Sleep study

[BelGeorge]

Hi,

I have a sleep study in a few months, for which I will have to spend 1 night in the hospital.
I was referred by my GP because of snoring and a strongly changed sleeping pattern for several months.
I have to get up once or twice every night to pee. I understand that this will not be possible during that examination, and that a nurse would offer a bedpan so that I do not have to get out of bed to urinate. I would, of course, prefer to wear a diaper for this, as I sometimes do at home.

Does anyone have experience with sleep studies, and whether or not the staff would be surprised if I suggested I wear a diaper.

 

[blaincorrous]

Hi,

I have a sleep study in a few months, for which I will have to spend 1 night in the hospital.
I was referred by my GP because of snoring and a strongly changed sleeping pattern for several months.
I have to get up once or twice every night to pee. I understand that this will not be possible during that examination, and that a nurse would offer a bedpan so that I do not have to get out of bed to urinate. I would, of course, prefer to wear a diaper for this, as I sometimes do at home.

Does anyone have experience with sleep studies, and whether or not the staff would be surprised if I suggested I wear a diaper.

Ask if you have concerns.

The medical profession generally doesn’t care. They’ve seen it all before.

 

[MarineJohn]

I have worn to my sleep studies with no issues. I am urinarily incontinent so wear 24/7. I just changed into a dry diaper when they told me to change for bed and if they noticed, nothing was said.

 

[CptKirk]

I've had at least 8-10 sleep studies over the years and I have to be wearing. NEVER even batted an eyelid and actualy asked if I'd need a change through the night and if so to give them a ring. I think that was more so the leads didn't get knowck off but trust me, it is NOT even something thast they'd bat an eyelid at, seriously. I also brought in apair of reusable bedpads as well so in case I did leak, their mattress would stay dry.

 

[NivekDLF]

I had a sleep study done last June. I asked to do the at home sleep study! It is way better you can sleep in whatever you want and wear a diaper if you choose too.

 

[BelGeorge]

The sleep study that I'll have is only possible in the hospital, not at home. There is a lot of that needs to be attached to the body and it's a room equipped with the necessary recording equipment.

There is registration of:
- brain waves
- eye movement
- chin muscle tension
- leg muscle strain
- heart rate
- breathing
- sleeping position
- snoring (microphone)
- oxygen level
- air flow
And there are videocamera's recording as well.

I don't think this kind of study can easily be executed at home. The hospital has a dedicated sleep-study-center with equipped rooms for this.

Attaching the equipment takes about an hour, then everything needs to be attached to the computer (takes another 15 minutes) and tested.
From then on, I will not be allowed to get out of the bed for at least 8 hours.

 

[CptKirk]

Like I said...I've gone through this numerous times. I stated my issues up front and how I handle them. The nurse/person administering the test did wind up asking me a million questions about the diapers as (she said) her Mom had recently begun needing "protection" and to date everything was utterly useless, so I gave her a pretty thorough education on what to look for & where to buy from. The bed pads were also a surprise to this person but she told me she wished a LOT MORE people would simply "own their problems" like I did as she's had more than a few wet beds. Hardest part from me was BEGGING them to not wake me up early as that totally destroys my day. I was in bed ready for sleep by 9 but would had snapped if woken @ 5:00 AM! I told them to leave me sleep until I wake up or 8 AM at the earliest and though it took some negotiating they've always obliged me. My body often refuses to wake up until I have 12, 14, 16 through over 20 hours of sleep depending on pain levels and how badly I might be flaring autoimmune wise. I learned years ago that if you don't STRONGLY advocate for yourself, NO ONE ELSE WILL!
Feel free to ask me anything.

 

[ParaRomeo]

Though I am IC every sleep study(have had a lot) except 1 I have had has been in the hospital though I could be wrong even though paralyzed every time and 3 different hospitals they have mentioned if you need to use the bathroom they can either disconnect the quick connect plugs or I could use a urinal which usually is when I explain I am IC and wear diapers most times they ask if I need briefs/Attends(in healthcare calling them diapers is disrespectful and no no) or if I have my own I tell them I have my own and every time they explain just hit the call light and they will come in shut the cameras off and pull the curtain few times been asked if I needed help which I deny.

The one I had at home I had a home health aid come in wire me up including everything the hospital ones had but for the electrodes it was like a skull cap vs paste stuff. Than came back on the morning

Again I could be wrong but I have never heard of a sleep study where they refuse to let you get out of bed to use the bathroom and honestly to get a person on a bedpan would probably cause more interference and it creates more work. If you want to wear a diaper go for it but don't expect them to help or care about it beside if they know they may ask as IC can be Neuro related and Neuro related stuff can lead to other things like sleep apnea

 

[iatec779]

They will disconnect the big cable and leave the little wires connected to you to use the restroom. If you need a diaper then wear it as they see it a lot and will be no big deal.
I have had sleep study in the past and also worked in a hospital for over 10 years part of it supporting a sleep lab.

