Anyone had a sleep study done?

Hi all. Just wondering if anyone's had a sleep study done. What happened? Were you even able to sleep with all the wires etc stuck on? Was is useful, why or why not?

DH had a sleep study done, but we did it at home. We were given all the stuff and instructions. Been at home made it easier for him.

My mum had one for insomnia and she said she was able to sleep as per normal (which given her insomnia isnt that much really). For her it ruled out a number of things and she was diagnosed with restless leg syndrome but the medication to treat it had some nasty side effects and for her the insomnia was the lesser of two evils

I can see the advantages to having it done at home, but they want to do it at the clinic cos I could have a few things going on. Sleep freak! Lol

Pity your mum didn't get a good end result.

I had one done at a sleep clinic in 2010. I got diagnosed with sleep apnoea (had absolutely no idea I had it before the study). I am not a great sleeper, but did fine that night. Lots of wires and other goodies attached, but you can still move around / adjust position (they are stuck on pretty well lol).
I think it is worth doing. People go their whole lives with sleep disorders without knowing that they even have them or there are so many treatments available to make things easier.
Happy to answer any other questions you have.

Thanks for answering LIG. What was it that tipped you off that you might need a sleep study done?

So can you get up in the middle of the night (like, if you need to go to the toilet) or are you totally attached?

Once you got your diagnosis, what happened? Did you get an effective treatment for it? Are you happy with the outcome?

I have had restless legs pretty much my whole life, but they got progressively worse with each pregnancy and now I even have restless "legs" in my arms haha. Anyway, there is a related disorder called "Periodic Limb Movement Disorder" which is associated with the restless legs which involves repetitive movement while you sleep. It was driving my husband bonkers and he often said that that could be why I am constantly tired during the day because, according to him, I was "exercising all night while I slept! Anyway, I spoke to my doc about it and he suggested a sleep study which I agreed to.
Anyway, they didn't pick up any PLM episodes that night (isn't that just the way?!), but they said I had an apnoea-related disorder called Hypopnoea. Basically, I don't stop breathing, I just have a very limited flow of oxygen to my brain while I sleep. This causes waking many times an hour because my brain is like "I am starving of oxygen here, wake up so you can start breathing properly again".
Anyway, they suggested CPAP and I had a further sleep study to determine the pressure that I need. I didn't sleep a wink that night and just told myself I could never use CPAP because of the claustrophobia.
Cut to two months ago and 2 years of tiredness I decided to bite the bullet and give CPAP another go (at home this time). Took some getting used to, but I have used it consistently for about 1 month now. I am definitely less tired and am glad I persisted.
So yeah, well worth it for me and I am very happy with the outcome.
To answer your toilet question, you are totally "detachable" at all times. You need to take a box (where all the electrode thingies attach) with you to the toilet and it can be a bit tricky negotiating your way around all the wires, but it is fine :)
If I may ask, what is making you feel like you may need a sleep study?

Thanks, really helpful info.

I need one because I'm constantly tired. Have had all the bloods done, but I'm a walking zombie and only get thru the working day thanks to my caffeination routine. I'm seeing a psychologist for some other stuff and brought the issue up, and she recommended getting a study done. So I did a bit of reading about sleep disorders and discovered that things I thought were normal like dreaming when you have a short nap and the freaky dreams I have when I'm falling asleep are totally abnormal sleep patterns. Plus I'm substantially overweight and have been caught snoring even when I was quite young so it all points to something, quite possibly apnoea. I have interrogated my hubby but he's never noticed anything when I'm sleeping. Typical LOL. Apparently that's one of the reasons why women with apnea are under diagnosed - because their hubbies don't pay attention the way women do to their husbands. Lol.

Can I hijack and ask if these sleep studies are expensive? I desperately want dh to do one as he stops breathing at night and is dangerously tired :( He won't see the dr cos he thinks it will lead to expensive treatment (typical male) and he too has his caffeination thing down pat these days.

Liz, it just cost me our hospital excess. Obviously you also need to consider the costs of seeing a sleep specialist (less Medicare rebate) who assesses the study and advises you afterwards. These are private costs, I am not sure if you can have it done in the public system. A CPAP machine is expensive. Next month I will be forking out $2400 for an auto-titration one. You can get cheaper ones, but not by very much. The most I have seen private health cover contributing to a CPAP machine is around $500/$600, which leaves a lot out of pocket. Medicare gives you nothing :(

MD, I also had a history of snoring even before I gained my baby weight. For this reason, the doctor thinks that even if I lose the weight, there is a really good chance that I will need CPAP anyway. Although not common, there are skinny people on CPAP haha - if you have a narrow windpipe, it is probably hereditary. He told me that it is NOT normal for a young woman (teens and 20s) to snore especially if they are in the healthy weight range (which I was). The fact that I am now older and heavier has just made things worse to the point that I got help. Just saying because you mentioned your history. It sounds like it may be worth your while just to get things checked out. Your story sounds similar to mine.

Liz, I didn't get this done a long time ago because I also thought it would be very expensive. Turns out it's not. It might be different in NSW, but here in SA I had a couple of options. In the public system there are a couple of clinics and I know for a fact that one of them only charges a $75 gap. I don't know about the other one because the waiting lists there are pretty long so I didn't even bother asking about it. But we've got PHI and to my great surprise the sleep study at the local private clinic is 100% paid for by them. I just have to pay the consult fee for the sleep doctor (about a $65 gap from what they said over the phone). So, turns out not expensive at all. The expense comes if it turns out you need treatment, but I don't think you can put a price on your brain getting enough oxygen...

FWIW our PHI forks over $1000 per year per CPAP but then they won't pay anymore for extra bits for it for the next 3 years (so I don't think you could split the expense over 2 years, for example). BUT there is a group here in Adelaide who rent them out, it means you get to test/experiment with the masks etc before you commit. Makes sense. Weird how medicare doesn't pay anything, especially when you read about all the comorbidities associated with untreated apnea. :(.

Interesting what you're saying about young women snoring. Back in the day I was in the healthy weight range too. I don't think I snore a lot though, just occasionally, like if I don't have the right pillow configuration going on (and I don't even know if it's real snoring or just a heavy breathing noise). Funnily enough I had all sorts of dramas when I was a kid with adenoids, tonsils, eustacean tubes (ok I know that's the ears but it's all connected) so I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out I've got some funky nasal/windpipe arrangement going on.

BTW I had a snooze earlier and I had a twitchy leg moment and thought of you, LIG. :D

Thanks.. Maybe I won't tell him the cost of the machine just yet ;) at least the sleep study itself will be affordable.

The machine isn't the only treatment. The sleep doctor is usually a respiratory doctor and they have a few things at their disposal. Some people use a mouth guard thingy that holds their jaw open and allows them to breathe better that way. Others people might have a condition like nasal polyps that simple surgery can fix. But you don't know unless you get it checked.