topic Re: Sleep Study in Wellness

Sleep Study

HonnyBrown — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:27:53 GMT

If you've had a sleep study done, can you share the experience with me?

As my insomnia gets worse and more random, I'm considering doing one.

Re: Sleep Study

wagirl — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:35:24 GMT

My hubby had a couple done to find he had a mild form of apnea. I told the dr he did. He got a cpap machine and used it maybe for a few weeks but ended up stopping as it is quite cumbersome. I have insomnia but no apnea so I was told that a sleep study wouldn't do me any good. I found they are very expensive, $1500 for the over night ( about 10 years ago and the machine was over $500. I'm sure that has gone up in price. We had insurance that covered most of it. I thought it was a huge waste of money. Didn't help me at all--husband still snores so we are in separate rooms now. And there isn't alot of things that will "cure" insomnia so I have learned to do what I can to get what little sleep I do. I take a sleeping aid that helps alot and both sleep dr and my primary care dr approve as the amount is so small.

Re: Sleep Study

151949 — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:40:13 GMT

I had mine at an outpatient facility. When i arrived at 8PM I was put in a hospital gown and hooked up to many sensing devices - all over your head - in your hair etc and a cardiac monitor. I was placed in bed in a private room with a large mirror that I assumed was a window where they could look in and see me. I had taken my asthma meds already so I was sleepy and soon fell asleep - it was very early but that med makes me very sleepy - that's why i take it at bedtime. I was there being tested for sleep apnea - they came in a few times and woke me up to readjust some of the monitors - and after only about an hour they came in and put a CPAP mask on me - telling me I definitely had sleep apnea - i was able to sleep through the remainder of the night. when I woke up it was very early - like 5AM, as I had fallen asleep around 9PM. They took me off all the monitors and I was allowed to shower to get the sticky stuff off me. Then I got dressed and had a nice breakfast - I had called my DH and when he got there I left. About a week later a Resp. therapist called and made an appointment to bring me CPAP gear. You really don't need anyone to drive you - you can easily drive yourself but we had just moved here and I was afraid I'd get lost, so DH had taken me. There is really nothing to it at all.

Re: Sleep Study

151949 — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:47:51 GMT

On 2/10/2015 wagirl said:
My hubby had a couple done to find he had a mild form of apnea. I told the dr he did. He got a cpap machine and used it maybe for a few weeks but ended up stopping as it is quite cumbersome. I have insomnia but no apnea so I was told that a sleep study wouldn't do me any good. I found they are very expensive, $1500 for the over night ( about 10 years ago and the machine was over $500. I'm sure that has gone up in price. We had insurance that covered most of it. I thought it was a huge waste of money. Didn't help me at all--husband still snores so we are in separate rooms now. And there isn't alot of things that will "cure" insomnia so I have learned to do what I can to get what little sleep I do. I take a sleeping aid that helps alot and both sleep dr and my primary care dr approve as the amount is so small.

People who have sleep apnea and do not use the equipment they are prescribed will develop a heart & lung condition called pulmonary hypertension. A very serious condition. It is also very hard on the kidneys because when experiencing apnea the body builds up carbon monoxide and becomes acidotic - which can be fatal - so the kidneys kick in to try to alleviate the acidosis and to do that they make urine - that is why people with sleep apnea have to get up to pee often during the night. Perhaps your DH should see an ENT doctor - sometimes they can do surgery to relieve what is causing the apnea.

Re: Sleep Study

151949 — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:49:29 GMT

OP - when they do a sleep study they can tell if you are getting deep enough into the sleep cycle to get to REM sleep - which is vital.

Re: Sleep Study

slimjudi — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 19:06:12 GMT

I would advise you to get this done. If you have insurance it should pay for some of it. It is very important to do this in case you do need a C pak. They have one that goes over the face, one that goes in the nose and I have a new one that goes over my ears. I could not do without it. When I would wake up, I felt so tired even if I slept 8 hours. Just was not getting a good rest due to the sleep apnea. Get you one and you will feel much better.

