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An overnight sleep study could be one of the pre-op tests your doctor orders for you. They want to see if you have sleep apnea or another sleep disorder. They perform this test for a variety of reasons, but they want to be able to treat you if you have a dangerous sleep disorder. You won’t need to bring much, just a few essentials. They’ll hook you up to a few electrodes and have you relax. The room inspires relaxation, as they want you to be as comfortable as possible. I had an overnight sleep study as part of my pre-op testing, and it was an interesting experience. The overnight sleep study is a necessary diagnostic test to determine if you have sleep apnea or another sleep disorder.
What is an Overnight Sleep Study?
An overnight sleep study is a diagnostic test to see if you have any sleep-related disorders. According to Very Well Health’s Web site, it can diagnose sleep apnea, insomnia and restless leg syndrome. You’ll typically check into the sleep center between 8 and 10 p.m. and leave between 6 and 8 a.m. On the day of the test, Very Well Health recommends to not drink caffeine after lunch, skip alcohol, wash styling products out of your hair, don’t take a nap and review your medications with your doctor. They recommend these instructions to ensure you are ready for your sleep test. However, always follow the instructions your doctor or clinic provides for you.
If you have trouble sleeping on a normal night, you may want to consider a sleep aid like RedCon1’s Fade Out Formula. Customers say that it helps them sleep better and wake up refreshed, without feeling groggy or tired. However, don’t take a supplement like this one on the night of your overnight sleep study, unless directed by a doctor.
The sleep study itself uses brain waves, heart rate, pulse oxygen, and other vital information to see how well you sleep. If you are obese, they are particularly looking for cases of apnea. Apnea is when your airway gets blocked and you stop breathing in your sleep. The apneas cause the brain to wake you slightly to get you to breathe again, which disrupts your restful sleep. Therefore, your body misses out on the restorative sleep it needs, and this constant waking puts an added strain on your body, including your heart.
Why Do I Need an Overnight Sleep Study?
Many pre-op weight loss surgery programs require you to get clearance from a pulmonologist. The pulmonologist will assess whether you have risk factors for sleep apnea, such as excessive daytime sleepiness. Obesity is also a known risk factor for sleep apnea. If your doctor determines you are at risk, he or she may order an overnight sleep study because they can’t get the full picture at a simple doctor’s visit. According to the Sleep Foundation, they need to see what your body and brain are doing while you sleep. The sleep study will give them the conclusive evidence they’ll need.
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If you have sleep apnea, which insurances consider a co-morbidity, they also want you to get treatment for it, as this medical condition is serious. Most likely you’ll have to use a CPAP machine to help you breathe at night. I know that the process sounds cumbersome and might even bring you down a little. The thought of another diagnosis added to your life can diminish your hope. Don’t let it. The bright side is that as you lose weight, your sleep apnea may improve. However, first, you need to get tested to see if you have this condition.
What to Bring to the Sleep Center
You don’t need much to bring to the sleep center. You’ll want to bring your pajamas, as they’ll allow you to sleep in those instead of an ugly hospital gown. Just remember that the technologists will see you, so you probably want to avoid any kind of revealing pajamas. If you don’t usually wear pajamas, bring something comfortable enough for you to sleep in at the sleep center. You’ll also want to bring your toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash and a comb or brush. If you wear contacts, bring your contact case, contact solution and your glasses. You may also want to bring any medication you take before bed or as soon as you get up in the morning. Don’t forget your cellphone charger if you’ll need to charge your phone.
It’s all you’ll need there. They provide everything else. If you have a favorite pillow that you want to bring to help you sleep, you may choose to do so. I also brought slippers in case I had to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I did bring a change of clothes for the next morning as well. Don’t forget feminine products if you need those too! It’s a simple overnight stay, and you don’t need anything extravagant or fancy to make it through the sleep study.
The Overnight Sleep Study Process
You’ll arrive at the sleep center a few hours before bedtime to get ready. They’ll check you in and direct you where to go. The Sleep Foundation article states the technician will hook you up to an EEG monitor, where they place electrodes on your head and body. You still have plenty of room to move, though. Don’t feel like you’re going to pull out a wire or break something. The technicians know how to place things in a way that they won’t get caught or ruined during your sleep.
