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Sleep Study Last Night, But I Didn't Sleep
I am hoping someone can help me with this. I had a sleep study last night and didn't sleep much. It was freezing in there. I had the tech. raise the A/C temp. twice, but I was still cold. I asked for more blankets but they didn't have enough to give me more. I got hooked up and they tried to get met to sleep at 9:30. That did not work, so I read until 11, besides I was freezing! I then tried sleeping, and I guess I slept a little between 11 and 2, which then I had to use the restroom. I think I finally fell asleep, but at 5:30, the tech came in and woke me up and said the study was over and that I didn't sleep enough for the CPAP machine (split test), but I did sleep long enough for her to get info. How could they have gotten any info. from such a short period of sleep? The tech also said I might have to come back for another study, but that was up to my Dr. I feel very frustrated and disappointed with the test. I am sure they will say I don't have sleep apnea, but what about the horrible insomnia. Will they do anything about that? I feel like I want to cry because I know that I have so many of the symptoms of sleep apnea. I was also diagnosed with TMJ a couple of weeks ago and wonder if that could be a factor in sleep apnea? Has anyone else gone through a sleep study in which they did not sleep well? If so, what were your results? Any information would be helpful. Thanks.
Views: 5035
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Judy on
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Right on, jnk. Frankly, I am NOT impressed w/these split-night studies anyway and would never want one. The first part of the night may well be enough to Dx OSA, probably would be the better term, as most insurances won't pay for a split-night unless certain severe criteria are met. My objection to split-nights is the LIMITED amount of time left to titrate the needed pressure. Most of us have the majority of "events" whilst sleeping supine, i.e. on our back AND during REM sleep. And the further into the night we get the more rapid our sleep cycles, the more REM cycles we have and the longer the REM cycles last.
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Permalink Reply by Banyon on
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Judy, All more reasons why everyone should have machines with software to tweak their settings under their "own-bed-at-home" conditions.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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Wendy, the last study I had the room was also freezing- they admitted a problem with the AC- but were able to give me enough blankets. It took four calls to the manager of the sleep center before I talked to her. She apologized profusely. My sleep doc owns the sleep center, so I'm debating a letter to him. I certainly will do everything in my power not to go back to his sleep lab.
Back to you, a letter of complaint to the Director or Manager of the lab is certainly in order, I would request the courtesy of a response. You feel your sleep study was negatively impacted by the uncomfortable environment. As for the insomnia (besides the temp) some people need a sleeping pill the night of the study to ensure they sleep in unfamiliar surroundings. Be frank with your Doctor about your experience with the sleep lab. I hope the staff treated you professionally in every other way, if not make a list of your complaints and make them known. These studies are expensive and we deserve a room conducive to sleep and professional behavior. Don't despair until you talk to your doctor and there is reason to despair. As j n k said we often sleep more than we think we do, and it's common for someone not to sleep well in the lab. And as Judy pointed out a split night study doesn't give much time for titration. You need Banyon for your doctor .
Hang in there, keep us posted.
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Thanks for the info.
j n k said:It is very common for the patient to feel that he or she did not sleep much. You MAY have slept more than you think. If the tech said you slept enough for her to get the info, then you likely did. So I wouldn't worry about that.
The dirty little secret of sleep studies, in my opinion, is that the main purpose for the diagnostic is to prove to insurance that they should pay for the machine and that the main purpose of the titration is to find a good starting point for pressure and to make sure you respond well to airway pressure in general. So even if we assume that the tech didn't have time to find the exact best pressure for you, that little blip can easily be solved if you insist that the home machine you get gives you enough data for you and your team to find the best pressure for you over time.
In other words, in my opinion, if you end up getting a machine that gives you full data (apnea-hypopnea index and leak information), your sleep test(s) will have been a wonderful success, regardless of how much you did or did not sleep last night.
-jeff
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Did you pass your sleep study? You are right that they know we are coming in with sleep issues, so they should make our stay as comfortable as they can. Not only was it cold, but I was lucky enough to be next to the bathroom and next to the room where the techs were sitting, so I got to hear toilets flushing, people talking and laughing. Gee! I wonder why I couldn't sleep. Thanks Mary for your information, it is much appreciated.
Mary Z said:Wendy, the last study I had the room was also freezing- they admitted a problem with the AC- but were able to give me enough blankets. It took four calls to the manager of the sleep center before I talked to her. She apologized profusely. My sleep doc owns the sleep center, so I'm debating a letter to him. I certainly will do everything in my power not to go back to his sleep lab.
