Having a sleep study done Monday night. Doctor thinks I may have sleep apnea. Just wondering if someone could shed some insight on what to expect.......

I've only done a home sleep test but from what I've heard from patients and friends who have went into the lab for a PSG, it's not fun. You get hooked up to several sensors and you're in a strange environment. Get ready for a lousy night of sleep. But look forward to feeling way better if they end up diagnosing and treating your OSA! Goodluck!!!

I did one at sleep lab. They glue a **** load of little sensors all over your head. GO PEE BEFORE YOU LAY DOWN. Kinda creepy because the lab tech can tell if you're awake or asleep while you're laying there.They wake you up at a certain point and put the CPAP on you and you try to go back to sleep. They will play with the back pressure while you're asleep to see how it affects you.

I was done around 4 AM and went home. Yeah, crappy night's sleep. I should have taken the following day off work so I could nap. They gave me a CPAP machine and it was awesome.

I quit using my CPAP after losing a LOT of weight.I really should go back for another sleep study. But my wife says I don't snore anymore and I feel rested so meh.

Good luck. When I was suffering from apnea, the CPAP machine was a godsend.

I did a sleep study a couple of years ago. My sleeping was pretty bad, and I know I tend to snore. It was an awful night, that's for sure. With everything hooked up to you and in a strange environment, at the time, I felt like I barely slept. But when it was all said and done, no sleep apnea. I guess that was good. Kind of a waste of time and money, but I guess it was good to rule it out. I've since found other solutions to sleeping better.

Glad you don't have sleep apnea. My wife has complained about my snoring getting worse over the last few years. I've had episodes, 3 - 4 times per year, where I wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air. Had a bad one last Sunday night that scared the s*** out of me, so I finally went to the doctor.

Why are you having an in-lab study? If your doctor is only concerned about apnea, you should do an at home two-night study. If you have cardiac arrhythmias or other significant cardiac disease, restless leg syndrome, a previous stroke or other significant neurological disease, or if there is suspicion for narcolepsy or something else like REM Behavioral Disorder or something really odd, then an in-lab study will definitely give you information that an at-home study will not provide. Otherwise, you'll be spending time and money that you really don't need. If the at-home sleep study shows apnea, and no significant central sleep apnea, then you go on auto-titration CPAP and follow-up with your prescribing M.D. after 30 - 90 days to monitor compliance and efficacy.

Kool said:

---

Why are you having an in-lab study? If your doctor is only concerned about apnea, you should do an at home two-night study. If you have cardiac arrhythmias or other significant cardiac disease, restless leg syndrome, a previous stroke or other significant neurological disease, or if there is suspicion for narcolepsy or something else like REM Behavioral Disorder or something really odd, then an in-lab study will definitely give you information that an at-home study will not provide. Otherwise, you'll be spending time and money that you really don't need. If the at-home sleep study shows apnea, and no significant central sleep apnea, then you go on auto-titration CPAP and follow-up with your prescribing M.D. after 30 - 90 days to monitor compliance and efficacy.

---

That's a great question. My wife is concerned, she's told me she's woken up more than once and shaken me because she wasn't sure if I was breathing. So, we just decided, if I'm going to do this, get it done at the sleep center and make sure it's done right. Not saying our decision is the best or the most economical, just what we decided.

Having done both in-lab and in-home, I'd choose in-lab. My in-home test was inconclusive. When I did the in-lab tests, I just made sure I was tired when I went and didn't watch tv or anything once I was there. I slept for three hours and then they woke me up for titration. It was all done one night.

tailgating hall of fame said:

---

Kool said:

---

Why are you having an in-lab study? If your doctor is only concerned about apnea, you should do an at home two-night study. If you have cardiac arrhythmias or other significant cardiac disease, restless leg syndrome, a previous stroke or other significant neurological disease, or if there is suspicion for narcolepsy or something else like REM Behavioral Disorder or something really odd, then an in-lab study will definitely give you information that an at-home study will not provide. Otherwise, you'll be spending time and money that you really don't need. If the at-home sleep study shows apnea, and no significant central sleep apnea, then you go on auto-titration CPAP and follow-up with your prescribing M.D. after 30 - 90 days to monitor compliance and efficacy.

---

That's a great question. My wife is concerned, she's told me she's woken up more than once and shaken me because she wasn't sure if I was breathing. So, we just decided, if I'm going to do this, get it done at the sleep center and make sure it's done right. Not saying our decision is the best or the most economical, just what we decided.

---

No worries just wanted to make sure you'd been given the choice and had considered it. Most all patients will choose a HST over in-lab if appropriate for them. Good luck.

I did a sleep study at a sleep center in late February right before everything shut down for COVID-19. The results showed I had mild sleep aplea and the doc and technician both said would definitely benefit from using a CPAP. However, my Hypopnea index score was a 14.9. Insurance would only cover the machine if I was at 15 or higher. I haven't done anything about it since the sleep test, though, since I didn't want to even attempt to make an appointment during this time.

I'm wondering if I should just bite the bullet and pay out of pocket or try something else first.

TexAg2001 said:

---

I did a sleep study at a sleep center in late February right before everything shut down for COVID-19. The results showed I had mild sleep aplea and the doc and technician both said would definitely benefit from using a CPAP. However, my Hypopnea index score was a 14.9. Insurance would only cover the machine if I was at 15 or higher. I haven't done anything about it since the sleep test, though, since I didn't want to even attempt to make an appointment during this time.

I'm wondering if I should just bite the bullet and pay out of pocket or try something else first.

---

No way you should pay out of pocket for that. Most insurance guidelines state that all apnea of over 15 should be treated, but between 5 and 15, it should be treated if you can prove any daytime imipairment (can be almost anything, mood, irritability, difficulty concentrating, falling asleep, etc.), or if you have any cardiovascular comorbidities (hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, etc). Try to get the guidelines from your insurer.

I was told that I didn't mention anything that was of concern when I filled out the survey prior to doing the study and that, combined with the hypopnea index, is why insurance isn't covering it. I don't have any cardio issues and honestly don't really have any daytime impairments like what you described.

Maybe I'm fortunate, but I'm one of those people who is able to function fine with around 5-6 hours of sleep (and have a hard time sleeping longer than that on most nights). I just wake up ready to go after 5-6 hours. The main reason I did the sleep study is due to my wife complaining about my snoring and also me waking up with a very dry mouth & throat most days.