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Sleep Study


Ernie

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I just got an appointment for a sleep study in November. The doctor said I don't need to stop my medication (Propranolol, Proamatine) but I wonder if the results will be accurate if I do the study without stopping them? Did you stop your meds when you did the study?

Ernie

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Ernie, it makes sense to me that your docs would want you to continue taking your daily medications at the time of your study. (You'll be filling out all kinds of forms that will ask you what meds you're on--so they'll have some measure of understanding about how those meds could be affecting your sleep. Be sure to list everything.) You want information about how you're sleeping, and if I remember correctly, you need to be taking those meds all the time. (That is, you can't just go off of them and have the same baseline... you may get sicker without the meds--and that could make your system even wackier, and you'll sleep even less well!)

BTW, I had a sleep study a few months ago--you may want to search for a couple threads on the forum about it. There are some good tips there about what it's like and what to expect...

Good luck,

m

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Hi Merrill,

Thanks for the reply. I had already read all the posts on sleep study. My concern is not with what will happen during the night but I want to be sure to have a proper study. I am used to have to stop my meds whenever I have a test so I am surprised that I don't have to stop my meds for this one. Since I have a rare disorder maybe the sleep study docs are not familiar with dysautonomic issues.

Ernie

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Ernie,

I would think they would want you on your meds as this is the regement your on now during the day as well as when your sleeping at night. They will want to see your function as things are currently-----i'm guessing. The other testing is a bit different in that fashion---as they need to see how your symptoms are without meds for a different reason. You will need to remain on meds regardless----so they would just keep things as they are.

All of this is just guessing----

Hope things turn out OK for you---good luck.

Julie :0)

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Ernie,

I had a sleep study in 1999 and had to stop Ativan ( which I took for sleep) three days before the study. I wasn't on any other meds at the time so I don't know if I would have had to stop other meds if I was on them.

GayleP

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Thank you very much for giving me your advice. I have not made my mind about the meds because I know my sleep is much different with the beta blocker. I guess the consequences of taking the medication are not as bad for a sleep study because if I do have sleep apnea it's the CCAP machine. Not always easy to make decisions!

Ernie

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Sleep studies are typically ordered when the doctor wants to rule out that it's not poor sleep may be the reason for persistent exhaustion, brain fog, waking unrefreshed, etc. There is overlap in sleep disorder manifestations and the symptoms of autonomic problems, namely, fatigue and body aches.

Since many sleep problems are treatable, it's often one of the tests doctors order--mine was many years prior to my official dx, when I just had a chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia diagnosis. My doc wanted to make sure that if it was sleep, we addressed it.

My sleep study was completely normal--however, I'd bet it's not now, as I'm a horrible snorer.

Nina

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I was wondering if anyone had had a sleep study at home. I thought i remembered hearing somewhere that it can be done at home. I'm asking because i had one done in the hospital over a year ago. I couldn't hardly get to sleep because I have a hard time sleeping at home where I'm comfortable,let alone a hospital. Plus my sleep is all messed up in hours. Sometimes I stay awake the whole night and wind up sleeping in the day. When I did the test in the hospital. I finally fell asleep, after hours of trying and wracking my nerves, and I barely got three hours. The thing is it didn't even seem like a normal sleep. I didn't feel like I had slept at all and had no dreams, which is wierd for me. So I wondered if that would give innacurate results. I've tried to explain this to the doc, but I guess if you haven't had insomnia it's hard to understand. Anyway, I had heard about the home test, and was wondering if anyone has had that.

Friday.

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No, as far as I know, you can't have a sleep study at home. Having just had one a few months ago, I'd have to say that I can't imagine how it could possibly be done--unless you live in a hospital. :D

The equipment so incredibly sophisticated--a camera mounted in the ceiling, a dozen electrodes hooked up to various parts of your scalp, face, and legs that are wired through to a room where people watch your brain waves on sophisticated computers...There's far too much sensitive equipment involved for a home setup.

My hospital was renting a floor in a hotel across the street, so it was a little like being in a very badly decorated (and in need of updating) hotel room. But the bed was not comfortable--and I swore I'd never get to sleep, hooked up like that. But I was assured that most people report a better night's sleep (despite the wires) because they're away from their daily stressors, away from the room and bed and home in which they experience insomnia. In fact, that turned out to be true for me as well; in the morning, I reported on my questionnaire that I felt I slept much better than I typically sleep.

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Hi Friday,

What I have read but I don't remember where is that there is a micro sleep study done at home. You are not hooked to all the sophisticated equipment but only one piece of equipment. If they find something interesting in that test then they send you for the complete sleep study.

Ernie

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