Re: Sleep Study

151949 — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 19:15:25 GMT

On 2/10/2015 slimjudi said:
I would advise you to get this done. If you have insurance it should pay for some of it. It is very important to do this in case you do need a C pak. They have one that goes over the face, one that goes in the nose and I have a new one that goes over my ears. I could not do without it. When I would wake up, I felt so tired even if I slept 8 hours. Just was not getting a good rest due to the sleep apnea. Get you one and you will feel much better.

It is called CPAP - continuous positive airway pressure. What does the one that goes over your ears do? I have not heard of that.

Re: Sleep Study

dusty523 — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 19:17:20 GMT

I had an outpatient and inpatient sleep study. They had to stop the inpatient sleep study because I could not use the machine. It was just too much air pressure blowing up my nose. I have had sleep apnea for for about 20 years now. I never get up to go to the bathroom, so apparently, my kidneys are still in working order. I also never heard of that. I know people with sleep apnea who don't use the cpap machine and they are well into their 90's. I imagine each person is different. Good luck with yours.

Re: Sleep Study

luvsbulldogs — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 19:36:34 GMT

Since I do not fall asleep until 3am or later they had me do a sleep apnea study at my home. They give you everything that you need. Can't remember because it was so many years ago but I think you did it for 7 or 10 days and then sent it back. After they determine if you have sleep apnea they set you up to get a CPAP. Good luck with your test.

Re: Sleep Study

CHEX — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 20:00:27 GMT

I have had the test done several times. It is painless, but as was mentioned the gook they use for the electrodes gets all over your heard so you do need to wash your hair in the morning. I have mild sleep apnea and I faithfully use my CPAP machine. I just accept that it is for my health and get on with life. It is like a white noise that helps me sleep. My problem with the overnight test is that I do not sleep well in the strange place and I feel like I really did not sleep at all....they assure me I did, but did not reach the level of sleep necessary in time to do the CPAP titration during the same visit. So each time I have had to come on 2 separate nights. Some people are able to get dental appliances that fit in your mouth instead of the CPAP machine. My brother has one of these (sleep apnea runs in my family). The dental options are fairly new and not usually covered by insurance and not everyone had the appropriate bone structure to do this.

Re: Sleep Study

wagirl — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 20:51:28 GMT

On 2/10/2015 happy housewife said:
On 2/10/2015 wagirl said:
My hubby had a couple done to find he had a mild form of apnea. I told the dr he did. He got a cpap machine and used it maybe for a few weeks but ended up stopping as it is quite cumbersome. I have insomnia but no apnea so I was told that a sleep study wouldn't do me any good. I found they are very expensive, $1500 for the over night ( about 10 years ago and the machine was over $500. I'm sure that has gone up in price. We had insurance that covered most of it. I thought it was a huge waste of money. Didn't help me at all--husband still snores so we are in separate rooms now. And there isn't alot of things that will "cure" insomnia so I have learned to do what I can to get what little sleep I do. I take a sleeping aid that helps alot and both sleep dr and my primary care dr approve as the amount is so small.

People who have sleep apnea and do not use the equipment they are prescribed will develop a heart & lung condition called pulmonary hypertension. A very serious condition. It is also very hard on the kidneys because when experiencing apnea the body builds up carbon monoxide and becomes acidotic - which can be fatal - so the kidneys kick in to try to alleviate the acidosis and to do that they make urine - that is why people with sleep apnea have to get up to pee often during the night. Perhaps your DH should see an ENT doctor - sometimes they can do surgery to relieve what is causing the apnea.

Been there and done that. Hubs not interested. Not knocking the sleep study for those who genuinely are at risk but can't drag a grown man kicking and screaming to somewhere he doesn't want to be. Surgery was discussed as well.

Re: Sleep Study

espree — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 21:27:36 GMT

I had a sleep study done about nine years ago at my local hospital. They said I had moderate to severe sleep apnea but, my oxygen levels never dropped below 98% with each apnea attack throughout the night. I tried the Cpap but honestly, I could not get used to it after two months of trying. My doctor was not concerned at the time about me not using the machine anymore because of my high oxygen levels. After reading a previous post, I am concerned about my kidneys because I have been getting up during the night a few times each week to use the restroom. BTW, I am a 61 year old female about twenty five pounds over weight, recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes but not on meds for it, and sleep very poorly.

