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Don't know if you've ever been in for a "sleep study" as they call it, however very little sleep is actually obtained. I happened to be sent for one of these by my doctor because of the fact that I tend to stop breathing for several seconds when I'm asleep and then gulp air quickly, making some not so pretty noises. Anyway, the process is time consuming and more exhausting than just about anything I've ever done. By the way, if your doctor wants you to do this, think hard and heavy about it. It's definitely a pain!
First time you go. You go into the "sleep study lab" which they have dressed up to look like a hotel room. Sort of like putting a tuxedo on a pig and they tell you to get ready for bed. You then have to sign multiple documents which at that point I wasn't even sure what I signed, and then go into the sleep technician's room. Then comes the torture. They begin to "hook you up" to multiple sensors and wires all over your head, face, legs, around your chest, waiste etc. (I call it the Frankenstein effect) Then they send you back to your room with all these wires hanging from you and put an additional wire onto your hand. They plug in all their sensors and then they say "Okay, now go to sleep!" Yeah right! Every time you turn over, you get caught up in some sensor or something and it was miserable. I think the total time sleeping is about 3 hours -- if you're lucky and you take a tylenol pm.
Truly a horrific experience.
SEcond time, they have diagnosed that you do indeed suffer from apnea and you will need a CPAP (something about constant air pressure) machine to regulate the air flow to your lungs all night long. They hook you up to all the sensor again, but then to add insult to injury, they put a mask over your face, pretty much forcing you to breath in a wind storm and again they say, "Okay, now go to sleep!" Yeah, I'm just going to doze right off rigged up like some of experiment in a lab. Sleeping is not something that easily comes to you and again you spend a night dozing slightly and wake up exhausted. How do they get their data?
Bottom line, if you're doctor wants you to have a sleep study...think about it. It truly is more like torture than sleep. Have a great Monday!
