomnia and so there's not a lot of good treatment for that. There are drugs that might be able to help get you into a regular sleep pattern and then hopefully you could adjust....I just deal with mine because I can sleep and work when I want so it doesn't affect me so negatively. I guess:). Lol
Well I hooe they had some help to offer you! Relaxation exercises work well for me sometimes. How are you doing now?
I have to confess,Kelly, I read the title of your hub quickly and couldn't wait to start reading. I thought it said "How to Pass a Sheep Test." I thought I was going to learn the latest bestiality techniques. Heh, heh.
Then I realized what the subject was and here's the tribute to you, my dear, I read every single word, even those with multiple syllables like 'polysomnography.'
What an awesome job you did explaining what a sleep test is and what the victim, I mean, subject, I mean, patient can exect. Voted up in every way.
Drbj - well I have to confess that I peeled all the good parts out! In fear of being banned:) lol I do have lots of great stories - none about sheep however. I think you are a pretty smart cookie and I doubt any thing would surprise you:)
Thanks SO much - I am glad you liked it! (pssst....they are more like victims...but it is only one night:) lol I have read many, many articles about the sleep study but I have never actually seen it explained in depth about what the test procedure REALLY is...so I thought people that are going might like to read that. It helps people feel calm knowing exactly what is going to happen. I bet you know that!
Well, I just try to rest when I can. Because I work at home I'm able to just sleep odd hours (eg. 2-10 or 3-11). I try to keep myself busy until I'm actually tired instead of going to bed because of the clock. When I was in school I had to get up at 7, but I still didn't go to bed until about 11:30.
Flora - I wondered if you worked from home as well. It is much easier to manage that way....I do the same thing - just keep working until I am ready for bed. I can't stand just lying in bed getting absolutely nothing done:) lol It is great that you can do that too!
I suffer from insomnia through bouts of depression and have always wanted to go to a sleep clinic but I dont think they are available in Britain. I've not heard of any anyway.
Hi Annie - oh I wish tou could find one:). Sleep is really entertained with our psyche. If we aren't sleeping well it may add to depression and I have seen many people that suffer from both conditions together. Maybe you should ask your regular doctor if there is anything he can do to help you sleep or refer you?
Nutrition, sleep and our feelings are all sort of the building blocks of how we feel everyday. If one of those things lack - it can affect so much! Thanks for letting me know there are not any clinic there - I'm amazed and want to look into running there to open one:). Good luck and I would try use relaxation exercises and keep as regular sleep and wake time as you can, no caffeine after like 2 or 3 in the afternoon if you go to bed at 10 for example. Alcohol fragments sleep and is not a good idea.
Most people suffer from insomnia for short periods (transient insomnia). If it persists then that is not so good (as you know:). Good luck!!
Cure for insomnia - Read War and Peace.
Austin - you know that is a good idea! Boring reading always makes me fall right to sleep! Don't get on hub for goodness sakes:) that could keep a person awake for hours of interesting reading!
My sympathies to those who have trouble getting sufficient sleep at any time of the day or night. I've never had that problem even though I've worked all the shifts: day, evening, overnight. Each time my schedule changed, it only took a couple of days to adjust to a new sleep schedule, which apparently is not the norm. The odd times sleep is elusive, curling up on the sofa with the TV on a b-o-r-i-n-g channel has me in the Land of Nod in no time.
JamaGenee - it's so nice to hear about people that naturally sleep that way. Your circadian rhythm (your body clock) is excellent! So lucky - but some people do sleep perfectly no matter what. I rarely get to hear that though!
All things are possible:) lol. Thanks so much for reading and commenting! Sweet dreams for 2012!
Thanks Realhousewife. I think it could be that I live in a small town and there is not much funding or need for something like that here. I did have insomnia for a good 8months last time, I still find it hard to drop off to sleep and stay asleep. I think my anxiety about managing to get to sleep & worrying if the kids wakes up doesn't help. But when I had this bout of insomnia, my doctors just gave me a leaflet on it with all the tips, tricks and old wives tales that you here. The ones you said above just remind me of it lol! I went back after telling him I had tried everything & had moved onto herbal sleeping tablets and even those weren't working; he gave me 2 weeks worth of sleeping tablets that were sooooo good thinking that it would help my sleep pattern come back....which it didn't. It just made it harder to drop off to sleep again. I didn't bother going back to see him again, the doctors round here are rubbish...I mean, I had insomnia for nearly a year and I've had pnd for 4 years now...that just says alot about the medical services here.
I think you should set a clinic up in the UK, you would be suprised at how many people suffer and dont get any answers or help. Not to mention the amount of people that would complain about their doctors and their lack of knowledge.
I was just thinking that perhaps they will have something like a sleep clinic in the universities. Something to look into if I get a bout of it again ;)
Annie - yes I know - those tips are not very helpful. Totally why insomnia is such a bear..there isn't much you can do for a good fix yet.
I bet your medical system is radically different there - so interesting!
I hope you don't have another bout of it:) Take care!
OMG - home test... I would be so curious about that. Funny... I have been so busy with the holidays that I am finally just getting back to this hub to see what you had to see. I would almost like to have one of the sleep tests done just to see what they find on me. Although I would also love to be the tech. The things you learn have to be fascinating. How did you ever get into this field?
