I did a sleep study and was encouraged to share a bit about what that was like. I’ve had sleeping problems since 2018 when I developed late-onset PTSD. I’ve tried a variety of things and they have helped – but the issue remains. I asked my general practitioner for a referral and here we are.
Prior to the study I had an appointment with a sleep specialist doctor who performed some basic physical assessments as well as asked me questions about what concerns I had. He then verbally walked me through what a sleep study entailed as well as showed me what the sleeping rooms looked like.
We additionally discussed accessibility as I have a service animal. I did have the option of keeping my service animal with me throughout the night but opted to have a friend escort her home and return with her in the morning. We decided together it would be best for me to be the last check in of the night and to bring my sleeping meds as they knock me out quickly and should make the experience easier on me.
The day of the sleep study I could not nap, nor could I have caffeine or alcohol after noon. I came a little close on the caffeine one as I had an unfinished cup of cold-brew iced tea I decided to drink around 11:00am totally forgetting about it being a black tea.
I couldn’t bring any of my own bedding, but I was able to bring my own pyjamas and a stuffy. The beds weren’t great but also not terrible, and I was given an extra blanket when I requested one (the rooms are kept quite cool).
I arrived with my service dog and friend ahead of my appointment and rested in the waiting room. There were a couple forms to fill out. When my time came, I was shown to my room and given time to get settled. I put on my pajamas and went to the bathroom, having already brushed my teeth before arriving.
The technician was lovely and walked me through everything as she did it. Sensors were placed on my skull, jaw, and beside my eyes. Don’t worry – they have a washable goop they put in your hair so no shaving of the head. Sensors were also placed on my legs and back. It took about 45 minutes to get things settled. I went to the washroom one last time to be safe.
After my last potty break, the technician installed nasal cannulas and another sensor on my face as well as an O2 Saturation monitor on my finger. She plugged in and tested everything, adjusting some of the sensors and tape as needed. She then departed the room and did some tests to make sure the cameras and sensors were sending information to the monitoring room properly and left me be till I was ready to sleep.
My friend took my service animal with him and departed while I took my sleep medication and pulled out a book to read. My sleep medication kicks in quite quickly so it wasn’t long before I told the tech I was ready to sleep. She came in for a final check then I drifted off to sleep.
I didn’t sleep well though I did manage to sleep through till the 6:00am wake up. The tech called to me through the speaker system to wake me before coming into the room. She then disconnected me and left me with a quick questionnaire to get dressed and fill out the paperwork at my leisure.
I got dressed, filled in the paperwork, packed up my stuffy, water bottle, and book, and headed home. My follow up is soon where I’ll discover if they found anything of note.
I felt like a very non-sexy cyborg after everything was connected!