So, has anyone done a sleep study before?

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I've been having sleep troubles, off and on since I was small. I have trouble sleeping to begin with but more and more the past few years this has been happening:

I will go into a deep sleep with oddly vivid dreams. When I wake up, I'm sweating, breathing hard, and my sheets are off the bed. These aren't sex dreams, or even real nightmares, although some of the things may seem scary or even slightly sexual I don't feel those emotions. (example, last night I dreamed I was at this antique store that frequents my dreams, but this time there was a murderer living in one of the back rooms. he had nice sequened black bags and I took them. not scary, just weird)

Or: I will wake up freezing cold. Shivering, covered in goosebumps, the whole 9 yards. it will take an hour or more to stop.


Has anyone done a sleep study? what is it like?? Last night I filmed myself (11 whole hours!) and caught some really weird stuff. So far, i'm seeing my leg bent at aan odd angle, planted on the bed, and me doing weird sort of leg curls the first couple of hours after I fall asleep.

I'm scared to try a study. what have your experiences been?

I've done a couple - a home one and one at the lab. It is more difficult to get to sleep, because you have a bunch of electrodes and other stuff attached to you. I couldn't sleep on my stomach like I sometimes do, because of the machine attached to my front, so it wasn't a great night's sleep, but apart from that, nothing to worry about.

Yes, I did one at the lab, NEVER AGAIN.

I pulled an all-nighter the night before because I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep. The staff were outright rude, the doctor was both patronizing and incompetent, as were the intake staff. The nurse or whatever you call it, she was just sort of trashy and weird and creepy (although not rude). I didn't sleep a wink and by morning I was at about 60 hours with no sleep.

I was in for apnea, they made me fill out this questionnaire with all sorts of unrelated stuff on it like sleep schedule, which I had to track for 2 weeks. I work late nights sometimes, early mornings other times, and I'm a night owl - but I have full control of my schedule. It just moves around. Alot. I wasn't there for that, but there was a big to-do about it. The intake staff became rude when I said I didn't have a set schedule and denied this was possible or that they'd ever heard of it (WTF?? Have they never encountered a swing shift worker before? It's a sleep clinic for Pete's sake!!) and started giving me the 'you're crazy' look when I denied having one.

Then the doctor gave me this great big long speech about how most people don't know this 'secret' to getting a good sleep and get themselves in trouble, building all this anticipation and then at the end, he comes out with the Big Revelation: "it's not when you go to bed, it's making yourself get up". Well duh. How the heck did he think I've been able to adjust my schedule as I see fit? Like I don't know the trick is to make yourself a bit tired for a day. Then he says, "but you're not here for that, so ..."

I guess he gets paid enough an hour that wasting people's time is part of his job description, I don't know.

How the Hell do these people even have jobs?!?!?! Are they handing out diplomas in cereal boxes now?

They might not all be so exasperating and incompetent, but that one was.

No, but I've fallen asleep while studying countless times...

I had one done. Hard to sleep with all the wires and the intercom going off. Then once you fall asleep, they do as assessment then wake you up to change a breathing apperatis.

Beforehand, they did a depression questionnaire, which just confirmed my depression. I was brought in for apnea as i had abnormal blood counts, and the study showed that i had severe sleep apnea. And sleeping alone, i could not tell that myself.

Yes, it's hell. I was allowed to do the things I would normally do, I had to get the electrodes at the hospital, they called me 'mister' and were really impatient. Then I had to stand in the tram with people looking at me in a weird way. Then I had to pick up some groceries with my father, and the man who works in the store was so rude. While I was in the back of the story he asked my father if 'this was just for fun' and 'if it was going to be alright'. Jesus, they're just measuring devices, they don't do anything, they only measure. I didn't sleep very well that day and when I got back to the hospital they called me 'mister' again and were rude again. I had bits of glue in my hair for weeks after that. And when I went for the results they basically told me I was just lazy and whiny, and there's nothing wrong with me. Mind you, I haven't slept well since I was three. They want to treat me with melatonin, which I was on for years (extremely high dose for my age&body volume) and didn't do anything at all. When I asked for something else they gave me clonidine, which is basically synthetic melatonin. Then they put me on some weak benzo that only makes me feel drunk (and walk like that, too). I need something stronger and they just don't want to give it to me.

Sounds like most of you didn't have a good experience. I am worried about it. I know it has to be done, though because I can never get a good nights sleep. Another odd thing I've noticed. I will frequently start frowning and rubbing or scratching my face. The other day I woke up with my eye really hurting, and after I saw the first video i did of me I realized that must have been it.

I've never been in a sleep study. I also have vivid almost real like deams, things I have dreamed include:

pooping. (yes I'm serious.) and when it happend in my dream I had to wake up because It felt like the real deal
Being sruck by lightning. It was absolutley terrifying, I could smell my hair and skin burning then I died
Being in jail. somehow I dont know if the prison gaurds kindly show you around the shower area but thats exactly what happend in this dream
Being at highschool again. and waiting for the bell to ring and having the teacher punish you by staying 15 minutes after the bell because someone was talking
Being shot with a handgun at close range: I felt every bullet, could taste the blood in my mouth and woke up right as I was loosing contiousness, it scared the crap out of me
Being in a tornado: I've had several of these dreams, run hide into the closet and for some reason I never die. after its gone, I like push a refirderator off me and survive
Swimming in the ocean: Oh hell no, not only is being wet a total turnoff but It certianly doesnt feel right swimming with killer whales. its not normal, but they have never attacked me because I knew they were trouble

Some cool dreams I've had, Mountains! snowy mountains, being lossed in the snow! totally made my night. I want more of those

I never had a sleep study done but I knew a couple people who did; one guy had them done a few times. Go to a sleep study center if you can; you may get better service there since they specialize in sleep studies they may be more aware about how being comfortable can affect the results. Do NOT got a a college/university/medical training center to have it done unless it's your only option because you become a guinea-pig for teaching students what to do or rather the students learn by getting corrected after they do the wrong things

Several, I was sleep walking, apnea, night terrors the usual. I had a good experience there. The staff was knowledgeable polite etc.