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!
