Dreading titration sleep study

[PaulaO2]

No, you do not want to take the pain medication. It has a higher potential of messing up the sleep results.

[BabyDoc]

DO NOT MESS up the sleep study with sedatives. What's the point of the sleep study if the data is not reliable and gives rise to misleading recommendations.

Remember, like with your first study, YOU WILL SLEEP eventually. Just about everybody does. Even if you only sleep for an hour or two again, it should be long enough to get the titration study done. Call in sick afterwards, if you don't sleep long enough at the lab to function well at work. You can sleep later at home. Better yet, reschedule the sleep study for another day where you will have the day off afterwards. (Many sleep labs operate on Friday and Saturday nights. ) Just knowing you won't have to work afterwards, may take enough stress off of you, that you WILL be able to sleep in the sleep lab.

Although this hasn't been mentioned before, instead of sleeping pill aids, you might consider bringing a white noise type of machine to the sleep lab. They sell these at Brookstone and other places. In addition to just white noise, they produce sounds like a summer rain, or tide coming in and out, (mine has at least a dozen different sounds) that have been scientifically shown to relax, distract, and induce sleep. The sounds are repetitive and calming. I only wish I had remembered to bring mine when I suffered through my near sleepless, sleep study. As crazy as this might sound, a survey done by Consumer Reports a few years ago showed that many people with insomnia find these devices quite helpful and even more helpful that sleeping pills.

[JJJ]

DO NOT MESS up the sleep study with sedatives. What's the point of the sleep study if the data is not reliable and gives rise to misleading recommendations.

When I had my sleep study they offered me Ambien. I turned it down because I had a bad experience with it once several years ago. I took one at bedtime and the next morning I couldn't remember anything that happened the previous day. To this day I cannot remember that day.

My point is that some sedatives may not impact the sleep study. But that's something the doc running the sleep study needs to decide.

[PaulaO2]

I think the use of a sedative or whatever to help someone sleep so they can do the sleep test is up to the individual and the sleep doc. Some docs don't mind, others do. The key thing is to at least let them know you need something. I would think it better to sleep than to not, even if the sleep is mitigated by a pill.

As for the white noise, I've never had it help my insomnia. I use an app on my iPod Touch (called White Noise) for when I need to silence something in the background.

If you do not use one of these, don't get one just for the test. You need to get used to it first. Some people find the noise extremely irritating. Others find it knocks them right out.

[CHanlon]

I cant say I understand the stress and nerves of doing a study, I thought it was great and fasinating. Im a 10 year nightshift worker so I knew they wernt getting much sleep out of me. I lay there for 8 hours and slept for 90 minutes. My book was brilliant a clive cussler novel that I managed to finish and after it was all over I went home and slept for 7 hours during the day which is my normal sleep pattern. Would I go again? of course I would its not every day you get piece and quiet to read your book all night long

In my case it's less to do with *what* then *where.* My sleep study was done at the sleep lab in the hospital. The fact that it's a separate building behind the hospital proper was an alleviating factor, but I would have been more comfortable at a clinic... but only because I could recite the mantra "it's not a hospital."

In fact, when I went to our GP 2 years ago to get the ball rolling on this Apnea stuff, he opened my (rather skinny) file, and said... "Lets see, the last time I saw you was... no, that can't be right... "

"1989?"

"Yeah, that's what this says..."

"Yup... that's about right..."

"But... you've been here since then... ?"

"Sure have. With the wife... the kids... never for me."

"Um. Oh."
See - I have a problem with doctors, in the first place, and hospitals are loci of concentrated doctorness. If you offered me a rent free room in a hospital, all expenses paid, and no illness necessary I wouldn't take it - among other things, they make my skin crawl and my teeth itch. Sleep in one??? I don't think so. Even as a visitor, after a half hour my wife makes me go home.

[zonk]

Remember, like with your first study, YOU WILL SLEEP eventually. Just about everybody does. Even if you only sleep for an hour or two again, it should be long enough to get the titration study done.

Ditto. Strange as it may feel sleeping attached with all the wires you,ll sleep eventually enough for the titration purpose. Bring along an Ipod with your favorite music playing in the background helping you to fall asleep.

[BabyDoc]

As for the white noise, I've never had it help my insomnia. I use an app on my iPod Touch (called White Noise) for when I need to silence something in the background.

If you do not use one of these, don't get one just for the test. You need to get used to it first. Some people find the noise extremely irritating. Others find it knocks them right out.

Not all "white noise" machines are the same. Actually a good one, not a likely a phone app, will make more than white noise. Consumer Reports readers highly regarded the Brookstone device. It was created by a sleep physiologist who used both real and synthetic sounds on subjects in a sleep lab. He had EEG's hooked up to them to see which sounds induced restfull stages of sleep and which did not. I guess results can vary, but both I and my wife have found the machine helpful on many occasions.

I do agree with you that you should buy the sound device and try it home and get used to it before using it in the lab. The more accustomed you get to falling asleep with certain sounds, the quicker you do fall asleep. I like the sound of thunder storm. So does my wife. You have to experiment to find the sound and volume level that works best for you. For me, I must turn the volume down to the lowest level so that it becomes a background noise, rather that a sound upon you will focus.

[SuperSleeper]

One thing you might consider (after doctor approval) is taking 3 mg of Melatonin (more natural solution) an hour before bedtime.

Melatonin always helps me get to sleep - not sure if it would affect a sleep study - ask the doc about that. But I would think that it would have less effect than a sedative of some type.

EDIT: Opps.. didn't see that Sleepster already suggested this. Well, I second his suggestion.

[johns019]

Good idea about the music - I'll bring my Ipod.
I'm definately not taking anything unless the sleep study Dr gives it to me.
I had bad experiences with the pain medication, which is why I didn't take it when I had the surgeries.
Thinking back, i remember taking it one night and feeling like it was keeping me awake - don't need to take any chances with that either.
Hopefully I'll fall asleep long enough that they will get whatever it is that they need.

[Suzjohnson]

I found the whole process facinating and was asking the tech questions non-stop. By the time I did the study, I had been lurking in all the forums learning as much as I could so I wasn't very nervous and thought of the sleep study as a way to further my SA education. If I can do it, you can too! I'm really a big weenie, thoroughly distrust doctors and hate hospitals!

Suz