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Having a Sleep Study done next week. Got Questions.

4,297 Views | 33 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by Kool
reb,
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6:52p, 12/6/17
AG
As I got older I started feeling like maybe my mornings were more of a struggle than they ought to be, that I have more trouble with it than other people do. But gotta live life, right? Well, last year, I had a literal roommate for a while and one morning he told me that I worried the hell out of him. He had timed me at stopping breathing for up to 45 seconds at a time while I was sleeping, because he thought I was just going to stop breathing and need to call the cops. So he said I should get that checked out, which I've just gotten around to scheduling for next week.

My dad has sleep apnea and sleeps with a CPAP machine, but his need for it happened after his stroke. He's had a number of other post-stroke complications so I didn't think too much of it, but my doctor said that having a "family history", plus the story above, made me a good candidate for a sleep study. I forgot to mention this to her, but I also have bruxism. I have forced several ex-girlfriends from the room because they couldn't stand what they describe as the "godawful horrifying noises" I make. My teeth are all worn smooth, suffice to say. I don't eat steak because I can't chew it. I don't know if this is connected to sleep apnea or a separate issue entirely.

I'm getting excited about it, to be honest. I am often sluggish and tired through the day, not just the mornings, and from what I understand, a CPAP machine can make a real difference. So I wanted to solicit testimonials from people about what I might expect. The pamphlet I was emailed said it could take up to 2 weeks to "interpret" my data from the EEG, so obviously more is being done than just observing whether I pause breathing or not. I'm curious what other conclusions that such sleep centers come to besides sleep apnea.
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Tx-Ag2010
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7:28p, 12/6/17
AG
Be prepared to not sleep at all... I don't think I got more than an hour or two.

Basically you get hooked up with a ton of wires and have someone looking at you and monitoring your vitals while you (attempt to) sleep.

It is definitely worth it though. I only have mild apnea but I can definitely notice a difference when I use my CPAP.
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reb,
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In reply to Tx-Ag2010 • 8:12p, 12/6/17
AG
Thank you kindly for the reply! What is the difference that you noticed? mood, energy, superpowers?
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Tx-Ag2010
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In reply to reb, • 8:40p, 12/6/17
AG
reb, said:
Thank you kindly for the reply! What is the difference that you noticed? mood, energy, superpowers?


I definitely have more energy but the biggest difference is much less brain fog. No superpowers yet although I have set several PR on the bench press.
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Kool
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9:03p, 12/6/17
AG
If you don't have any significant cardiac, neurologic, or pulmonary problems, and if you don't have Restless Leg Syndrome, you might wish to consider having a home sleep test done, rather than going and doing an in-lab study. You will enjoy the experience more and save a bunch of dough. If you are going to go in to have the in-lab study done and you have bruxism, you might want to call ahead and ask the ordering physician and/or the lab to have a masseter EMG done to evaluate this. Normally the leads for Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep (sort of the sleeptime correlate of Restless Leg Syndrome) are put on the legs, but you could specifically ask that they monitor your masseter muscles instead or in addition to document the masseteric spasms associated with bruxism. This might relate in you getting some coverage for care of this condition.

The in-lab studies are monitoring your brain waves to determine sleep onset and sleep stage. Airflow and oxygen concentration, eye movements and chin muscle tone (to stage REM sleep), an EKG to determine arrhythmias encountered during obstructive episodes, and leg EMGs to determine the aforementioned PLMS are normally done. All of these wires and monitors, plus knowing that someone is watching you sleep, are the reasons why people don't sleep well during these studies.

The data don't take that long to get to the interpreting physician, as much of it is computer scored.
Untreated sleep apnea has been associated with an increased risk of hypertension, strokes, cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarctions, fatal auto accidents, metastatic colon cancer, mood changes, and the dreaded risk of Friendly Freddy not working as designed. I know that there are other threads on this forum related to CPAP that had good info so you might want to look through these. Again, though, think about your comorbidities (other medical conditions) and if you don't have any or many, consider doing an unattended (home) sleep test.
"Laugh, and the whole world laughs with you.
Snore, and you sleep alone."
Cheers,
Kool
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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Cancelled
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10:29p, 12/6/17
AG
My pulmonologist gave me a home test. I've used a mouth guard for the last few months and it's been great. Brain fog cleared up and it's awesome.
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Swarely
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In reply to Cancelled • 10:37p, 12/6/17
Mouth guard as in an oral appliance? I used one for over a year and it was great. Only problem was it messed up my jaw because I would fight it in my sleep. Even with muscle relaxers. I ended up going the surgery route and sleep great now!

