Thursday, December 16, 2010

A 12 hour period spent in hell (Or, Why I Feel Like Crap After a Sleep Study)

Ugh. I'm lucky I'm here today, as Tuesday night, I spent about 12 hours in hell, part of a "sleep study." It's definitely not something I'd be happy about doing again. According to the tech, I "met the criteria" for using a CPAP machine, but I don't think the test is an objective tool at all--not with all the crappy wires, leads, straps or anything else they put on you, or even as they try to make the atmosphere more acceptable, it's not very inviting. I ended up sleeping on my back which was quite uncomfortable, and that alone is a result of the extra 20 lbs they pile on you with equipment. Tell me how you're supposed to turn on your side with all that stuff?

As it's already 4 am, and as I am still awake and working online (though I am finally getting a bit more drowsy), it's difficult for me to think that falling asleep around 11:30 at night is natural to me. I night have an episode or two of early sleep, but 95% of the time, I don't sleep that early at all. It's only when people challenge the status quo that we have a more rounded world--when I worked many moons ago as a nurse's aide, I worked graveyard shift, and staying up all night was my usual routine. Some people are just born with the propensity to tolerate different sleep patterns.

In the mean time, I will continue to protest the tests and the unfunny and claustrophobic face mask until I get some greater idea of why I should tolerate it all longer.

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