I got an eye-witness view of what happens to make a sleep test work.
When DH (Dear Hubby) saw his doctor, the doctor said he still needed him to go through the sleep lab. He would prescribe a sedative this time and he re-scheduled him.
Things were a bit different this time around. He still got the call to remind him what to do. Rhis time the arrangement was different. I drove him. I was able to stay overnight in a separate room for no charge. He had some idea what to expect. Ladies of my Bible study prayed for him and the test.
He had a different technician. He showed us to a fairly large but quite cool room. This technician sat down and discussed the test and why the testing is important. He mentioned the connection between breathing and high blood pressure and heart attacks. He explained that to use the toilet DH must call him to take care of the wires. With two patients he might have to wait if he was helping the other patient.
He talked about why no cd or radio signals to help one go to sleep. Such noise could cause a problem in recording the sensors signal.
Before any wires were attached the tech had DH wear and use the breathing apparatus for about 20 minutes to accustom him to it. When the tech was out of the room we did some reading and talking.
This technician put the tiny wires in the back instead of the front. I was surprised to see what the wires looked like. They were very tiny. Each was a different color and they plugged in to a box about the size of a wallet with lots of holes. They reminded me of a miniature pegboard. The other end was secured with some adhesive tape. He pre-tested at least two sensors. One sensor could tell if one’s eyes were open or closed, another sensed foot or leg movement.
Lights out was closer to our usual bedtime. The tech explained that he needed enough time to be sure they got a good reading on all the tests. This time DH didn’t have to have the light out until 10 p.m. and I was in the room until then.
During the night DH’s throat did close up so he woke up as the tech placed a larger devise on him to keep that from happening. Other than that, he slept well. I slept well in the next room until DH woke up. We showered, dressed and went out to breakfast.
Tags: Sleep, sleep lab, sleep test
