Sleep study
Last night I went to a sleep clinic to have my sleeping checked. Krys has been getting more worried about my snoring, and I don't think I'm really getting the sleep I need. Of course, that might have something to do with the two children, but I'm tired pretty much all the time and usually I go to sleep about 10.15 and wake up around 6, which ought to be enough sleep. I've known for years that I snore, but according to the wife, it's getting worse. So I went to the ENT and told him about it, and he referred me on to the sleep clinic.
I arrived about 9.30 last night and had to talk to the attending nurse for a while (her name was Bliss, which is just weird). She also showed a ridiculously goofy video about sleep apnea, something I know all about. Krys never thought I stopped breathing while I sleep, but she says that early in the morning, I sometimes make strange noises, so she was concerned about that. The clinic has a sleep apnea device in every room, since I imagine most people who go there are afflicted with it. I am not one of those people, as it turns out.
Bliss placed all sorts of electrodes on my body, as if I were getting an EEG - but some the electrodes were on my legs, too. She told me they would be monitoring me on the video camera and that the entire room was miked, so if I needed to pee in the night, all I had to do is sit up, and she would come in. I usually have to go to the bathroom at least once, so that would be something that came up. It was a pain to go, because I was hooked up to all the crap, but all she had to do was unplug a couple of things and I took all the wires with me. Lots of fun, that was.
I settled into bed about quarter to eleven. And couldn't sleep. Usually I fall asleep very quickly, but I was pretty uncomfortable. I sleep on my side, so I had to roll over with all these wires sticking on my head and a thing in my nose to help me breathe. I did fall asleep eventually, but it wasn't the most restful night, I'll tell you that much. At one point Bliss told me she needed to get readings from me while I slept on my back, which was tough. I used to sleep on my back all the time, but years of having Krys tell me to roll over has meant that now it's hard for me. I did fall asleep, eventually, but I didn't feel like I slept for long, and eventually I rolled back on my side without finding out if she was done with her monitoring. Screw her - I needed to sleep!
I woke up at 6.20 or so, which is ten minutes before she would have woken me up anyway. They won't know any results for 5-7 business days, so it will be next week before the results go to my doctor. I guess I don't have sleep apnea, because I didn't need to device. I know the best way to cut back on snoring is to lose weight, but as Krys points out, when I weighed 40 pounds less than I do today, I still snored (yes, I've gained a lot of weight over the years - I suck). I'm hoping that they can figure out how to curtail my snoring and help us both sleep better. I feel very bad for Krys, but I also feel bad for me, because I'm just so tired all the time, and it makes me grumpy. And nobody likes a grumpy Daddy!
I'm looking forward to the results. If they tell me there's nothing wrong with me and I have to lose 50 pounds, I may get angry. But at least I'll know!
I arrived about 9.30 last night and had to talk to the attending nurse for a while (her name was Bliss, which is just weird). She also showed a ridiculously goofy video about sleep apnea, something I know all about. Krys never thought I stopped breathing while I sleep, but she says that early in the morning, I sometimes make strange noises, so she was concerned about that. The clinic has a sleep apnea device in every room, since I imagine most people who go there are afflicted with it. I am not one of those people, as it turns out.
Bliss placed all sorts of electrodes on my body, as if I were getting an EEG - but some the electrodes were on my legs, too. She told me they would be monitoring me on the video camera and that the entire room was miked, so if I needed to pee in the night, all I had to do is sit up, and she would come in. I usually have to go to the bathroom at least once, so that would be something that came up. It was a pain to go, because I was hooked up to all the crap, but all she had to do was unplug a couple of things and I took all the wires with me. Lots of fun, that was.
I settled into bed about quarter to eleven. And couldn't sleep. Usually I fall asleep very quickly, but I was pretty uncomfortable. I sleep on my side, so I had to roll over with all these wires sticking on my head and a thing in my nose to help me breathe. I did fall asleep eventually, but it wasn't the most restful night, I'll tell you that much. At one point Bliss told me she needed to get readings from me while I slept on my back, which was tough. I used to sleep on my back all the time, but years of having Krys tell me to roll over has meant that now it's hard for me. I did fall asleep, eventually, but I didn't feel like I slept for long, and eventually I rolled back on my side without finding out if she was done with her monitoring. Screw her - I needed to sleep!
I woke up at 6.20 or so, which is ten minutes before she would have woken me up anyway. They won't know any results for 5-7 business days, so it will be next week before the results go to my doctor. I guess I don't have sleep apnea, because I didn't need to device. I know the best way to cut back on snoring is to lose weight, but as Krys points out, when I weighed 40 pounds less than I do today, I still snored (yes, I've gained a lot of weight over the years - I suck). I'm hoping that they can figure out how to curtail my snoring and help us both sleep better. I feel very bad for Krys, but I also feel bad for me, because I'm just so tired all the time, and it makes me grumpy. And nobody likes a grumpy Daddy!
I'm looking forward to the results. If they tell me there's nothing wrong with me and I have to lose 50 pounds, I may get angry. But at least I'll know!
Labels: My life, Sleep study
posted by Greg | 3:32 PM
6 Comments:
Actually, losing weight DOES help end snoring. Not that you need to lose weight; I need to lose weight. I'm just saying.
Oh, I definitely need to lose weight. But as I pointed out, when Krys first met me, I weighed a lot less, and I still snored. It will help if I shed pounds, but I don't think it will eliminate the problem completely.
That's pretty coincidental. I did the same thing two weeks ago... But they gave me a little kit to take home and hook up to myself. One thing under my nose, another thing strapped around my waist, and yet another thing clipped to the end of one of my fingers.
Good luck!
Every now and then I think about going to the sleep clinic here to see if they can find any solutions to my chronic insomina. I went to bed about 11:30 last night - tossed and turned for a while and then woke up for good at 3:30 AM.
I'll do that for 2-3 days in a row before I crash. And that's when there's nothing particularly stressful going on! It gets old.
You should definitely get a sleep study done, Belladonna. That kind of pattern just doesn't sound healthy.
I'm interested in doing a sleep study myself, because i think I have Narcolepsy. I live in mesa also. Do you mind telling me what facility you did the sleep study at, and what kind of pricing it involves? Thanks!
-kim
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