Sleep

Most of us have experienced nights with no sleep. 

Some of us have experienced MANY nights with little to no sleep.

Then there's me!  I thought I was sleeping! I mean how is that even possible?  I go to bed.  Sometimes I get up a time or two or four.... but I was sleeping.

Then, I'd want to sleep ALL. THE. TIME.

At work.  At home.  In the car.  It didn't matter where I was. 

Then my doctor suggested a sleep study.  I thought he was silly.  It's such an expensive test, and I was sleeping.  My husband never heard me quit breathing.  So why?

But I complied.

The night of the test, I had to be at the hospital at 7:15 p.m.  I certainly don't go to bed that early, so I was wondering how long it really took to get me checked in and ready for this test.

I was in for a surprise!  It took quite some time to get me ready for bed. 

The amount of wires stuck to my body....  OH. MY.

After getting me all hooked, I just watched tv until I was ready to attempt to go to sleep.

By the way....I expected a hospital room.  Nope, nada, not happening!  I had a tiny room with a twin bed, a chair, and a table for their machine.  The tv was mounted to the wall at the foot of the bed.  There was a small lamp atop the table.  That's it!  Nothing else.  No bathroom in the room!  I had to walk into a common area to use the restroom!  😱  In my night clothes!  WHAT!

So at about 10:00 p.m., I decided I was ready to try and sleep.

Doesn't this look like sleeping gear to you?? 

TV off.  Laying in bed.  Wondering what exactly I got myself into.

There's sticky in my hair.  My hair is in my face!  I have weird things
in my nose!  What is this?

It took nearly an hour to fall asleep! 

At 12:55 a.m. I get a wake up.  The sleep lab tech tells me that I have stopped breathing enough that they are putting me on a cpap machine right away.  As if I really needed any more equipment on me!

He takes off a few of my wires!  Sweet!  And gets me equipped with a mask for the cpap.  Then I fall asleep.  I don't remember much after that....except I had to readjust when the mask would start making weird sounds (because it would "leak"). 

The tech came in a time or two in the night to fix wires I yanked off in my sleep.  Then they woke me at 6:00ish. 

Not near enough sleep for this girl!!

The tech did tell me he came in at one point to tighten my mask, and he tried to wake me.  But I didn't wake!  I never heard him!  lol!  They get me all unhooked and tell me to go home and I'll hear from someone in 7-10 days about getting my cpap machine.

😨  Say what!! 

I was bad enough that you hooked me up to one after 2 hours...but I have to wait another week to get my own!

So I wait.  Then finally a little over a week later, I get the call that I can go pick up my machine.  YES!  I meet with the respiratory therapist to get all the deets about how to use it and take care of it.

Then she tells me my sleep study results.

When a person quits breathing 40 times in one hour, it is considered extreme!  I quit breathing 140 times per hour!  😨😱  Seriously!  That's about every 25 seconds!

It's no wonder I was tired all the time!  

Now, I'm equipped with a cpap at home and I find myself still somewhat adjusting to sleeping with a weird mask on.  Although I sleep SO. MUCH. BETTER.  I'm still tired some, but no naps at lunch for this girl anymore! 

And my husband says I'm not snoring anymore!  WHAT! 

I recommend the awful sleep study if you think there might be a problem!  As I am a new person!