Overnight sleep study & titration

So, what's a sleep study like? You stay in a room that looks kind of like a sterile hotel room. They hook up sensors in your hair, on your chest, legs, finger, nose, mouth. There are dozens of wires snaking from you off the bed. If that isn't enough they have an inferred camera & they film you all night. You're not allowed to sleep on your stomach. If you move around too much you'll mess up the sensors & someone will come in & wake you up to fix them. So, after they get you all hooked up & tell you all this they turn off the lights & tell you good night.... Yeah, right.

If the sleep study shows you have sleep apnea, you get to come back again for the cpap titration. That means you come back & do it all over again but this time with air blowing up your nose while they figure out how much pressure you need.... Good Night...

In spite of all that, when it was over, it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I *would* recommend you ask your doctor for a sleeping pill so if you can't sleep you have a backup.

I waited for years because I dreaded going in for a sleep study. Read some of the forums online (www.cpaptalk.com is a great one) it's amazing how many people have similar stories. They don't want to see a doctor. Family members tell them to get help, but for one reason or another they don't. "It's not a big deal." "It's a minor issue." "Sleep Apnea is just people that snore, right?" Almost all the people with those stories say the same thing, "I wish I could have those years back." Everyone regrets not doing something about it sooner.

A lot of doctors don't know much about sleep apnea, some will dismiss you because you don't have the right physique (i.e. you're not fat enough), or you're a woman. Don't give up, insist on a referral to a sleep specialist. Not everyone with sleep apnea is a middle aged, overweight guy.

I guess I got a little off-topic. Whatever it takes, get help.

Here's a video showing what having a sleep study is like.