Sleep study

[dtac]

So the last time I saw my pdoc, he ordered a sleep study. I've had insomnia for so long I don't know what it's like to be able to fall asleep at a decent hour (before 1-2am) and wake up feeling refreshed. He thinks I might have obstructive sleep apnea due to the fact that I snore sometimes and the diameter of my neck. Personally, I think the snoring is related to allergies -- when they kick up real bad, I get tons of congestion and nasal swelling which doesn't abate very quickly unless I routinely take an antihistamine. My SO says I do stop breathing sometimes during my snoring episodes. I haven't had a snoring episode for several weeks now. So who knows, maybe I do have OSA.

For those of you who have had a sleep study done, what type of practitioner did you see? I'm going to see a MD who is classed as an internal medicine doctor, but specializes in sleep medicine and lipidology. I'm wary that a pulmonoligist would immediately dx me with OSA, because, well a pulmonologist is looking for it.

I have an initial consult with the MD's PA this next week, and I'm not sure what to expect. I did 10 pages of new-admit paperwork, tons of questions relating to sleep. Should I really expect much discussion before the actual sleep study is done and the data is collected?

[melissaw72]

6 hours ago, dtac said:

For those of you who have had a sleep study done, what type of practitioner did you see?

Neurologist, who specializes in sleep medicine also.

6 hours ago, dtac said:

I have an initial consult with the MD's PA this next week, and I'm not sure what to expect. I did 10 pages of new-admit paperwork, tons of questions relating to sleep. Should I really expect much discussion before the actual sleep study is done and the data is collected?

Sometimes there is more discussion even after the paperwork.  Some people will read through the questions you answered and ask questions they have about what you wrote.  That can take 10 minutes or an hour, based on how much they want to ask you.  They might even have questions of their own to ask, that aren't on the questions you answered.

[Savannah]

I had a positive sleep study and was seen by the doc that read my scan. He was an internist specializing in critical care. He had me go on a clap but it did no good (I had this problem before Psych meds too). I quit using it. He prescribed trazadone and rozerem for sleep. He also gave me Provigil, a stimulant given for narcolepsy. 

 

I felt like I got my life back

ps. I lost 90lbs and my sleepy study came up negative.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Savannah

[dtac]

UPDATE: I had my consult this morning, and the PA is ordering a sleep study. She thinks I may have obstructive sleep apnea due to narrow airway. We discussed insomnia meds and for now she's leaving me on Lunesta, since it mostly works. They scheduled 2 nights in a row, so that if I do have OSA, they can fit me the second night with a CPAP. The PA wants me to get up at the same time every day, even when I'm off. That's hard to do when you're tired during the week and just want to get some extra sleep. I've done all the sleep hygiene stuff before, nothing has helped previously, but I'm going to be compliant and try again.

It's the downside of going to doctors -- if you want help, you have to follow their directions, even if you don't wanna. No naps either. *sigh*

[melissaw72]

2 hours ago, dtac said:

UPDATE: I had my consult this morning, and the PA is ordering a sleep study. She thinks I may have obstructive sleep apnea due to narrow airway. We discussed insomnia meds and for now she's leaving me on Lunesta, since it mostly works. They scheduled 2 nights in a row, so that if I do have OSA, they can fit me the second night with a CPAP. The PA wants me to get up at the same time every day, even when I'm off. That's hard to do when you're tired during the week and just want to get some extra sleep. I've done all the sleep hygiene stuff before, nothing has helped previously, but I'm going to be compliant and try again.

It's the downside of going to doctors -- if you want help, you have to follow their directions, even if you don't wanna. No naps either. *sigh*

I'm glad something is scheduled so you can get checked.  I hope things work out so you can finally get some sleep!

[Cetkat]

On 4/15/2017 at 0:39 AM, dtac said:

 Personally, I think the snoring is related to allergies -- when they kick up real bad, I get tons of congestion and nasal swelling which doesn't abate very quickly unless I routinely take an antihistamine. My SO says I do stop breathing sometimes during my snoring episodes. I haven't had a snoring episode for several weeks now. So who knows, maybe I do have OSA.

For those of you who have had a sleep study done, what type of practitioner did you see?

I have an initial consult with the MD's PA this next week, and I'm not sure what to expect. I did 10 pages of new-admit paperwork, tons of questions relating to sleep. Should I really expect much discussion before the actual sleep study is done and the data is collected?

Have you thought of using Pseudoephedrine and/or a steroid nasal spray?  If your SO says you stop breathing, I'd trust that.

I saw a Sleep Specialist who was a dual Neurologist/Psychiatrist for my sleep study.

During my sleep study, I got settled in my room, then went to another area to have the sensors applied, and then slept.  There wasn't any paperwork or questions.  I kinda doubt they would do something like that because it's counter-productive to sleeping.

[dtac]

7 hours ago, Cetkat said:

Have you thought of using Pseudoephedrine and/or a steroid nasal spray?  If your SO says you stop breathing, I'd trust that.