The Sleep Foundation also states the machines they hook you up to will measure and monitor your sleep stages and REM cycles. They also measure eye movements, oxygen levels, heart rates, breathing rates, snoring and body movements. All of this data from the overnight sleep study will let the technician and doctor see if you stop breathing in your sleep and if your brain is waking you up slightly to continue breathing.
The placement of the electrodes is painless. They use a special glue to attach them to your head, so your hair does get messy from it. After you get hooked up, they’ll allow you to get ready for bed before actually hooking up the electrodes to the machines. Once you’ve completed your nighttime routine, you’re allowed to watch TV until you’re ready to be hooked up to try to go to sleep.
How Long Do You Need to Sleep for a Sleep Study?
You might be thinking it must be so difficult to sleep with so many wires and hooked up to so many machines, not to mention that someone is watching you sleep and there are microphones in the room to pick up any snoring or sleep talking. You are right. It’s not easy. They’d like you to sleep for approximately seven hours, however, a few hours of sleep may give them all of the data they need to conclude whether you have a sleep disorder.
RELATED CONTENT: Want to learn the 10 changes you need to make in your life to be successful with bariatric surgery? Get our free download here!
If they have enough data to conclude you do have sleep apnea, they may wake you up in the middle of the night to fit you for a CPAP mask, and to find a correct air pressure level or titration. They will then monitor the level and see what number gives you the soundest sleep. This number will help the technologist know what to tell the doctor and get you prepared for when you have your CPAP machine.
My Sleep Study Experience
I had someone drop me off for my sleep study because I knew it was going to be challenging for me to sleep there and would be tired in the morning. It’s okay if you don’t get a full night’s sleep because they can get enough data in just a few hours. The whole process was painless, maybe a bit of pressure at times from firmly applying the electrodes. Otherwise, it was just kind of awkward. It was hard for me to sleep with all of those wires, and I felt like I didn’t sleep at all. They did wake me up to fit me for my CPAP titration, and the technician said I slept better with the mask on. I couldn’t tell the difference to be honest.
The most awkward moment was the middle of the night when I had to use the bathroom. You have to ask for a tech to help you because you are attached to the electrodes. He unhooked me and allowed me to walk to the bathroom by myself. The next morning, my hair was goopy from the electrodes after they took them off my head. I went home and slept for most of the next day. They did provide coffee and tea in the morning, which was nice. It wasn’t a bad experience, it was just hard for me to relax with all of the electrodes on me.
The Testing Center
The people who design the room for an overnight sleep study take into consideration that people feel uncomfortable with all of the wires and electrodes attached to them. So they do try to make the rooms as much as your home or a hotel room as they can. The beds are normal, not hospital beds. They have TVs to help you sleep if that’s your thing. The room I was in also had a couch and a coffee table. They also provided all of the bedding and had bedside tables.
The atmosphere was relaxing. They even had a ceiling fan, which was good because I need a fan to sleep. The lights were dim, and the decor was minimal. It was designed to entice sleep, even if it was difficult to get to sleep despite the best efforts of the environment. It’s not a stuffy hospital room with monitors and machines, rather, it appears to be a generic bedroom with the basics you need to get a good night’s sleep.
A Big NSV
When I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I felt awful. I couldn’t believe that I allowed myself to get so large that it was causing another serious medical condition. Shame and disgust filled my heart. Additionally, I was not happy about having to use a CPAP machine (who is?), but I was delighted to be able to sleep better in the long-run.
About a year after my bariatric surgery, after I had lost around 225 pounds in total, I followed up with my pulmonologist. I told her that I no longer use my CPAP because it was disturbing my sleep more than helping it. She agreed that with my weight loss, it was likely I didn’t have obstructive sleep apnea anymore. She allowed me to take an at-home-sleep-study again, which showed no more apneas! Finding out I no longer have obstructive sleep apnea was one of my favorite and biggest non-scale victories (NSV) I’ve had since my bariatric surgery. Just this aspect of my life makes it worth all the work I put in to have surgery and lose weight.
Hope for Your Sleep Study
In Summary
You’re hooked up to electrodes on your head, arms
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