Sleep Study?

[Roselover]

I always feel horrible when I wake up in the morning. I know my BP goes low when I am laying down, but I wonder if there is something else going on, or if I feel so bad because I've gone 9 hours without drinking much.

Anyone else have this? Anyone had a sleep study? If so, did it find something that helped dysautonomia?

Roselover

[geneva]

Roselover, I am like you. Mornings are not that good when I first wake up. For me, I have learned with time that the most critical reason is fluids. I keep a bottle of salted water by my bed and before getting up for the day drink 16 to 20 ounces. My busband often brings me hot broth and that works really well because it is loaded with sodium. In addition to low volume, my sodium can drop very much over night. I also find that by drinking a cup of broth late in the evening it helps me even if late fluids cause me to get up in the night to go to the bathroom.

They tried to do a sleep thing on me but I had insomnia!!

[MomtoGiuliana]

I 2nd geneva's comments. I don't know if my sodium goes low at night, but I definitely need fluids and salt first thing in the AM to feel my best.

[Sunfish]

i have not had a sleep study & don't think there is any indication for such, but amongst the autonomic doc gurus, it's a "known" that mornings are the worst for almost everyone. and without going into the specifics of it, it does have something to do with the lack of fluids for a significant amount of time; not the lack of intake per se but the body's reaction to such. so...while i don't have much to offer, you're definitely not alone! i actually can't get up in the morning until i've taken my meds & the midodrine kicks in; i set two alarms 30 min apart. and i always have liquids at the ready next to bed. that said, there can't be any harm in asking your doc about a sleep study...i know that a good number of people with autonomic problems also have diagnosable sleep disorders. i have joked (but with some seriousness) at times that i wish i could hook myself up to IV fluids every night while i sleep!

:-)melissa

[dawn]

Roselover,

I have the same problem. Usually drink at least a 12 oz. glass of water before I get up along with my beta blocker. I always feel really bad in the mornings, morning clinic appointments kill me, but at least they can see how bad I feel. I seem to feel better when I only sleep about 4 hours, get up awhile and drink, then go back to bed.

I have had a sleep study. It was a joke. The adhesive they use for the electrodes on your head and on the piece under your nose smell like rubber cement. Of course you're going to mouth breathe!!! I fell asleep at 11:30, someone knocked over their tray table at 2:30 which woke me up. I told the tech I needed to get up awhile so I could fall back asleep (the adrenaline had kicked in). She said well, the test is over at 6:00 am cuz that's when I'm done. So I left at 3:30 am. They diagnosed me as moderate sleep apnea and gave me a cpap machine. i never got the hang of wearing it. It made my sinuses ache so bad from the air blowing in. In my clinic notes my physician wrote "CPAP a bust."

I agree an IV would be so helpful during the night.

Dawn

[Ernie]

I had a sleep study a few months ago and I will get the result in May. I know I need lots of sleep.

Ernie

[Roselover]

Thanks everyone,

I too have wished that I could hook up to an IV at night. The morning broth idea sounds like a possibility too. I guess I just need to accept the fact that I am no longer a morning person.

A sleep study was suggested to me, but I really really don't want to do it. As Dawn said, I have enough problems sleeping at home. I can't imagine sleeping with stinky things stuck all over me.

I really appreciate the comments. THANKS!

Roselover

[Merrill]

Hi -- if you do a search for "sleep study" on this forum, you'll find a ton of strings on the topic. I had a sleep study last summer ... it showed episodes of central sleep apnea (not obstructive apnea, which you can do something about, e.g., cpap machine) but no big deal and not treatable anyway.

You should get a sleep study if you have some reason to think you might have apnea ... factors include being very overweight, snoring, waking with headaches and so on. (If you google "obstructive sleep apnea" you'll hit some key sleep sites and learn all about it.)

I've got the insomnia thing going too, and now I take 1/2 or 1/4 of an ambien each night--it's enough to help me fall asleep and stay that way for much of the night. Mornings are hard ... I too feel very weak and lethargic and heavy-legged, and it takes me a couple hours to get out of the house in the morning. It's ok, tho; I just plan accordingly.

take care,

m

[Gena]

I've always been interested in getting a sleep study, not to tell me if I have apnea, but really just to see exactly what my HR and BP are doing while I sleep and what prompts my symptoms. I know I would sleep even worse than I already do though with all of the wires on me and in a strange bed, so I'll probably never have it done.

[sunisshining]

i had a sleep study but they just said i have sleep apnea, too. But, i just got the results, so yeah. but i'm sorry you are feeling so icky. but i too feel icky in the morning! feel better!

let me know if u need anything..or if u have any other questions. u can always send me a message, too.

hugs, love, and prayers,

sun

and they are soooo not fun - u have to sleep with a tube down your nose and throat and all this stuff on and you smell like the hospital even after a few showers later. i came home from my sleep study and slept 6 more hours.

[Eli6596]

Hi

The experts recommend elevating the head of the bed by 30 degrees by putting bricks underneath the front legs of the bed. I just bought some bricks. It is supposed to help keep fluid in our POTS bodies so that we don't urinate it out at night.

The experts also recommend drinking 16 oz. of water upon awakening to increase blood pressure which it sounds like many of you are doing. My bladder is always about to burst in the morning so I forget to chug the water before arising.

I wake up a lot during the night. The quality of my sleep can make or break the next day for me.

Sleep apnea is so common. I don't know if it is due to POTS. I don't think anyone knows.

Karyn

[sonshine456]

I had a sleep study done. I'm always so tired. It came back okay so I guess it's just the POTS. When I went to Mayo the doc said that fatigue is the number one complaint they get from POTS patients. Makes me feel better knowing that. I know I'm not just lazy.