Re: Sleep Study

hckynut — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 21:48:28 GMT

Have had 6 sleep studies. Strange trying to sleep with all the wiring and putting them on took a lot of time. Long testing procedure but far easier than many others I have experienced. Lot's on personal antidotes I could add, but I think each person will have their own issues depending on other procedure history.

Re: Sleep Study

pineyriver — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:19:49 GMT

This was a joke for me. Had it at a outpatient in the hospital. The bed made my back hurt so bad, I only slept about 30 minutes all night long! Waste of money for my health insurance. I might try another one later.

Re: Sleep Study

Mistic — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:25:34 GMT

For me, I could be in that hospital for days before I ever fell asleep.

Re: Sleep Study

HonnyBrown — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:48:54 GMT

On 2/10/2015 wagirl said:
My hubby had a couple done to find he had a mild form of apnea. I told the dr he did. He got a cpap machine and used it maybe for a few weeks but ended up stopping as it is quite cumbersome. I have insomnia but no apnea so I was told that a sleep study wouldn't do me any good. I found they are very expensive, $1500 for the over night ( about 10 years ago and the machine was over $500. I'm sure that has gone up in price. We had insurance that covered most of it. I thought it was a huge waste of money. Didn't help me at all--husband still snores so we are in separate rooms now. And there isn't alot of things that will "cure" insomnia so I have learned to do what I can to get what little sleep I do. I take a sleeping aid that helps alot and both sleep dr and my primary care dr approve as the amount is so small.

Thank you wa!

I had no idea I would get so many responses!

Re: Sleep Study

HonnyBrown — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:51:12 GMT

On 2/10/2015 happy housewife said:
I had mine at an outpatient facility. When i arrived at 8PM I was put in a hospital gown and hooked up to many sensing devices - all over your head - in your hair etc and a cardiac monitor. I was placed in bed in a private room with a large mirror that I assumed was a window where they could look in and see me. I had taken my asthma meds already so I was sleepy and soon fell asleep - it was very early but that med makes me very sleepy - that's why i take it at bedtime. I was there being tested for sleep apnea - they came in a few times and woke me up to readjust some of the monitors - and after only about an hour they came in and put a CPAP mask on me - telling me I definitely had sleep apnea - i was able to sleep through the remainder of the night. when I woke up it was very early - like 5AM, as I had fallen asleep around 9PM. They took me off all the monitors and I was allowed to shower to get the sticky stuff off me. Then I got dressed and had a nice breakfast - I had called my DH and when he got there I left. About a week later a Resp. therapist called and made an appointment to bring me CPAP gear. You really don't need anyone to drive you - you can easily drive yourself but we had just moved here and I was afraid I'd get lost, so DH had taken me. There is really nothing to it at all.

HH are sleep studies only for sleep apnea? Thank you for the detail.

I'm a light sleeper with random insomnia.

Re: Sleep Study

HonnyBrown — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:52:23 GMT

On 2/10/2015 slimjudi said:
I would advise you to get this done. If you have insurance it should pay for some of it. It is very important to do this in case you do need a C pak. They have one that goes over the face, one that goes in the nose and I have a new one that goes over my ears. I could not do without it. When I would wake up, I felt so tired even if I slept 8 hours. Just was not getting a good rest due to the sleep apnea. Get you one and you will feel much better.

Thank you for your advice, but please read my OP: I don't have sleep apnea.

Re: Sleep Study

HonnyBrown — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:54:41 GMT

On 2/10/2015 hckynut said: Have had 6 sleep studies. Strange trying to sleep with all the wiring and putting them on took a lot of time. Long testing procedure but far easier than many others I have experienced. Lot's on personal antidotes I could add, but I think each person will have their own issues depending on other procedure history.

Thanks john. I wondered about the lab rat aspect.

Re: Sleep Study

chessylady — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:58:39 GMT

This thread is putting me to sleep...