Last week, I did my first-ever sleep study and was lucky enough to do it at home (read: my insurance refused to cover an in-clinic sleep study). The main reason I asked my doctor for a sleep study referral was to find out if I have sleep apnea. For those unaware, sleep apnea is a condition where the muscles at the back of the throat relax during sleep and constrict the airways. With lessened oxygen getting to the brain, the brain sends a quick signal for you to wake up so you can reopen your airways. Often, people will gasp and then fall right back to sleep. These little wakeups during the night are so slight that we often don’t even register them, but they can happen upwards of 30 times a night for some people.
There are a few reasons why I am concerned about sleep apnea:
- Snoring – I am a loud snorer and I will snore in any position. On my stomach, on my side, on my back… your girl is sawing logs. One of the characteristics of sleep apnea is snoring in all different positions. (Many people snore while sleeping on their back, but moving to their side curtails it.)
- Blood oxygen levels – Last year, I started using a Fitbit to track my sleep and that’s when I learned that my blood oxygen levels throughout the night are lower than they should be. From my very light research on the subject, blood oxygen levels during sleep should be at least 96% and I’m averaging 89%-91%.
- Daytime sleepiness – I am a very sleepy girl. I take a nap almost every day if I can. I can easily nap for 3-4 hours in the afternoon and still go to bed at a reasonable time and sleep through the night. I can also have coffee/caffeine in the evening and it doesn’t affect my sleep.
I’m very glad I was approved for a sleep study because at this point, I just want to know what I’m dealing with. Last Tuesday, I picked up my sleep study kit at a local hospital and prepared myself for a weird night of sleeping.
Preparing for the sleep test
In my sleep kit, I had a few items:
- Paperwork to fill out about my sleepiness levels and how I slept during the sleep test
- A nasal cannula
- A sensor with a velcro strap
- A plastic pulse ox
- Medical tape
- An extra battery for the sensor
The sleep center also sent me a quick video describing how to set everything up, which was super helpful. It all seemed very straightforward, so I put all of the equipment on my bedside table and then sat down to fill out one set of paperwork, which was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. I had to determine how likely I was to fall asleep during certain tasks, like reading, watching TV, sitting in a meeting, being the passenger in a car for longer than an hour, etc. My final score was 10, which I learned is right on the cusp of being concerning. (Anything under 10 is normal, but 10 and above means you should seek medical attention.)
Getting ready to sleep
I got into bed right around 10:30 p.m. and read for a little bit, and then decided it was time for sleep! First, I got my nasal cannula in place and locked it into the sensor, then I strapped the sensor around my chest (right at the top of my boobs). I slid on the pulse ox on my right index finger. Lastly, I taped down the nasal cannula (with one strip of medical tape on each cheek) as well as the pulse ox, as they had advised me to do in the video. And then I just had to turn on the sensor and make sure everything was hooked up correctly.
Annnnd… that’s when things got tricky. Once the sensor is on, it should quickly flash green on three different areas to let you know everything is hooked up and working correctly. Well, my nasal cannula and pulse ox were good to go, but the sensor for the belt itself kept flashing red. I kept trying different things—tying it really tight around my chest, then more loosely; strapping it around my midsection, then higher on my chest, etc—but nothing got that sensor color to change. Eventually, I just said, “fuck it” and went to sleep with everything intact and hoped for the best. I figured that as long as the oxygen/pulse numbers were being captured, I’d hopefully be okay.
Sleeping
As I mentioned on Friday, my sleep was a mess during this test. I like to sleep on my stomach or side, and it was impossible to sleep either way with all of the stuff strapped to me! I could sort of sleep on my side, but I had to be angled a specific way and it was very awkward. It took me a long time to fall asleep (I even tried listening to some ASMR videos on YouTube to help me drift off, but they didn’t really work), and when I did, my sleep was very choppy. I felt like I woke up at least every hour and then had trouble falling back asleep. When my alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., I was really happy to get up and get all of this stuff off me! (In hindsight, I probably should have set my alarm for 7:30 a.m. so I could have captured at least another hour of sleeping data, considering how long it took me to fall asleep.)