For the OP, I agree that you'll have the worst nights sleep ever. (Well I've never had a newborn around so idk how that measures up). I was a damn zombie the next day at work, so maybe try to get it done on a Friday of at all possible?
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ellebee
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5:51p, 12/7/17
I got mine done at a place next to the Dell Diamond. Just as I started dozing off the damn fireworks started going off. Couldn't get back to sleep for a long time after that.
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ellebee
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In reply to Swarely • 5:54p, 12/7/17
I overheard my coworker today telling a guy that there was no surgery for sleep apnea. Then she tried to argue with me about it when I told her there was.
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Kool
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In reply to ellebee • 6:03p, 12/7/17
AG
Nasal septoplasty, submucous resection of inferior turbinates, tonsillectomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, hyoid suspension, tongue base suspension, Inspire, ...shrimp Creole, boiled shrimp, shrimp Etouffe
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ellebee
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In reply to Kool • 6:28p, 12/7/17
Ha!
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Swarely
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In reply to ellebee • 7:32p, 12/7/17
What a dumbass
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94DallasAG
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9:04a, 12/8/17
AG
My surgery was the best thing to ever happen to me, medically speaking. I think my study showed ~ 80 episodes per hour (IIRC anything over 20 is severe).

I now sleep like a baby throughout the night, do not snore, and generally feel better every day.

Surgery was in March of 2009 (recovery was a bear but I'd do it again in a heartbeat )
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pagerman @ work
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In reply to reb, • 11:21a, 12/15/17
AG
reb,

Curious to know how your sleep study went.

For what it's worth, I have been using a CPAP for over 10 years and it is the best thing I have ever done. I took that thing with me all over the world including Iraq. Don't sleep worth a crap without it.

I remember leaving the second sleep study (when you actually sleep with a CPAP) and thinking "Wow! So this is how you are supposed to feel in the morning!" I'd never understood what people meant about waking up feeling rested and full of energy.

My only suggestion is that if you do get a CPAP, be patient with it when you first start using it. It's likely to take some getting used to so be patient with it. It will be worth it.
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. It's inherent virtue is the equal sharing of miseries." - Winston Churchill
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reb,
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In reply to pagerman @ work • 11:42a, 12/15/17
AG
pagerman @ work said:
I remember leaving the second sleep study (when you actually sleep with a CPAP) and thinking "Wow! So this is how you are supposed to feel in the morning!" I'd never understood what people meant about waking up feeling rested and full of energy.
This is just amazing to me.

It went well but I was frustrated that the tech couldn't tell me anything about what she observed since she's not the doctor. I think she hinted that she saw me not breathing and also grinding my teeth. She also suggested strongly that I was doing something "else" by asking me repeatedly if a girlfriend had seen me doing anything besides those two things. I remember seeing the blanket kicked off the foot of the bed, which ive noticed myself, so maybe I'm also kicking or something.

They told me 2 weeks before I get my analysis.
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Kool
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1:01p, 12/15/17
AG
Sounds like you have Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep, that's why they had the EMG on your lower leg(s). Did you have them also put an EMG lead on your jaw (masseter muscle), as in my previous comments? If the bruxism is bad enough, that can also be seen in some of the other leads as well, but it would have been helpful to document that if you didn't.
Make sure if you have Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep that you are tested for total serum iron and serum ferritin. It really shouldn't take two weeks to get the results back, but who knows who's reading the study. Alice software scores the events, just takes some overreading and then generating a report to your ordering physician. Peace.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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reb,
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In reply to Kool • 3:48p, 12/15/17
AG
yes had the leads on my legs and on my jaw.
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Kool
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5:18p, 12/15/17
AG
Well done, Grasshopper
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wbt5845
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6:07p, 12/15/17
AG
I used a CPAP machine for years. Then I lost a lot of weight.

Tried sleeping without it one night. Wife said I didn't snore at all and she had to reach over a couple of times to see if I was still in bed.

I've kept NOT using it for about a month now and still feel fine. If I am still experiencing apnea, I don't know it.
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Kool
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6:33p, 12/15/17
AG
Do a Home Sleep Test and find out
Edit: congratulations on the weight loss
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ellebee
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9:22a, 12/16/17
Welp. I'm desperate. I guess I'm gonna give my machine another try. I've been sleeping about 10 hours every night (by 9ish I can't even keep my eyes open) and I'm still exhausted. I have zero energy.

Oh and the girl that said you can't get surgery? Last week she was telling the guy that they have to break your pallette (sp?) if they do surgery. I just said "no they don't" in the tone of billy Madison telling chris Farley he didn't sleep with a girl.
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reb,
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In reply to ellebee • 1:25p, 12/16/17
AG
ellebee said:
Welp. I'm desperate. I guess I'm gonna give my machine another try. I've been sleeping about 10 hours every night (by 9ish I can't even keep my eyes open) and I'm still exhausted. I have zero energy.

Oh and the girl that said you can't get surgery? Last week she was telling the guy that they have to break your pallette (sp?) if they do surgery. I just said "no they don't" in the tone of billy Madison telling chris Farley he didn't sleep with a girl.
https://ugc.kn3.net/i/760x/
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reb,
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11:55a, 6/8/18
AG
ARGGGG!

