[just.peachy]

I'm going to an overnight sleep study soon and am a bit anxious. I don't like staying away from home without my partner (bit sookie like that) and I don't like the thought of the unknown.

I have to be there at 7pm........so I can't stop thinking about what i'll do til bedtime to pass the time without thinking 'I wonder what's happening at home'

I also think I am less likely to sleep in this strange setting. It's hard enough as it is.

has anyone else ever been to one of these? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

thanks.

[Paddlepop]

I haven't had one but my dad has done a few for his sleep apnoea. He had one only a few weeks ago.

From what he has said, basically it goes like this:
- have your evening meal before you go to the study.
- take books, ipod, laptop, craft, or something to amuse yourself until you are sleepy. They will provide tv.
- shower will be available for use.
- once you are ready and in your pjs they will attach all of the leads to you. I think that this can take a while. If you need to go to the toilet during the night they will have to detach the leads before you can go.
- Dad has never had a problem sleeping at one. Perhaps take your own pillow, a rug and a photo of your partner to make it feel more familiar and comfy.
- in the morning shower will be available and breakfast provided eg cereal, toast, fruit, yoghurt, coffee.
- after you have eaten breakfast they will briefly go over your results with you and advise what the next step will be eg follow-up appointment with specialist.
- go home.

Hope that helps to answer some of your questions.

[just.peachy]

thankyou, Paddlepop! It doesn't sound too bad!! I'll try to relax about it now......

[jacqg]

I had one about a year ago to see if snoring was interrupting my sleep (I snore loud enough to wake to dead). I had to be there later than 7pm. I think it was 9pm. I just took a book to read until it was time to go to sleep. But there wasn't heaps of time because the technician had a questionnaire for me to fill in and then a heap of questions that I had to answer too. After all the paperwork was all done, I had a shower and got changed in my pj's and then read until it was time to get hooked up to the leads. My technician asked if he could hook someone else up first which was fine by me so I wasn't finished getting attached to the leads until about 11pm. It's really weird having them on my face. It's like an ECG lead pad. I can't remember exactly how many there were. More than 12 though that were put on my face, head, upper chest and one each on my legs. The rest of the body ones didn't bother me because I've been hooked up to 12 lead ECG's lots of times but it was strange having them on my face and head. I didn't find it too hard to sleep because I was 12 weeks pregnant and already had a 11 month old baby and was working full time so I could have slept through a nuclear explosion. My DH had had one a few months before me and couldn't get past the fact that someone was watching him on the camera while he slept so he was still awake at 4am and they couldn't get enough data for the study to be of any value. I had a bell, like a hospital buzzer next to my bed that I could press when nature called during the night. In the morning, there was toast and cereal and tea and coffee available but I just went home for breakfast. Unlike the Paddlepop's dad, they didn't go through any results with me in the morning, the results were sent directly to my ENT doctor and I had a follow up appointment.

Hope this helps. PM me if you need!!! Good luck.

[mindy05]

Can I ak a question, too? How much were you out of pocket after doing it?

[butterflies]

I have been to a couple.

I wasn't out of pocket anything as we have no excess on hospital on our PHI

The first time it was a normal sleep study, had to be there at 6pm and had to have already had my dinner, got blood pressure etc taken then shown to my room, there was a tv in there plus I took magazines to keep me occupied.

they asked me what time I usually go to sleep and then siad he will be in at XXX time to put on all these electrode things.

it takes a while to have these on.

the first time I went I hardly got any sleep, they only got a block of 4 hours which is the minimum they need. It's very uncomfortable sleeping with the wires everywhere.

then in the morning, have a quick breakfast and leave.

just make sure you take your own pillow as it helped me the second time.

good luck

[~MakkaPakka~]

For the sleep study I acutly did an at home study. You go in and they fit you up with the equipment, you go home and sleep then return back in the morning.

I am in QLD and it was through a private company that bulk bills medicare.

I then had to do a titration level sleep over when I did have to stay overnight at the centre.

I was also anxious about being away from home but it wasn't that bad after all.

[Soccer Mum]

I havent, my best friend has. Unfortunately she couldnt sleep as she was nervous and in a different bed. So they didnt find much that helped her (she had throat pain and unexplained tiredness - they were looking to see what could have cause the tiredness)
Her tiredness eventually went away and never knew what caused it.

So advice is to relax and try to sleep, good luck with it.

[~A2~]

I had one and had similar experience to those mentioned above.

I didn't feel like I slept as I was in a different bed and felt a bit 'weird' as I was sleeping in a house ful of strangers, the lady overseeing it was there the other two 'sleepers' were men.

Even though I felt lilke I didn't sleep they had enough information to provide a report and made a few suggestions - don't drive or be careful when driving (I don't drive anyway), try mouthguard and mouth spray (I had already done this) and lose weight as this is the most common cause they said.

I have been eating healthy and excercising and while not losing a lot of weight I have lost cms (only about 2 kgs in weight but this has been enough to make me feel as though I am sleeping better, not waking at night, not feeling tired during they day etc.

I have to have a follow up one in May I was hoping to skip it as like I said I feel a lot better but to check they suggest I have it.

I paid for the hospital bed last time $325 and the rest was covered on medicare.

I am sure you will be fine, let us know what you think of it. When do you go?

Ali

[just.peachy]

Hi and thanks for everyone's replies. I am going in in a few hours.

Mine is free, they put it on Medicare because it is at a research clinic.

I don't feel so bad about going now because i spoke to one of the staff earlier and she sounded lovely.

Thanks for the tip about the pillow.....i'll make sure i take mine.