Anyone ever have a sleep study done?

Misanthropical · #1 04-12-2008, 04:33 PM

My doctor thinks a lot of what is going on with my body lately is due to a problem with how I sleep or don't sleep, so he is sending me off for a sleep study.

I have to spend the night at the hospital so they can monitor how I sleep.

Has anyone had one done? What goes on during it? Any insight would be great!

flybye023 · #2 04-12-2008, 04:46 PM

My mom just had one done so I asked her. She said that they attached a bunch of wires to her. On her head, nose, face, by the heart, on the legs. Then she basically went into a room and tried to sleep while she was monitored by the doctors. She was unable to fall asleep and stay asleep so the $2000 study was almost useless. She recommends that if you have any concerns about sleeping to ask you doctor or the doctor in charge of the study for a sleep aid.

Slytovhand · #3 04-12-2008, 06:25 PM

no... but.... 'sleep' - as in the bit that the body really needs, is getting the mind into an Alpha state of brain waves - with the occasional bit of Delta and Theta. But it's the Alpha that makes all the difference.

Fortunately, Alpha is very easy to slip into consciously (Delta and Theta are a little harder). Alpha is the state people enter when they go into a light state of meditation -so you might want to see if you can do that!

( I know this, because these are the elements to the meditation CD that I've made up! If you want a copy to help you, drop me a line. One of my triallers was an insomniac, so the 4 hours she got after trying it were blissful... or so she said).

Slyt

BookstoreEscapee · #4 04-12-2008, 06:32 PM

Hey, Mis - I have a friend who works for the sleep lab in a hospital in PA. I just sent her email; I'll let you know what she says.

Andara Bledin · #5 04-13-2008, 01:45 AM

I had a co-worker that went through all of that.

She went in for the sleep study, and they found that on an average night, she is actually "asleep" for approximately 45 minutes, spread out in 2-3 minute increments over the course of a night. She has an odd form of sleep apnea. Other than the fact that she can get to sleep almost immediately and never wakes up feeling groggy, it has no discernible effect on her health.

Most people with sleep apnea, however, tend to get less restful sleep than normal and so suffer from a semi-constant state of fatigue, which can be really hard on both the body and the mind. Meditation can actually be really helpful in those cases.

^-.-^

Seshat · #6 04-13-2008, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Quoth Slytovhand

no... but.... 'sleep' - as in the bit that the body really needs, is getting the mind into an Alpha state of brain waves - with the occasional bit of Delta and Theta. But it's the Alpha that makes all the difference.

Actually, due to my disabilities, I have been deprived of the deeper levels of sleep. Deprivation of deep sleep is also a major problem - it's in deep sleep that you heal, for instance.

Slytovhand · #7 04-13-2008, 01:52 PM

I made up a few CD's as I was trying to get to where I needed - including one that I use from time to time (such as today) which helps me to relax and sleep better. I've also got stuff that helps put one into the Theta and Delta states.

And the 'sleep' word is used cos that's when people normally experience those levels. They are quite attainable while still awake. Sesh - I think you're just over the border, if you want a copy of one of my CD's, drop me a line (no - free.... I haven't yet charged for them - not until the project is complete...)

Dawnchaser · #8 04-13-2008, 05:50 PM

Yup...I had a really hard time sleeping with all the junk they attached to me and the fact that I knew people were watching.

Hardly slept and they concluded that I "probably" have sleep apnea and sent me home with a cpap machine. (Which doesn't help me much - but it does help a lot of people so I won't say anything bad about it.)

They didn't want to give me sleep aids because they said then they wouldn't see what I did under natural circumstances.

PCGameGuy · #9 04-13-2008, 06:16 PM

Where we are, I was in a small room with a single bed, a nightstand, a night light, and a fan. I could adjust the fan for background noise if I needed it, and I basically laid down and slept.

They do attach sensors, they used the flat pad kind that sticks on to your skin, and they spent about 45 minutes running the wires and attaching pads os that it wouldn't interfere with my sleep. They recommended that I try and sleep on my back the whole night if possible, but that I should move if I needed to for comfort.

After the initial test night, I had a re-schedule to try the CPAP machine, useful for those with sleep apnea in some cases. It basically pressurizes the incoming air via a pump mechanism and a small face mask. If you have problems where you stop breathing naturally at night, it will 'push' air into you and keep you breathing regularly.

It is no big deal, actually, so don't let stress get to you or you won't sleep well.

I found it fascinating to see that I was only 'sleeping' for 28 minutes in an 8 hour period due to constantly forgetting to breathe. :P The CPAP took some time to get used to, but it has helped me as long as it isn't allergy season and my sinuses are clear.

Good luck!

Oh, another thing, they are monitoring through the sensors but they also sometimes have a small camera in the room recording as well. There should be a specialist watching the monitors and making notes relating the data from the sensors to visual observations. Bring a nice pair of discrete jammies and you shoud be fine, they had a seperate changing room (not monitored) in the lab I was at.

BookstoreEscapee · #10 04-13-2008, 11:41 PM

Hey Mis, This is what my friend in the sleep lab said:

Sure. The sleep lab will be set up kind of like a hotel room (bed, dresser, night stand, maybe a tv, maybe not). Many labs aren't in a hospital, but even if it is, it won't be in a standard hospital room, it'll be more homey and will be a private room. The staff will monitor the study from a separate room, nearby using video cameras.

Standard EEG surface electrodes will be attached to her face and scalp using either a water soluble paste or a smelly sticky glue called collodian. We use the water soluble paste which makes for easier clean up, but that will be up to the lab she goes to. Some labs swear by the sticky stuff, because they stay on better. We don't agree. Anyway, additional sensors are also used that measure breathing patterns and muscle movements. These sensors are placed just under the nose, by the mouth, around the chest and or abdomen and also on the outer part of the lower leg. The individual electrodes and sensors are all plugged into a small box which in turn is connected to amplifiers which amplify the signals generated by brain cells and convert the breathing patterns and muscle movements into a digital display.

By using a computer, all these signals can be interpreted by the technician and doctors to determine what's going on while a person is sleeping. The EEG (brainwaves) tells us if a person is asleep vs awake and how deeply they sleep. The breathing patterns are important to see if someone has sleep apnea (a condition where people have pauses or reductions of breathing while asleep). This is probably why she is going. It's usually the first thing to rule out when someone has a general complaint of not being able to sleep or being tired during the day. It may not be the problem, but the same test will help determine any other causes as well. If she is having severe daytime sleepiness and apnea is not the cause, then some daytime testing may also be done. The same procedure is used, but in addition to sleeping in the lab overnight, she may also be tested for shorter durations throughout the day to see if she can fall asleep and how quickly it happens.

Overall, it's really a very safe, simple and painless procedure. If she's nervous, tell her not to be. Alot of people seem to get really panicky about it, but there really isn't any reason to. I think it's the unknown that freaks people out and the fact that they feel like people are watching them while they sleep. Some people get nervous about the electrodes too. So many people think we can read their minds, know what they are thinking and dreaming about, and send electrical impulses to their brain while they're are sleeping. None of these things are possible. There most likely will be a video camera, but it's just so the overnight staff can check her body position at certain intervals throughout the night. What the techs are actually watching are the signals being recorded to make sure they are free of any kind of artifact. Once the night is over, the techs and doctors review the recording and decide what's going on. She may or may not get the results the next day. These studies can take hours to review sometimes.

Hope that helps. If there's something specific she's wondering about let me know.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I'll pass them along.

-ams-