sleep study

[DDH]

I had a sleep study done last night. My doctor wanted me to have it because my husband says I have started snoring, and pretty loudly. I don't do it all the time, but I guess enough for him to mention it. I told my doctor and boom, "you need to do this sleep study".

Okay, so I go there, pretty much knowing I don't have sleep apnia, but okay, I'll play along. The hook me up last night, go through everything with me, and then watch me the rest of the night.
I turned the tv off about 11:30 after Jay leno, and went to sleep, woke up at 2 and had to have her unhook me so I could go to the bathroom, and I remember waking up, what I thought was several other times because my arm was aching and once it went numb, I know I tossed and turned a bit at one point cause I couldn't get comfortable, and I laid there for 10 minutes or so wide eyed and then I guess I went back to sleep.

The doctor comes in this morning and tells me that I don't have it, which I figured but better safe than sorry, and then she tells me it looked like I slept good. I said, "then why do I feel like I woke up several times." She said it wasn't anymore than what looked normal.
So I'm confused, do you girls wake up several times during the night?
I guess I am thinking of my earlier years when I use to sleep so sound, all through the night. Now I don't feel like I get but about a few hours of good restful sleep and then the rest of the night is tossing and turning and go to sleep, then wake up again for the bathroom, and so on and so forth.

Then I asked her, since they had me hooked up all night on a monitor, what my resting heart rate was so I can figure it better into my HRM, and she said "shouldn't that be taken during the day? I was like, "well I have always heard that the most accurate resting HR was while you were sleeping."
I told her I could be wrong but all the sports fitness stuff I ever remember reading was suppose to be taken at your most restful time and to me that would be during sleep.

Anyway, am I wrong. That just didn't give me much confidence in her, but I guess, she is a sleep doctor, not a fitness doctor so maybe she shouldn't know.

She did look for me and tell me it was 77, so I don't know if that's good or not.

Now I'm waiting for my Endo appt. to see what's up with that and then hopefully I will be through with doctors for a while.

[SadieKate]

Yes, I wake up several times during the night -- and as I get older I stay awake. :(

My snoring is simple sinus issues. The more water I drink the less I snore (as long as it's not right before going to bed).

The more exercise I get, the better I sleep.

[maillotpois]

You should take your resting heart rate when you first wake up. I'm not sure whether your HR while sleeping would correspond - I expect it cycles up and down some.

I wake up several times during the night as well. I never thought much of it.

[Veronica]

I usually wake up once to use the bathroom and get a drink. And I spend a little time with the kittens. If I have a hard time getting back to sleep I put myself into corpse pose from yoga and try to think only about relaxing. If my kitten Tucker is on the bed, I'll get him to purr as the sound helps me to relax.

My restless sleep generally comes from thinking about stuff that I just shouldn't be worried about at 2 AM.

V.

[DDH]

Thanks, it is nice to know that the doctor isn't crazy, althought I hate I don't relish the idea of my body changing and knowing this is just the way it's going to be now. I use to sleep so sound, and all the way through the night. I miss that. I guess I still get ample sleep or I wouldn't be able to function so I will just have to accept this is the way it is.


Thanks for the HR info. I did come home and read that this morning. It shoudl be taken in the morning before I move out of bed, and then do it several morning and average them.

So I wasn't right, but neither was she. LOL

[Grog]

I ain't a doctor, but I think what is generally understood as "resting heart rate" is your heart rate when you (naturally) wake up (not when you're awoken by an alarm buzzing in your head).

I've slept with my HRM once for fun and recorded a high of 193 during my sleep, I thought that was pretty cool. A doctor-friend told me that we do go through may cycles at night, and highs and lows are to be expected. When we sleep we're more active than we look like...

[maillotpois]

I know I'm pretty active in my sleep. Sometimes I wake up exhausted from all the dreams I've had. It's like I'm watching a series of action movies all night long!

[SadieKate]

Try having nightmares during which you or friends die. Yeah, I'm a classic case study of how exercise is good for your health.

[beccaB]

I feel like I have a lot of problems with sleep. I'm 46 and I asked my doctor about it and his response was that's all part of the aging process.It felt like he was blowing me off. Most of my problems occur during the school year when I have to get up at 5:30 am. During the summer I can sleep later because I'm not working and don't have much of a schedule. I seem to sleep better then.
I do know that my brain won't shut off and I stay awake worrying about stuff. I'm world class at that.
I can't take any sleep medicine because I drive a very large vehicle for a living and don't want to affect my safety or others.
Sometimes I wonder about how I can function as well as I do with as such little sleep. .

[DDH]

Well, I will tell you what she told me. She said that you have to stop drinking caffene 6 hours before you go to bed, and set up settle time, or something like that. You know like listen to music, take a bath, light candles, stuff like that.