I saw a Sleep Specialist who was a dual Neurologist/Psychiatrist for my sleep study.

During my sleep study, I got settled in my room, then went to another area to have the sensors applied, and then slept.  There wasn't any paperwork or questions.  I kinda doubt they would do something like that because it's counter-productive to sleeping.

Actually I do use sudafed fairly regularly, and it works pretty well, I just end up with rebound congestion if I use it more than 3-4 doses in a row. I used Flonase for years, and it recently lost its effectiveness, so I switched to Rhinocort. It seems to be working pretty well. My insurance won't cover any of the non-generic sprays, so I figure I'll just try the OTC stuff for now.

I only noticeably stop breathing when I'm snoring (says my SO), but I guess it may still be happening anyway. PA said there is a threshold of apnea events that have to be met in order to be dx with OSA.

I'm supposed to check in at the hospital registration on the day of the study, do all the paperwork, then go over to the sleep center. PA says it's like a hotel. We'll see, LOL.

[CrazyRedhead]

When I had a sleep study done, almost 4 years ago, it was done by a doc who specialized in sleep medicine.

I only slept about 2.5 hours for the whole night........After the study, I was told I had no sleep apnea, but they said I had a "mood disorder"......Don't know how they came up with that  diagnoses, since I hardly even slept, but go figure.....**SIGH**

Edited April 30, 2017 by CrazyRedhead

[dtac]

UPDATE: Had the first night of my sleep study done. Turns out I do have obstructive sleep apnea, stopped breathing about 40x a hour. O2 sat dropped to 79. I go back tonight for CPAP fitting and testing. I figured there was a 50/50 chance I had it, but I wasn't completely sure because I don't snore very often. I did sleep like shit last night, kept waking up, couldn't stay asleep... well I guess I know why LOL. I'm hopeful that with a CPAP I'll have more energy during the day, because fatigue + insomnia are making me miserable.

Edited May 9, 2017 by dtac
Changed minute to hour

[melissaw72]

6 hours ago, dtac said:

UPDATE: Had the first night of my sleep study done. Turns out I do have obstructive sleep apnea, stopped breathing about 40x a minute. O2 sat dropped to 79. I go back tonight for CPAP fitting and testing. I figured there was a 50/50 chance I had it, but I wasn't completely sure because I don't snore very often. I did sleep like shit last night, kept waking up, couldn't stay asleep... well I guess I know why LOL. I'm hopeful that with a CPAP I'll have more energy during the day, because fatigue + insomnia are making me miserable.

I'm glad they figured things out.

[dtac]

I think the sleep study has helped to identify several different problems. Both insomnia and anxiety affect my ability to sleep. The insomnia affects the onset all the time. Without meds, it's 1-2am to fall asleep, no matter what. Lunesta and most sedatives will help with that. But if my anxiety flips, then I need an anxiolytic as well (hi Xanax!) If it's really bad, I either don't fall asleep until 2-3am, or I fall asleep and wake up every 2-3h. When I was on the CPAP at the sleep lab (with the apnea controlled) I still woke up 4 times because of the electrodes, straps, and being in an unfamiliar environment, and Lunesta did nothing to help me fall asleep because I was anxious. I had to lay there for about an hour (2h after taking Lunesta) to fall asleep. In my own bed last night, I had no problems falling asleep and staying asleep with just Lunesta and my CPAP (because my bed is comfortable, and it's home.)

So basically insomnia affects my falling asleep every night, and anxiety is an additional problem that compounds it. I know it seems so simple, but it wasn't until today I figured out how to separate the two. The apnea is a separate issue, but now that it's identified and controlled, I can help control the insomnia and anxiety independently.

Sleep study was worth it! If your sleep is poor, it's worth doing, even if it just eliminates any underlying problems.

[melissaw72]

8 hours ago, dtac said:

I think the sleep study has helped to identify several different problems. Both insomnia and anxiety affect my ability to sleep. The insomnia affects the onset all the time. Without meds, it's 1-2am to fall asleep, no matter what. Lunesta and most sedatives will help with that. But if my anxiety flips, then I need an anxiolytic as well (hi Xanax!) If it's really bad, I either don't fall asleep until 2-3am, or I fall asleep and wake up every 2-3h. When I was on the CPAP at the sleep lab (with the apnea controlled) I still woke up 4 times because of the electrodes, straps, and being in an unfamiliar environment, and Lunesta did nothing to help me fall asleep because I was anxious. I had to lay there for about an hour (2h after taking Lunesta) to fall asleep. In my own bed last night, I had no problems falling asleep and staying asleep with just Lunesta and my CPAP (because my bed is comfortable, and it's home.)

So basically insomnia affects my falling asleep every night, and anxiety is an additional problem that compounds it. I know it seems so simple, but it wasn't until today I figured out how to separate the two. The apnea is a separate issue, but now that it's identified and controlled, I can help control the insomnia and anxiety independently.

Sleep study was worth it! If your sleep is poor, it's worth doing, even if it just eliminates any underlying problems.

I'm really glad to hear that!