Back to you, a letter of complaint to the Director or Manager of the lab is certainly in order, I would request the courtesy of a response. You feel your sleep study was negatively impacted by the uncomfortable environment. As for the insomnia (besides the temp) some people need a sleeping pill the night of the study to ensure they sleep in unfamiliar surroundings. Be frank with your Doctor about your experience with the sleep lab. I hope the staff treated you professionally in every other way, if not make a list of your complaints and make them known. These studies are expensive and we deserve a room conducive to sleep and professional behavior. Don't despair until you talk to your doctor and there is reason to despair. As j n k said we often sleep more than we think we do, and it's common for someone not to sleep well in the lab. And as Judy pointed out a split night study doesn't give much time for titration. You need Banyon for your doctor .
Hang in there, keep us posted.
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Wendy, yes, I passed, I still have mild to moderate sleep apnea and got a list of recommendations and warnings from the doc (the importance of losing weight, consequences of sleep apnea, needing BiPAP vs CPAP, etc).
I would write to the director of a lab, and have, if the professionalism and comfort were exemplary. I would certainly write the director and take or mail a copy to your doctor citing the problems you had. Your doc may want to take his business elsewhere and the director may not know what is going on in his/her lab.
Also, please, go to the main page of the forum -Finding a sleep professional- and give a review of the lab and your doctor. You may save someone else from the same sad experience.
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Well said, j n k. Wendy take his advice. LOL. It's worth more than two cents.
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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I support the split night study. I truly believe that all studies should be split if an AHI of 5-10 is found. most insurance companies will pay for 2 studies a year. If a person is split and does not have a succesful titration another night is always available. I also think that we could bring down the cost of the overall picture if more pts were split.
Judy said:Right on, jnk. Frankly, I am NOT impressed w/these split-night studies anyway and would never want one. The first part of the night may well be enough to Dx OSA, probably would be the better term, as most insurances won't pay for a split-night unless certain severe criteria are met. My objection to split-nights is the LIMITED amount of time left to titrate the needed pressure. Most of us have the majority of "events" whilst sleeping supine, i.e. on our back AND during REM sleep. And the further into the night we get the more rapid our sleep cycles, the more REM cycles we have and the longer the REM cycles last.
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Well, hopefully, I'll never have to be re-Dx'd w/OSA because we've had one dilly of a time getting me correctly titrated thanks most likely to my COPD.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Douglas on
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Wendy,
Dont be so sure they will tell you that you DONT have sleep apnea. They love to find apnea, they are looking for information to justify it. Then they want ANOTHER sleep study to "tritrate" or find the right setting. Sleep studies are very profitable, if you can keep a lot of people coming in.
I slept terriblely at my sleep study, about the same time line they had for you.
When I finally got a little sleep -- had to use bathroom, and you get fully awake by the time they disconnect you, then reconnect you. You don't usually have strangers to interact with in the middle of your shortened sleep.
Then they wake you at 5 am. Why on earth not let you sleep till 7, and get information from that two hours??
There is literally no one to complain to -- the tech says, "I just do what they tell me"
If I agree to another sleep study, Im taking meds, a fan, some extra pillows, and I'm gonna meet face to face with the doctor before hand. And he is going to promise to call me personally and explain the results within a reasonable time, and send me a copy of the test that I can understand.
Its not a good systen, IMHO. Sleep doctors seem to want a maximum amount of sleep studies -- which are very profitable. They do NOT want to do very low cost oximeter tracking.
Someday we will have home units, and can see for ourselves, to pull back the curtains on these Wizards of Oz. We are still in the early years of this science and art.
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You mean there are machines you can adjust the settings yourself? Without going for another sleep study to tritrate?
Ive got AHIs of 5.2, should I be trying to get the doc to adjust my settings? Im on auto now, with max of 15. I know my doc will want another sleep study to tritrate. That's his answer for everything.
Banyon said:Judy, All more reasons why everyone should have machines with software to tweak their settings under their "own-bed-at-home" conditions.
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W/an AHI of 5.2 you are doing very well. "Normal" sleep is considered to be anything less than 5.0. A tweaking of just one half of a cm in pressure "could" put you well below that 5.2 but I doubt that your sleep doctor would bother changing your pressure at all w/an AHI of 5.2
Shucks, anyone can do a little digging and find out how to change their pressure settings themselves. That doesn't mean they should - or shouldn't. I would suggest that one NOT change their settings until they are comfortable w/knowing that they know what they are doing and why. Changing therapy settings on these CPAPs is not rocket science. But knowing WHY and WHEN and what to change to isn't for the uninitiated either.
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