 

[BelGeorge]

Thank you all for the helpfull replies.

 

[BabyHailey1977]

I had two studies done the last year of my military status. I wore a diaper both times. My military doctors did not know about my diapers, but they did afterwards lol. The study was done at a civilian clinic and their notes included the “adult briefs worn for protection” line. My military doctor asked about them and I denied it. I don’t think he bought it. Lol.

The sleep study went great

 

[jamiejamie]

If you typically sleep with diapers at home, you can. If you never do that at home- I wouldn’t do it cuz it can be really difficult to fall asleep when you have some padding between your legs. Maybe start wearing at bedtime so you can get used to it for several nights. It took me like 4 nights before I am used to wearing at bedtime.

 

[diapernh]

They will disconnect the cable and let you up to use the bathroom. That situation comes up all the time.

Wear what you normally wear at night, don’t try to change it up…. They need to see how you sleep under the normal conditions….. so if you are used to being diapered, do it. Otherwise abstain from it.

Special note they do hook leads to your legs to check for restless legs, these wires are best run down the legs of your sleep pants. Also you cannot wear a onsie easily as you have electrodes on your chest, etc.

 

[CheshireCat]

I have atypical narcolepsy with atypical cataplexy. I have had a ridiculous amount of sleep studies.

Disconnecting the leads cable is standard procedure. Many of my sleep studies incorporated the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), meaning sleep test all night and then five naps the following day spaced two hours apart, so about 20 hours total in the sleep lab. They disconnected me between naps so that I was free to sit in a recliner or sit at a table to eat and use my computer, and use the toilet (or for me change my diaper).

Every bed I ever slept in for a study was fully protected for bedwetting. Bedwetting is a common parasomnia on it's own and can be a symptom of other sleep disorders. One study found as much as 7% of people with sleep apnea also experience wetting the bed.

Wear comfortable bed clothes. I found a loose t-shirt and loose gym shorts work best, as they allow easy access to place sensors and run leads: head, chest, arms, legs, feet. You will find the rig annoying because it pulls on your body parts whenever you move. You will feel like you got a poor night of sleep because of it, but in reality you will sleep almost as well as you normally do. If you wear a diaper, they will become aware of it when running the leads. More importantly, if you don't wet in your sleep and wake up and use the diaper, they will be fully aware that you are voiding intentionally. If you decide not to wear a diaper, I would recommend wearing comfortable underwear under your gym shorts for both yours and the technicians modesty. You can press the call button if you need the toilet and they will disconnect you. After they reconnect you they will need to run a short diagnostic again to make sure that all leads are communicating after being replugged, then you can go back to sleep.

If you have episodes of sleep apnea, they will come in and quickly fit you with a CPAP mask. Standard procedure.

You will leave the next morning feeling like you got two hours of sleep. The first sleep test is the roughest because of your heightened senses.

Hopefully you will get some promising news during your follow up with a sleep specialist.

 

[littlemoosey]

Ok let me ask the on obvious question. How the hell can you you sleep with all of that attached to you in a bed that is foreign in a room that is not yours. I understand that this is the way it is done, if it seems that the data would not be completely valid.

 

[CheshireCat]

Ok let me ask the on obvious question. How the hell can you you sleep with all of that attached to you in a bed that is foreign in a room that is not yours. I understand that this is the way it is done, if it seems that the data would not be completely valid.

Sleep occurs in five stages: wake, N1, N2, N3, and REM. Stages N1 to N3 are considered non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, with each stage a progressively deeper sleep. Approximately 75% of sleep is spent in the NREM stages, with the majority spent in the N2 stage.

Normally, when one goes to bed at night, it takes 90 minutes to descend through N1, N2 N3, and finally enter REM sleep. Rem is where dreaming occurs. The eyes move rapidly, breathing becomes shallow and rapid, and blood pressure and heart rate increase. During REM sleep, the arms and legs are paralyzed so that sleepers can't act out their dreams. After a short time in REM, the brain quickly comes back up to stage N1. Then the brain starts the descent back down to REM sleep again. Each cycle the amount of time spent in REM increases, which is why dreaming is so major just before we wake in the morning.

The data that sleep specialists are looking for is not whether you feel like you had a good night of sleep, but what is interfering with proper sleep, such as how you pass through the five stages of sleep, how much time you spend in each each stage, dystonic like activity (restless legs), sleep apnea, etc.