She told me doing dishes right before you go to bed, or laundry, or all those activities are stimulating and will make you lay in bed with your eyes open.

I think she has a point, but that is such a hard routine to get into, when your use to going around doing things before you go to bed.

[shootingstar]

I'm 49 and I consider the norm for me should be, sleeping through the night.

However I know when there are stresses in life, I will wake up several times or not sleep long enough. I go through bouts of this and I've been going through this in past few months. Lots things goin' on and all of it related to work.

I don't consider for myself to wake up several times during the night, a good thing. My tiredness shows on my face.

What has helped me in the past, is to do light stretching exercises for 1/2 hr. maybe 1-2 hrs. before I go to bed. It relaxes my body.

And cycling over the past few years, probably helps me immensely to sleep better during the times that I do klunk out peacefully at night. I think we might be underestimating, how much cycling regularily for us, has helped us sleep better.

My partner did have a sleep test/study done on him 1 whole night, at a teaching hospital a few years ago. He is diagnosed to be very mildly narcoleptic. ....he will fall asleep if his body is still for hrs...ie. watching a movie, driving a car for hrs...etc. He does not snore but most of his adult life he's never had truly long deep and uninterupted sleep..this is what narcolepsy means. He did try mild prescription drugs to keep him awake....a mild narcotic...but he felt rotten in terms of its side effects and he didn't want his body to become mildly addicted to a drug.

So he dropped drug therapy several years ago. He feels better for the decision.

This condition does give him yet another powerful reason to cycle regularily...probably for as long as he can cycle...his body becomes more alert...than if he is driving. He can only drive for up to 2 hrs. per day before he seriously battles sleepiness at steering wheel. When we moved my stuff across Canada from Toronto in my relocation...we took a long leisurely trip in the moving van. :o Over 2 wks. Other drivers probably would whip through Canada in half that time on the highways.

So another reason why we are car-less. I certainly have no problems with that! :)

[Zen]

i sleep long and deep. Never wake up during the night.

[alpinerabbit]

And cycling over the past few years, probably helps me immensely to sleep better during the times that I do klunk out peacefully at night. I think we might be underestimating, how much cycling regularily for us, has helped us sleep better.

true.

I wake up once or twice to go to the loo, especially if I try to hydrate adequately.

Everyone is different, if you feel rested, it does not matter how long you sleep or how many times you wake up.

Indeed I think your heart rate is lowest right on awaking in the morning (count before even sitting up), it might be higher during the night (REM sleep or what have you).

[OakLeaf]

Light exposure is huge, too. I didn't want to post anything in the troll about tanning, but I don't sleep properly at all unless I get adequate exposure to natural light during the day (and natural darkness at night). Natural sunlight (both on your skin for Vitamin D manufacture and in your eyes for stimulation of the light receptors they're just learning about) is SO important. If you have to be in a dark or windowless room during the day, or if you have a lot of light pollution coming in to your bedroom at night, see if you can change those things. If you have no other alternative, full-spectrum light bulbs help a lot.

I don't know a thing about hyperthyroidism, but wouldn't that affect your sleep all by itself? I know my neighbor who's been struggling with her thyroid the last couple of years has complained about not being able to rest.

[Tuckervill]

I think everyone wakes up a lot, but we just don't remember every time. I think our brain is constantly checking to see whether we're safe and if we are we just go right back to sleep without reaching awareness. At least that's what I've seen on TEEVEE.

Karen

[Dogmama]

I'm usually hot flashing - more at night than during the day. At least several times a week, I wake up soaking wet. I just shove DH over, kick the German Shepherd off the bed & let it dry out.

I rarely wake up feeling rested. It really messes with my brain. I'm hoping that eventually my hormones will stop this nonsense. Sleep meds keep me up - or wake me up at 2AM & I absolutely cannot get back to sleep.

[csr1210]

I wake up way too much at night. If I only wake up once, it's a good night.

+1 on taking resting heartrate right before getting up.

If you are suddenly having drastically different sleep patterns, that might indicate something off-balanced and worth checking out.

Christy

[jesvetmed]

I sleep pretty good now -- I work long hours at night, so am deprived by the time I get to sleep at all.... and then add in that I work out a lot. Also, I have FAR LESS stress in this job that goes home with me. I used to wake up worrying, grinding my teeth, etc! Kept DH up also!

All in all makes for excellent sleep when I finally hit the sack!

It's weird, though. I have never been someone that remembers my dreams much. Now and then one stands out, but not like most people. Maybe I do just sleep deeper, and not wake up as much as others... that's probably why we remember our dreams, I would think?

Now it usually takes me only 5 minutes of reading to be out cold. If only I could convince my bladder to sleep more than 7 hours... that is the only problem!