Sleep Study Advise

Self | Aug 20, 2026 | fwdude

[fwdude]

I wanted to get some advise from FReepers who have walked this road. I have my first ever sleep study scheduled this weekend. Reading the prep literature makes me wonder how I'm going to sleep when I'm hooked up to all kinds of gadgets.

I know I'll eventually sleep, but being away from home I'm not sure it will be a fair representation of the type of sleep I get at home.

What do I need to be prepared for and to bring?

[bk1000]

“I hope they’ll measure these episodes.”

They will. That is kind of the point. What happens is, when you sleep, your tongue slides back and blocks your airway. Your body’s emergency response kicks in and wakes you. This can happen constantly through the night, and you never get quality sleep. People have died from sleep apnea. The cpap works by keeping a constant air pressure in your airway, thus keeping it open. It takes a minute to get used to it, and you may have to try different masks to find the one for you. Facial hair is an issue, but there are work-arounds for that. Check CPAP.com. I am happy to answer any questions based on my experience.

[The Great RJ]

I’ve had three sleep studies and had the same concern about being able to sleep when all wired up. You just fall asleep as normal and hardly notice all the wires. If you experience sleep apnea you may be awakened and fitted with a CPAP device for the remainder of the study. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and have used a CPAP for 25 years. For me CPAP has been a lifesaver and has become part of my nightly routine. I’ve taken my CPAP everywhere from international travel to camping.

[6ppc]

I’ve been on CPAP for 15 years. For me sleep studies are hell. I’m a side sleeper and they insist I lay on my back.

That said, it has improved my sleep tremendously. I now have about 1 apnea event an hour. I’m 72, the same age my dad was at his death. I firmly believe he had it, and I’d probably be dead without CPAP.

[grame]

I missed this part with Cpap. I wore it 8 months and got very little sleep. When I returned it after deciding it was making me ill from not sleeping, they wrote in my medical record ‘returned against medical advice’.

Suffice it to say, in many things I’m an oddball who doesn’t fit the norm. The same still holds, the Cpap didn’t work for me.

[fwdude]

I was afraid they’d make me lay on my back. I won’t sleep at all if that’s the case.

[mass55th]

"This upcoming in-clinic appointment only requires the co-pay. The doctor told me they can monitor a whole lot more in these clinic studies, like brain activity."

That definitely makes sense.

I went to a sleep clinic about 30 or so years ago. I don't remember much of it, or whether I actually slept. The one thing I do remember though is getting a bill for $1500. My first thought was: $1500, and they didn't even give me breakfast the next morning before sending me home. The reason for the high bill was because my doctor's office hadn't provided the clinic with a possible diagnosis or reason for the test, so once they did that, and resubmitted the claim, my insurance paid for it. Fortunately, I had no sleep disorder.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Gen.Blather got it right. It took me forever to fall asleep and, when I finally did, it seemed like only a minute later they were waking me to put on a CPAP mask. They don't need much actual sleep time to determine is your blood oxygen is dropping to bad levels. It'll be a crummy night of sleep in a strange environment. There's no way around that and not much you can do to ease that. Maybe bring an airplane black sleep mask with you.

A few things to think about after you get your CPAP:

1. When I got my CPAP machine, I bought a recording oxygen sensor on my own dime so I could monitor my own blood oxygen levels (partial pressure of oxygen is called "SpO2"). It reports on the number of SpO2 drops during your sleep. I've been using CPAP about five years and still don't care for the mask. Sometimes I'll take it off in my sleep around 2 or 3 am. I can see clearly on the SpO2 traces with-CPAP and without-CPAP. My SpO2 gets more erratic without CPAP. I use a product called "O2Ring" from a company called "Wellue." The "Oura" ring is the more popular solution these days.
2. If you are interested in how you are doing, get the "OSCAR" software for your computer. Then you can import the data from your CPAP machine. It's a simple process -- use an SD Card in your CPAP machine, pull the card now and then, pop it into your computer, start OSCAR and import data. You will see all sorts of interesting things.
3. You can easily merge the data from O2Ring or Oura ring with the CPAP data in the OSCAR software. The CPAP machine does not measure your SpO2. The two together give a more complete picture of your sleep.
4. As G.B said, there are "physical or neural interrupts to your breathing." Physical is your airway collapsing. Neural is your brain not telling your lungs to breathe. I've tried lots of things to improve my sleep. The best are:
   • Quiet time an hour or two before bed. No screen time.
   • Magnesium supplement two hours before bed.
   • Lots of exercise, but early in the day. Too close to bed time is disruptive.
   • Lose weight. Keep an ideal body weight.
   • No alcohol. That's a huge sleep killer.
   • No caffeine or none six hours before bedtime.
   • If you suffer from airway collapse it could be because you are sleeping on your back. You can buy a device with backpack-like straps that keeps a tennis ball centered on your back. When you roll over onto your back, the ball forces you to roll onto your side. It's supposed to train you to be a side-sleeper.
5. I've worked with two sleep doctors. Neither was very good, IMO. They don't spend much time with you or provide much guidance. They seem to want to get you in and out quickly without understanding what's going on. I find the Apnea Board forum to be a great resource. Lots of people will help and guide you. I think the expertise and guidance available there is, frankly, better than I got from the two sleep docs.
6. Medications and supplements have have a big impact on sleep. Evaluate them carefully.