When I go to bed, I can enter an atypical state of REM before I fall asleep. I'm literally making determinations of what is reality (my bedroom) versus dream (a person in the room or a wall replaced by a vista). During sleep studies, I enter REM within three minutes of falling asleep for bedtime and all five naps. This is tangible data indicating neurological issues.

You're correct in that the discomfort of being wired up, not being in your own bed, and knowing someone is monitoring you on closed circuit video does not lend itself to a good night of sleep. But none of that affects the actual things they look for while you are sleeping, because you can't control your sleep.

 

[KindaOlde]

The sleep study that I'll have is only possible in the hospital, not at home. There is a lot of that needs to be attached to the body and it's a room equipped with the necessary recording equipment.

There is registration of:
- brain waves
- eye movement
- chin muscle tension
- leg muscle strain
- heart rate
- breathing
- sleeping position
- snoring (microphone)
- oxygen level
- air flow
And there are videocamera's recording as well.

I don't think this kind of study can easily be executed at home. The hospital has a dedicated sleep-study-center with equipped rooms for this.

Attaching the equipment takes about an hour, then everything needs to be attached to the computer (takes another 15 minutes) and tested.
From then on, I will not be allowed to get out of the bed for at least 8 hours.

I had a sleep study much like that described above. Given that it was more than 30 years ago but I did awaken during the night needing to pee. The tech came in and unhooked all the leads, I did what I needed to do and went right back to bed. No problem. I have to say getting a cpap machine I believe saved my life. The apnea was so bad that the tech said he knew within 30 minutes of my falling asleep. I never don't use my machine and it goes everywhere with me. Even if I'm just going to lay down for a nap I put it on. Best of luck with your study.

 

[diapernh]

I had a sleep study much like that described above. Given that it was more than 30 years ago but I did awaken during the night needing to pee. The tech came in and unhooked all the leads, I did what I needed to do and went right back to bed. No problem. I have to say getting a cpap machine I believe saved my life. The apnea was so bad that the tech said he knew within 30 minutes of my falling asleep. I never don't use my machine and it goes everywhere with me. Even if I'm just going to lay down for a nap I put it on. Best of luck with your study.

I love when i go to medical appointments and they ask how often i use my cpap and if it is all night....... Like did i have a choice?
I have like a 99.9% compliancy rate, if i forget it is rare.... but the problem is I wake up, but can't rub 2 thoughts together to get my machine on.

NEVER again will i go into the hospital and use their machine.... MY MACHINE ONLY. I have an auto bi-pap and it works the way i am used to, and my mask is the one i have used for years.

 

[iatec779]

I have a cpap machine for over 10 years now. I can’t sleep without it and goes everywhere with me.
I can attest to other comments above as to how the sleep study goes. You will go home and need a nap but in the end it was the best thing ever as now I can actually sleep a full night.

 

[vp39]

Sleep occurs in five stages: wake, N1, N2, N3, and REM. Stages N1 to N3 are considered non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, with each stage a progressively deeper sleep. Approximately 75% of sleep is spent in the NREM stages, with the majority spent in the N2 stage.

Normally, when one goes to bed at night, it takes 90 minutes to descend through N1, N2 N3, and finally enter REM sleep. Rem is where dreaming occurs. The eyes move rapidly, breathing becomes shallow and rapid, and blood pressure and heart rate increase. During REM sleep, the arms and legs are paralyzed so that sleepers can't act out their dreams. After a short time in REM, the brain quickly comes back up to stage N1. Then the brain starts the descent back down to REM sleep again. Each cycle the amount of time spent in REM increases, which is why dreaming is so major just before we wake in the morning.

The data that sleep specialists are looking for is not whether you feel like you had a good night of sleep, but what is interfering with proper sleep, such as how you pass through the five stages of sleep, how much time you spend in each each stage, dystonic like activity (restless legs), sleep apnea, etc.

When I go to bed, I can enter an atypical state of REM before I fall asleep. I'm literally making determinations of what is reality (my bedroom) versus dream (a person in the room or a wall replaced by a vista). During sleep studies, I enter REM within three minutes of falling asleep for bedtime and all five naps. This is tangible data indicating neurological issues.

You're correct in that the discomfort of being wired up, not being in your own bed, and knowing someone is monitoring you on closed circuit video does not lend itself to a good night of sleep. But none of that affects the actual things they look for while you are sleeping, because you can't control your sleep.

Thank you for this thorough explanation of the sleep stages. I chose to read the thread just out of curiosity and ended up learning something interesting.