Okay, update. After 6 months of nonsense, I finally got my CPAP machine yesterday. My insurance changed on the 1st which caused a total nightmare. You can't get anything done, apparently, unless you show up to peoples offices, get the forms and fax them yourself. Anyways...

I feel like hell today. My machine has a ramp-up feature that dials up the pressure from 4 to my prescribed setting of 10 over 45 minutes, and despite using that, i woke up twice and ripped the thing off my face because it was so uncomfortable, the pressure was overwhelming.

The lady who showed me how to use the machine said the first couple of weeks could be hellish, which i was hoping wouldnt be true but unfortunately may be the case.

I might try and have the pressure lowered to 9. When she was setting up my machine, she mentioned that on my test results that apneas stopped at the pressure of 9 but for some reason they prescribed the setting of 10.

Anyways, if anyone has any tips or insight, I'd greatly appreciate it.
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Kool
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3:26p, 6/8/18
AG
Figure out how to move it down then gradually move it back up to 10. Ideal titration means REM sleep in supine position, fewer than 5 events per hour but ideally no events. So it's possible that all of those conditions were NOT met at 9 but were met at 10. 10 might be ideal, 9 is "close enough for government work". But the tech cannot really tell you that for reasons described below.

I'd NEVER put in writing that you should try to adjust the machine yourself for one and only one reason - the world is full of piece of **** attorneys who are looking for lawsuits. However, I am not your physician and I have no relationship with you. I will say that OTHERS I HAVE KNOWN have figured out how to turn the pressures down on their own, then as they tolerated it they will ramp up the pressures to their ideal setting (9 or 10 cm H2O). If you think about it, every night you do NOT use CPAP, you are getting pressures of zero. If 10 is ideal, 7 or 8 or so is better than nothing. Get copies of the titration with pressures and see what the deal is. It's all your right to obtain. Who knows, you might learn something in the interim.
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trip
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8:44p, 6/13/18
AG
I went through the same adjustment phase but I now love my cpap.

Good story:
The first night at home It took forever to finally go to sleep. At around 3:00, what I can only discribe as my stomach inlet fatigued while sleeping. Anyway, all the sudden my whole stomach fills with the pressurized air. Then all my stomach acid shoots up into my throat. It wakes me up, I feel like I am about to hurl then my whole throat is on fire. Needles to say I called the doc the next day any they backed down the pressure.
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Kool
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In reply to trip • 4:32a, 6/14/18
AG
You need to change to BiPAP if that keeps happening, not back down on pressure
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trip
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7:29a, 6/14/18
AG
Happened once in 3 years
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AggieChemist
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8:08a, 6/14/18
AG
I've had CPAP for 15 years and can't sleep worth a crap without it (even after losing 90 lbs).

I want my CPAP so bad I've rigged up a marine battery system so I can take my cpap to the mountains with me.
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Waltonloads08
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In reply to Kool • 2:21p, 11/20/19
AG
Getting a sleep study done in-lab soon.

I'm 34, 5'10" 180 lbs

Had problems staying asleep as long as I can remember, and waking up too early and not going back to sleep. High blood pressure since early 20s, never obese though. Grind my teeth badly and clench my jaw in my sleep. Snore. Take seroquel to sleep after years of different sleeping pills.

Anyway, I'm not sure how this will go, but I'm hoping I tell myself i wish I did this years ago.

I'm assuming I'll be told I need a CPAP or something similar.
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Kool
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In reply to Waltonloads08 • 8:12p, 11/20/19
AG
Taking Seroquel to sleep sounds like a really bad idea. I'd try all of the "Z-drugs" - zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone first. Maybe Belsomra or even Ramelteon. Way too many side effects of Seroquel, unless you're bipolar and taking it for that.

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Waltonloads08
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In reply to Kool • 8:17p, 11/20/19
AG
It was prescribed by a psychiatrist after numerous other drugs failed. I take about 50mg per night.

I'd prefer a better solution, hence my agreeing to a sleep study and if a CPAP is prescribed, then I will give it my best shot.

I value your opinion though, so if you have any advice for me I'd appreciate it. I assume you are a doctor by your posts on here?
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Waltonloads08
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In reply to Kool • 8:20p, 11/20/19
AG
I had pre-existing:

Dry mouth (ever since accutane as a teen)
Hypertension


Other things on there didn't occur, though my cholesterol isn't great, it's not yet above normal. Borderline though.
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Kool
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In reply to Waltonloads08 • 8:26p, 11/20/19
AG
Try any of those other meds. Download the CBT-i Coach app. See what the sleep study shows.
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Waltonloads08
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In reply to Kool • 12:49p, 12/9/19
AG
Scheduled a study for the 27th.

The doc said if I displayed the apnea symptoms, they'd wake me up and start trying CPAP etc options.

Since I currently take low dose seroquel to sleep, I assume they will let me take it that night also?
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Kool
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12:55p, 12/9/19
AG
If you use it every night, and are going to continue to do so, and are not doing an MSLT the following day to rule out narcolepsy, then that should be OK.
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