One of the requirements of the sleep study is that I had to log at least 6 hours of sleep in order to gather enough sleep data. I don’t think I fell asleep until at least midnight and then I was up so early that I’m very concerned I didn’t log enough hours. If I have to do this again, I’ll give myself a bigger buffer for sure.
The end
When I woke up, I took everything off and then pressed “off” on the sensor. If all of my data were gathered correctly, the lights would all flash green. If they weren’t gathered correctly, the lights would flash red. Can you guess what they flashed for me? RED. Ugh! I was so mad. I called the sleep center to relay my problems, and the person on the phone gave me a little bit of hope that they may be able to gather enough data since everything else seemed to be working fine. Their sleep sensors are apparently pretty old and sometimes have weird issues like that. WONDERFUL!
I filled in the other set of paperwork, which was all about how I slept during the sleep study. Poorly. I slept poorly.
I brought back the sleep kit to the hospital and now I wait to find out if a) I need to do this again and b) I have sleep apnea.
Of course, the silly thing about all of this is that if I do have sleep apnea, I’m going to have to sleep with a CPAP machine, which may be even more uncomfortable than what I had to wear during the sleep study. So let’s pray for a negative result!
Have you ever done a sleep study? Any questions for me regarding the study?
I haven’t done a sleep study and I don’t use a CPAP myself, so I don’t have any practical advice, but I will say that I’ve heard from friends that CPAP machines are better than they used to be! Less intrusive. So I hope that if you need one, that will be your experience. I certainly hope they got enough data!
I hope you’re right! I know they even have mini CPAP machines that are probably very useful for travel. I guess I’ll find out!
Sounds miserable. LOL. I hope you don’t have to do it again and you get answers so you feel more awake and energetic.
I Googled Epworth Sleepiness Scale to see where I was on the scale and I’m a 10, too. I question anyone who doesn’t fall asleep in a car as a passenger. Also, if I’m “reading” on the couch on an afternoon, there is no way I’m staying awake. Is this not normal? Now I’m questioning my entire life.
The truth is that I probably need 8.5-9 hours of sleep a night to feel well-rested and I really only get about 7-7.5 on average. When I sleep that extra 1 – 1.5 hours, I feel so much better, so I don’t think it’s the quality of the sleep I get, but the quantity.
THANK YOU! Some of those sleep examples were really silly to me. Like, can people really lie down on the couch in the middle of the day and read a book without getting sleepy?! IS THAT A THING PEOPLE CAN DO!? That scale feels a little odd to me.
Boo to a bad night’s sleep. I hope that the answer is (1) that there is enough data and (2) that it’s not sleep apnea but something very simple to fix.
I’m not sure how anyone sleeps well with all of that stuff strapped to them! But alas, at least they were able to get enough data. Hooray for that?!
I will likely fall asleep anytime I lie down or sit down to read or watch TV at night. HOW IS THIS NOT UNIVERSAL???
I’M SAYING!! Some of those examples were really rather silly. You’re telling me people DON’T get sleepy during a very boring in-person meeting? Come on, now.
Both my dad and my brother have CPAPs, and I think once you get used to it, it’s not so bad. That said, wow does a sleep study ever sound dreadful. I’m so sorry you had such a poor sleep, I sure hope you don’t have to repeat it!
I’m not a sleepy person but I do get my solid 7.5 hours of sleep a night, a bit more on weekends. I am never tired during the day except if I’m sick or something. Mind you, I do go to bed before 9 pm so…
I can’t IMAGINE a life where I am not sleepy throughout the day. What is that like?!?! I am astonished. I can get a good 7-8 hours and still be sleepy ALL DAMN DAY. Well, now I know it’s because I have sleep apnea so I can feel a little less mad at myself for being such a “lazy” person.
