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Don't know what to expect.
#1
Don't know what to expect.
Hi all! New here! (after lurking as a guest for a few days.)

I wanted to post because I will be having a home sleep study done and I just don't know what to expect. I've looked at what the equipment will be and the turn around for results and etc. But I just don't know how it will go.

My nose gets stuffy when I sleep. Like Zero breathing out of my nose sometimes. I know this is not great. I don't know how that will reflect on a home sleep study though. Can they accurately diagnose or rule out sleep apnea if the reason I'm mouth breathing is because my nose is stuffed up?

I really wanted an in lab study. Because both my specialist and I suspect I may also have some kind of REM disorder. But apparently my insurance doesn't cover an in lab sleep study, and according to the doctor and nurses a lot of insurance providers aren't covering them anymore because the home studies are so much less expensive. I don't know what to make of that.

I suppose I do not have confidence in this process. It has been an uphill battle getting anyone to take my sleep problems seriously. A lot of doctor's just dismissed it when I mentioned my sleep problems. I sleep for a long time, I'm always tired, I have a hard time waking up. If I have no reason to get up out of bed I can sleep until the afternoon. I've always been this way since I was a teenager. This was often blamed on me just being lazy or needing to have depression addressed (which it has been) I'm only 27, but this is the best progress I've gotten in almost 10 years of pursuing the issue.

Not sure what I'm really looking to get out of posting this here. Time will tell, on all matters.
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#2
RE: Don't know what to expect.
If you can sleep thru the test it will pick up apnwa, mouth breathing or not.
My wife couldnt sleep with it so we eventually had to go the self pay used machine self titration route for her.
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#3
RE: Don't know what to expect.
(11-07-2015, 08:51 PM)SephixT Wrote: Hi all! New here! (after lurking as a guest for a few days.)

I wanted to post because I will be having a home sleep study done and I just don't know what to expect. I've looked at what the equipment will be and the turn around for results and etc. But I just don't know how it will go.

My nose gets stuffy when I sleep. Like Zero breathing out of my nose sometimes. I know this is not great. I don't know how that will reflect on a home sleep study though. Can they accurately diagnose or rule out sleep apnea if the reason I'm mouth breathing is because my nose is stuffed up?

I really wanted an in lab study. Because both my specialist and I suspect I may also have some kind of REM disorder. But apparently my insurance doesn't cover an in lab sleep study, and according to the doctor and nurses a lot of insurance providers aren't covering them anymore because the home studies are so much less expensive. I don't know what to make of that.

I suppose I do not have confidence in this process. It has been an uphill battle getting anyone to take my sleep problems seriously. A lot of doctor's just dismissed it when I mentioned my sleep problems. I sleep for a long time, I'm always tired, I have a hard time waking up. If I have no reason to get up out of bed I can sleep until the afternoon. I've always been this way since I was a teenager. This was often blamed on me just being lazy or needing to have depression addressed (which it has been) I'm only 27, but this is the best progress I've gotten in almost 10 years of pursuing the issue.

Not sure what I'm really looking to get out of posting this here. Time will tell, on all matters.

I"m a light sleeper, I didn't end up sleeping until 4am, in the hottest night in August. But I did fall asleep with it and it recorded enough data (4 hours) to determine I had sleep apnea, even though I didn't want to believe I had it. Might want to schedule it on a weekend night if you can so you aren't pressured to sleep. I think that saved me.
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#4
RE: Don't know what to expect.
Hi SephixT,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more suggestions and answers to your questions.
I wish you much success with your home study, keep us posted on how you do with it.
trish6hundred
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#5
RE: Don't know what to expect.
Hi Sephix,
I have a suggestion that might help you clear your nose for the home study. What you probably have is mild nasal allergies. I always thought I never had allergies because my eyes/sneezing were never a hot mess like those on the allergy med commercials, but I had them just enough to cause my nose to get stuffy, especially at night. A couple nights before your sleep study, try taking a Claritin in the evening to see if that clears you up, or better yet get a small sprayer of Symbicort and spray two sprays in each nostril at bedtime. My doc prescribed Nasonex, but my pharmacist suggested that I try Symbicort first since it's OTC and cheaper until Nasonex goes generic next year. I have to say it works pretty well. Definitely try it ahead of time to see if it solves your problem. It will make the home study much more accurate. As for the home study, as an initial diagnosis tool I like it better than a lab test. For starters, my insurance covered it 100% with no deductible, not so with a lab test. Second, you're more likely to get a relaxed, typical night's sleep with a home study vs being in the lab. Yes, the lab has more accurate and detailed monitoring, but the combination of sleeping in a strange place/bed along with having a bunch of leads stuck on you might make it difficult to sleep regularly. I wouldn't give the home study a second thought, but do try to clear up your nose beforehand.

Good luck!

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#6
RE: Don't know what to expect.
EDIT to post above: I meant Nasacort, not Symbicort. Too many drugs to keep track of.
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#7
RE: Don't know what to expect.
I find it helps to use a saline spray up the nostrils followed by a good hard blow. The saline helps loosen the dried phlegm and in my case that's what causes stuffiness. Once a good big chunk comes into the handkerchief I immediately breath better. Mind you I also use antihistamines and a steroidal spray, and oxymetazoline spray during the day sometimes.

If I can get the old nose pipes cleared before I go to sleep I always get a better AHI in the morning.

Sorry if I've turned any stomachs!
Ed Seedhouse
VA7SDH

Part cow since February 2018.

Trust your mind less and your brain more.


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#8
RE: Don't know what to expect.
I use Sinus Rinse every night. My problem isn't dried mucus stuffing me up--I have some sort of a rhinitis and am allergic to the Nasonex type sprays. My nose blows always produce clear issue. The sinus rinse works well and I used a high humidity setting on my CPAP machine--the minute I tke it off I stuff up. My husband has severe stuffiness problems due to allergies and he did fine on the home sleep study. Go for it!
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#9
RE: Don't know what to expect.
Thanks for all the input! I do have allergies, I thought I had said that but I must have removed it mistakenly. And I do take medicine for it. I can't do the steroid sprays, but I don't think I've tried a saline spray before.

I don't anticipate having a problem sleeping, famous last words before a sleep study I'm sure. If I get diagnosed a machine will probably be a bigger problem for me. But from the looks of the setup for testing, it won't keep me from sleeping. I'm so tired when I go to bed that I've been fighting sleep for several hours, since going to bed at 6 - 7 pm is not part of my schedule. I have a few days until I get the stuff for the test though, so I might try out some saline nasal spray and see how that helps with stuffiness.
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#10
RE: Don't know what to expect.
Afrin. No way my sleep study would have returned usable results if I hadn't Afrinated the hell out of my nose before the test. Just sayin'.
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