I was bored one day....I decided to look for a job and I promised myself I didn't care about how much money I made - I wanted to do something that fascinated me. I saw one ad and applied for it - for a sleep tech 1 (bottom of the barrel) and I had enough psychology credits and was breathing so they hired me! Lol
It is a really small field right now but ever growing.....super fun job if you can handle dealing with any tyoe of patient and night shift work. If you can pass the R.PSG.T exam (some people fail it multiple times) you're in! Maybe I should write about that?? Pays really well once you lass the board too:)
Great detailed info Kel. Lately, Advil PM has become by BFF. Too much on my mind and no regular sleep schedule is messing me up. What happens at the clinic if one of your clients is a "sleep eater." I just know I'd mess up all those wires, lol.
Sharyn - I know what you mean....Advil or Tylenol PM are my sleep aids of choice but ever since I worked nights my body clock has been way off....now I sleep from about 2am to 9am. Which is not so bad...but it is so weird...I used to sleep like a baby - always fell asleep watching TV or the news at 10....and I'd get up around 5 or 6 am...I prefer that schedule...my brain apparently doesn't release melatonin and those other chemicals that signal sleep onset.
Nocturnal eating disorder has been getting lots more attention! I am not sure they know what
causes this exactly and I bet they try different non medicated ways to treat it. I had a doctor once
tell me his patient showed up for surgery and upon examining her - noticed her tongue had an odd
tinge of green when he asked her she was embarrassed to tell him she had gotten up and DRANK
paint in the middle of the night! Yum! Well they postponed that surgery...nothing like a lot of chemicals running through the body when they put you under! Lol. many people have this and
only realize it because they find empty wrappers near the bed or in the house!
....I can't pass no sleep test - not as long as I am happily wide awake exploring the many fine hubs of my favorite real housewife (wish you were mine and I would be a real happy househusband - lol) --- but seriously for a moment I had a sleep test study and they wired me up like Alex in A Clockwork Orange (if you're familiar with that film) and the nurse looked like a Benny Hill nurse - no kidding with cleavage spilling out and she wore a perfume which was more like an aphrodisiac - and then she teased me by asking me to meet her down at the lakeside gazebo after midnight although we would be wired down to the bed by metal straps at 11pm and told to lay still until daylight minus a bedpan -- needless to say it was the longest night of my life ..... lake erie time ontario canada 1:49am
Epi! LOL Oh my goodness! I have seen A Clockwork Orange and Benny Hill:) That alone has me cracking up!
Yes you had a sleep study for sure:) OMG - doesn't sound like you got a very professional sleep tech! Haha! Who could sleep? No wonder it was a terrible night!
You need another one...I hope that they at least were able to help you! Does not sound like the chance were very good though! That is so crazy - we would never have been allowed to wear any purfume that didn't smell like hand sanitizer and clevage was out of the question for sure:) lol
I hope you are sleeping good now dear Epi!
A very detailed hub and very useful. I had the sleep test done in the UK 18 years ago because I have sleep apnea. One of the electrodes did come loose, but the worse thing was that they had set the machine that recorded my pulse right next to my head so that each time my pulse dropped below 48 the alsrm went off and woke me up. I got very little sleep that night. I did have surgery on my throat, not sure what exactly they did, but it did not relieve the sleep apnea.
Hi Rosemay - I can't believe they put the oximeter next to your head like that! Sheesh...that is annoying to hear and of course you would have a heard time having any consolidated sleep!
I bet they removed your UVULA (that little thing that hangs in your throat between the tonsils) and the research I last saw about this is that the surgery works for very few people. It generally works and resolves the issue immediately but over time - the person finds themself right back where they started. I am saying within a matter of months...not years. I don't like that surgery. I had a lady who had the surgery hoping she would not have to use CPAP - I repearted her study after the surgery and she still needed CPAP. She sat on the edge of the bed and sobbed when I work her up to intiate the CPAP...poor lady...!!! I felt so bad..all of that and it didn't work! I have not had that surgery (and never will)! but I have heard it is very uncomfortable for about a week. Ugh!
I hope you are sleeping well now! Thanks so much for adding that! My best wishes to you for perfect sleep in 2012!
Thank you for that info. Every time the oximeter alarm went off it meant I had to sist up to switch it off.
Thanks for explaining the surgery, it did not cure my sleep apnea, my doctor wanted to do more sleep tests but I declined becasue I didn't want more surgery. I didn't know about the CPAP but it sounds uncomfortable.
Right now my partner often wakes me up when he sees I am not breathing.
Rosemay - I think you should have another study and consider CPAP! If it is obvious to someone who sleeps near you - sounds like it might be at least moderate....no one likes thinking about CPAP - but most of the time you wear it you are asleep! Then you feel so much better when you wake up! There is treatment available if you are still tired!
Good luck to you!
Sunshine625 Level 8 Commenter 5 months ago
Very informative Kelly! My hubby was glad when I talked him into going to a sleep clinic...he was diagnosed with sleep apnea and could finally sleep better with his CPap machine. I could also sleep better also without thoughts of smothering him. lol Good job Real for getting the word out on the importance of sleep and sleep clinics. Well we still don't get enough sleep but it's best to be diagnosed if there is an issue. Voted UP!!!