Ay yi yi, it seems like just … so much. I’ve considered briefly doing a sleep study in the past, mainly due to snoring and not feeling well rested most days. The thought of sleeping with a CPAP machine indefinitely put me off from contacting a doctor to even inquire about doing a sleep study. I have to sleep on my side and pre-children I slept ONLY on my stomach. I don’t know and the whole setup to gather the data … I definitely also would not get good sleep.
It’s not a fun process, that’s for sure! You have to prepare yourself for a night of broken sleep. I should have taken the day after the sleep study off work, and since I have to do another sleep study, I am for sure going to do that!
That set up looks uncomfortable! I usually fall asleep right away, but I have to sleep on my stomach. If I sleep on my back I will wake up a lot. I hope that the results show that you got enough data and that the data you got shows that you don’t have sleep apnea. I do second some of the above comments re CPAP, and I even know a hiker who has a portable one that she uses while camping in the backcountry!
Man, I love sleeping on my stomach. It’s my favorite way to get to sleep! It was really hard getting to sleep on my back with all of those contraptions on me!
That’s amazing that even a hiker can use a portable CPAP! Technology is WILD.
That set up sounds terribly uncomfortable and gosh I hope they can mine enough data from this study so it wasn’t all for naught! My dad has had a CPAP for years and it’s been so good for him – and their marriage. Ha. My dad was a sold snorer. My brother is supposed to use one but he doesn’t use it always I think. My dad found out that his kidneys were functioning at a very low level about 15 years ago I think and the doctor theorizes it was caused by many years of undiagnosed sleep apnea as your body has to process a lot of adrenaline when you stop breathing that many times a night. But I think he had an extreme case! Fingers crossed they got some data and you don’t need a CPAP but if you need one, you might adjust more easily than you think!!
Oh wow, that’s really scary about your dad! It would make sense that parts of the body aren’t working as well as they should be when someone has sleep apnea because you’re just not getting enough oxygen to your organs/cells/bloodstream/etc. It’s a scary concept!
This was so interesting!
I don’t know how anyone can get accurate results/ a typical night’s sleep while attached to all that equipment! It feels like the kind of thing that should be done over a week or more to get accurate data.
Also – I’m with Engie – falling asleep in the car is par for the course for me.
It was very hard to sleep with all of that equipment, but I would have hated to have to do it for a week! I’m just glad they were able to get accurate data after one night.
Yes, I was thinking it would be hard to sleep with all that equipment strapped to you! I hope they were able to gather the data properly. I can see why you wouldn’t want a CPAP, but you also don’t want undiagnosed sleep apnea. I know someone who uses a CPAP and he actually said it’s the best thing ever! I guess when you get used to it, you’ll sleep better than ever before? Anyway, I’ll be interested to hear the results of this study.
Oh yes, undiagnosed sleep apnea is not good, either! The best case scenario was no apnea at all! But alas.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
My neurologist has approved me for sleep study – I just need to find an expert AND get an appointment – because I have heard that sleep apnea is causing migraines. And while my husband says he doesn’t think I have those my dad has sleep apnea. Like severe ones so that doctors were surprised he hasn’t died yet. So I just want to check it out.
Reading through your experience has helped me mentally prepare. I am actually hoping to do it at home. I am scared to sleep while people watch me. That would make me feel so vulnerable.
I really didn’t want to do an in-clinic sleep study either! I hated the idea of people watching me sleep. How creepy?!?! Ha. I’m glad you got the approval for a sleep study, though!
Undiagnosed sleep apnea, bad.
CPAP, potentially annoying but better than not breathing, for sure.
And this sleep study sounds awful. I’m impressed you slept that much! Here’s hoping the data were sufficient.
Oh my, what an ordeal. I do not know if I would have been able to sleep with all that equipment attached to me. I am so proud of you for even trying…