My Sleep Test

I have a sleeping problem. It started in college when I was a Resident Assistant. I had a rowdy floor, and a fairly strict hall director, so consequently, I became a light sleeper. I've also always had sinus issues, so that doesn't help. The bottom line is, most nights, I wake up every 2-3 hours. I wake up every morning tired and sometimes with headaches. Due to my poor sleeping, I'm hesitant to ever give myself less than 8 hours to sleep because I know that I will really only get 5-6 hours of generally restless sleep. I really believe I hardly ever get into a good deep sleep due to frequent waking.

Lately, this has been getting worse. In fact, 2 nights ago, I couldn't fall asleep until nearly 3 am, and I had to be to work at 8:30 for a meeting. Needless to say, it was a tough day. I've even resorted to having a Coke on multiple occasions for the caffeine. I have never been a coffee drinker.

I've lived like this for the past 12 years. About a month ago, I asked my doctor about this, and he said it sure sounds like Sleep Apnea, but we need to do a sleep test to be sure. My wife has suspected I have some form of Sleep Apnea due to my snoring and irregular breathing. But, I've never actually stopped breathing in my sleep. Anyway, my sleep test was last night.

For those who have never participated in a sleep test, it's quite the thing. I had to show up at the Sleep Center (yes they have those) at 7:45 pm. They had me change into my sleeping clothes, and then they started putting probes on me. The technician, who was very nice, connected about 10 probes to my scalp, and several more to my face, neck and chest. She then put probes on my leg to test for restless leg syndrome. Next it was 2 different breathing sensors for the nose, and one that went over the mouth. Finally, a blood oxygen sensor for my finger.

After all that, I'm thinking that there is no way I'm going to be able to fall asleep with all this on, even with the Ambien my doctor gave me. Boy was I wrong...that Ambien is strong stuff. After some calibration of the recording equipment, including a camera, I fell asleep very quickly. This was about 9:30. Sometime during the night, the technician woke me to get me to roll onto my back. They have to test both back and side sleeping. Around the same time, I had to go through the adventure of going to the bathroom, which involved a bunch of cables hanging off me qnd some very careful movement.

The technician had warned me that if I had a certain number of breathing "events", she would come in and attach a CPAP machine to me. I was really worried about this. I tend to get a little claustrophobic, so the idea of a CPAP machine frightens me a bit. Anyway, this didn't happen, thank God.

My technician woke me up a little after 4 am, and I was on the road home by 4:40. I took the long way home to let my wife and kids sleep undisturbed for a while, but was home shortly after 5 am. I wasn't tired anymore, but did squeeze in a 20 minute nap before I left for work at 8.

Overall, it was quite the experience. I was very nervous about the whole ordeal, but with the help of a lot of prayer and a very encouraging wife, I got through it. I'm so grateful that my technician was good at her job. She made the process as easy as possible for me. She also told me that we got a "complete test". Now we have to wait for the Sleep Doctor to review the results. The next step might be another sleep test with a CPAP machine, or it might be something else, depending on what they find. My personal doctor will be contacting me in a few weeks to discuss the results.

I pray that we are able to find some solution to my sleeping trouble. I have managed to get by like this for a long time, but have recently started to wonder what life would be like if I had more energy. Will I be able to stick to a workout plan? Will I be willing to go out with the guys after choir because I know I'll be able to sleep when I get home? Will I be a better worker because of increased energy? Most importantly, I wonder will I have more energy to be the Christian, husband and father I want to be? I pray that all this will be possible. I am willing to try what the doctors suggest, even if it is a CPAP machine. If it is, I pray that God will give me the strength to adjust and persevere through any initial difficulties.

Anyway, that's my sleep test story...thanks for taking the time to read it.