Sleep Study

Monday night through Tuesday morning, I participated in a sleep study.  It was mostly what I expected, but there were a few surprises.

On the Friday before, I called ahead and preregistered by providing some basic information and confirming that I would, in fact, be showing up as promised.  I also filled out a packet of information that I had received in the mail about my medical and sleep history.  The paperwork was poorly written and asked a lot definitive yes/no questions that should have been on a scale, but I did the best I could.

On Monday evening, I skipped the gym and went straight home.  I had a few hours before I had to be at the sleep center, so I took care some preparations for the next day before heading out.  I reviewed the packet one last time, which was good because the person to whom I spoke when I preregistered told me that the only things I would need would be a photo ID and my insurance card, but the packet said to also bring pajamas (I also brought my Kindle so I could read a book while I waited to fall asleep).

When I got to the sleep center, they had more paperwork for me to fill out, which often referenced the first packet but by a different name than was used on that packet.  To put it another way, the first packet had "Sleep Survey" written at the top, but it was called "Sleep History" in the second packet.  The misnaming, along with more difficult-to-answer questions left me so frustrated that in the comments section, I asked that administration find a technical writer to help them with their paperwork.  After I finished with the paperwork, I changed into the clothes in which I would be sleeping and sat in a chair and and read while I waited for the technician to come in and hook me up to the monitoring device.  After about forty minutes, she came in and got started.

I should point out that I was not very comfortable about the whole experience.  I don't like being touched by most people, certainly not on my face, but I knew that was part of the process so I had prepared myself for it.  Even so, I was not talkative; I don't believe that I was rude, but I didn't engage in any small talk with the tech.  I basically sat in a chair at looked at the wall in front of me while she glued, taped, and strapped different electrodes and monitors all over me.  It took about fifteen minutes to attache everything and once it was all done, I had to carefully position the wires coming off of everything every time I moved.

It took longer than usual for me to fall asleep, which isn't surprising since not only was I in an unusual bed, but I had a bunch of stuff stuck to my face and head.  Even so, I feel like I slept decently, despite waking up twice during the night.  The tech called my name through the intercom to wake me up around 5:30 in the morning and I woke up pretty much instantly.  It took another five or six minutes to unhook me from everything, but once that was done, I was on my way.  Result should be made available in seven to ten business days.

The sleep study was an annoying process to endure, but I hope that it ends up being worth the frustration and I can finally be diagnosed with the right kind of sleep apnea so that I can start looking into treatment.