[Maine Mariner]

That is exactly what happened to me as well. After an hour it was clear that I had sleep apnea. The monitor woke me up and told me it was pretty bad. She put me on a Cpap and I had the best six hours of sleep in three or four years.
That was over 20 years ago and I have used a Cpap or Bipap every night since then.

[ronniesgal]

I second that on magnesium capsules. I have had crap sleep since I was 30, so about 40 years. I just started taking magnesium and I sleep! Melatonin gave me a hangover, even a tiny amount.

[Ragnar54]

I have been through several sleep studies, most recently an at-home test from Lofta.

They all showed that I needed a CPAP machine. It makes a huge difference. You can get a cheap evaluation by running an app on your phone at night (I use Sleep cycle). There are some surgical alternatives to a CPAP, but they typically only work for obstructive sleep apnea. If you have central sleep apnea, you pretty much need a CPAP. Your phone won't be able to tell you which kind you have: that determination requires more extensive monitoring.

[Jim W N]

When all else fails, turn to Jesus.

He gives his beloved sleep Ps. 127:2.

Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.

I sleep eleven hours at night now. Wonderful.

[farm_kid]

My last sleep study was 15 years ago, so the technology and techniques have probably changed. Some people have a claustrophobia-like reaction to a mask. I couldn’t get to sleep, and because I stopped the test before midnight, they didn’t charge me, and I went back another night to try again. It went fine that time. I ended up with a nose-only mask instead of a full face mask.

[Puppage]

I hit 93 an hour. I asked my doctor on a scale of 1-10, how bad was mine? He said 20.

[HamiltonJay]

Haha, the one amusing thing was, obviously they didn’t have the pressure customized to my needs... so it was at full blast.

You remember that peeing scene in Austin Powers when he first is dethawed?

Yea, imagine that but with flatulence.. I had the longest and most releases of my life the morning after... I mean, it just wouldn’t end.. I was laughing it went on so long.

[spankalib]

Thanks. bkmk

[Rio]

I was lucky and was sleep-deprived due to a long night the night prior. Slept no problem because of that. The electrodes didn’t bother me much.
Get up way early that morning so you’ll be extra sleepy. They kicked me out at 5am or I would have slept there longer.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"They kicked me out at 5am or I would have slept there longer."

LOL...after they woke me and put the mask on, I finally dozed off again and got into a sound sleep. Then that happened: "Time go get up! Get going! Time's up! Scram!"

I'd never had to wear an O2 mask before. It felt like the "face hugger" in the "Alien" movie.

[woodbutcher1963]

I have been on a Resmed CPAP machine for two years. I was diagnosed by my new dentist. Who asked me IF I had ever been tested for sleep apnea. I had a mouth guard my previous dentist had made for me. I brought it in with the new dentist. He asked IF I snored? Which I replied , like a freight train. He suggested I get tested. My GP put the order.

I did my sleep study at home. It was about the size of an I WATCH. I wore it on my left wrist. It had a lead that went over my pinky finger. Then another wire to go up to wore my clavicle bones meet at the base of my neck.
I wore it one night and brought it back the next day.
A few days later I got the results.

Then they recommended a RESMED CPAP machine. I am 63. I am not on Medicare. I had to pay for this out of my Health Savings Account. I also pay for the masks and filters.
I am still using the original hose.

Every Saturday I take it downstairs and soak the hose mask, water reservoir and one other part in the hottest water out of the tap. Plus Dawn dish detergent.

My mask covers my mouth and nose. It is made by Fisher Paykel. I rotate between two masks. I rinse those out EVERY morning again with the HOTTEST tap water coming out of the bathroom faucet.

Also, make sure you only use DISTILLED WATER to refill with.

[50sDad]

I was falling asleep driving, and at my desk at work. My boss... GOD BLESS HIM... pushed me to have the study done. They wired me up, I slept fitfully (as I had for 30 years.) You know how an X-ray tech can’t read your x-rays? I asked the sleep tech, and he said “Well, I’m not allowed to say... but I knew in the first 15 minutes.” Going on a CPAP was the second best choice I made in life, after accepting Christ. I realized I hadn’t been DREAMING in DECADES. I was able to get by with “nose pillows”. (I had feared that it would be the old-style Darth Vader full mask. Tech has improved a LOT since back in the day.) I’ve been on mask and loving it for a decade, plus. FEAR NOT!

[Gen.Blather]

Thanks for your excellent response.