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!