I'm going for a sleep study tonight. That's where someone I do not not know studies me - sleeping...kind of.
It's my second one. I had my first one about six years ago. At the time, I was constantly exhausted. I couldn't drive in the car for more than half an hour without feeling like dozing. My eyelids were a light purple color - very attractive.
My husband had noticed my sleep apnea long ago. He said that sometimes I would quit breathing for close to a minute which of course alarmed him to no end. Finally, when I got sick of being tired and tired of listening to him and my doctor go on about my sleep issues, I agreed to go for the study.
It was weird. They hook you up all over the place. I mean your head, face, arms, legs and chest. Then, about the time you feel really uncomfortable, they tell you you can go to sleep when you're ready.
Ready?.....I have wires all over me stuck to my body with sticky goop that will probably never come off. A complete and total stranger is sitting in another room monitoring my snoring and sputtering and eyelid movement the entire night. Sure, no problem. You bet! I can sleep. And I did...sort of. I was told in the morning that my sleep was disturbed 341 times in a six-hour period.
Holy Toledo! No wonder I was so tired. So they fix you up with a C-pap - a machine that forces air into your nose and prevents the soft tissue in your throat from closing. And it works! It has done wonders for me.
So, that's what I'm doing tonight. I guess you're supposed to have the study redone every two years or so in case the air pressure in your C-pap needs to be adjusted. Or, if you really need a night of discomfort and self-consciousness. And really, who doesn't?
Truthfully, I will say that if you have sleep apnea, do something about it. Because it's dangerous for one thing. And you'll realize that you felt like shit for years without even knowing it. And then you'll feel so much better you'll be like "wow, how did I function before C-pap?"
My evening of torture begins at 8:00 pm. I'll be outa there by 5:30 am. Piece of cake!
