Question:
Did everyone that did a sleep apnea test have it all night?

The sleep apnea test I'm taking is going to be all night. Is this how it is for everyone? I had no idea I would have to be away from home over night.    — TheresaC (posted on December 14, 2002)


December 14, 2002
Yes! Well, that's how it was for me, anyway... I went in to the hospital around 9pm on a Monday night and left the hospital at around 6am when the test was over. I also had to go back a second time to do a C-pap test and also had to spend the night for that one... if you have any specific questions, feel free to e-mail and I will tell you whatever I can.....love and light,
   — medium

December 14, 2002
It is an all night thing. However, it may be that they will monitor you and about half way through the night, if you do have apnea, they will wake you up and put the CPAP on you then and after that, monitor you for the rest of the night. They can then adjust the settings on the CPAP to see where it needs to be for you to get the best sleep.
   — garw

December 14, 2002
Hi, yes, a sleep apnea test is almost always for all night. Mine was a full night for the initial sleep study (plus I had to stay half a day for some other tests not related to sleep apnea, so that will be a nonissue for you, I presume), and then another full night study with the CPAP to get it adjusted properly.
   — Elizabeth N.

December 14, 2002
you need to ask them to do a spilit night on you or you will have to go back. They normally monitor you the first session/night then you come back and they put you on a cpap if you require it the second session/night and the make the adjustments. My Dr. requested a spilit session and they were to monitor me the first four hours without a cpap then if I needed one put it on me. They had me on a cpap after the first hour. I ended up with over 102 apneas per hour(sever extreme sleep apnea). Good luck!
   — Robert B.

December 14, 2002
Mine & my husband's were all night. I had 125 events per hour, myhusband had 25. After an hour or so (who knows?) they put the CPAP on me and adjusted it to taste. By morning, I was NOT willing to give it back. My mom, though, had an overnight at home with an oxymeter. She never experienced the relief that my husband & I did, though. I know my mom & she probably took it off & on several times, making an invalid reading, so inadequate treatment. My experience was NOT unpleasant at all, BTW.
   — vitalady

December 14, 2002
OMG...my sleep test overnight was the BEST!! I made an evening of it...I took myself out to dinner...had a nice relaxing dinner, without kids...then "checked in" at the sleep clinic...got into my jammies, and went to sleep. It was the best. They found that I was "borderline" apnea...not full blown "episodes" but my breathing would become labored in my sleep...pickwickian syndrome. It was a relief that I did not have full blown apnea, but also that I was just about there...it answered a lot of questions I had. Relax and have a good night sleep. ~CAE~
   — Mustang

December 14, 2002
Yes my test was all night then I went back again for another all nighter.
   — Lana Rush

December 15, 2002
It seems like everybody had a lot more fun with their sleep studies than I did! (LOL) I had to have two of them -- the first one I only slept for two hours, so any readings they had were invalid; the second one showed I had moderate sleep apnea. I hated the darn thing -- but, then again, I don't do well sleeping in a strange bed, or in a room that isn't completely inside-of-a-cow dark, and I'm claustrophobic so having all those wires all over me more or less tying me to the bed wasn't a good time ... and, to top it off, I'm allergic to the adhesive tape they stick on the leg monitors to the point where, after the second one, my GP thought I had flesh-eating disease my legs were so messed up. But that's just me -- obviously, other people have a MUCH better time of it. I guess it has to be an all-nighter because how else will they see how you sleep -- although, in my case, they probably would have got better/more accurate results if I could have been in my own bed. Good luck, hon!
   — Cheryl Denomy

December 15, 2002
yes i had to o for a all nighter and i hated being away from home like that i hated it and even the girl that gave it to me said she knew it has to be uncomfortable sleeping n another bedand they hook al kind of wires up to me i couldt sleep good in the bed so she let me try a reclining chair and i slept about 3 hours she said but i did not have to go back and when i came home i went to sleep at 630 in the morning but i guess we all have to get through it but some places will run the test at home but thehosiptal i went to did not but i know the cleveland cinic does good luck
   — ROSEMARY A.

December 16, 2002
Yes, most sleep studies are all night affairs. However, ask ahead and see how they plan to conduct the study (or how the doctor wrote the order for it). Some studies will monitor you all night long, tell you that yes, you have sleep apnea, and then require you to come back a SECOND night to be tested on the CPAP machine. I'm not sure if this is a money making ploy or what, but it's so unnecessary. When I had my sleep study years before this operation, they monitored me for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and they already had enough evidence to know that I had severe sleep apnea. At that point, they woke me up and set me up on the CPAP machine. It was the first night in ages that I'd had a good nights sleep and by morning they knew what setting I needed and I only needed to wait for the medical supply company to visit me and set me up with one. Sleeping in a different bed and attached to all sorts of electrodes can be uncomfortable enough without having to do it TWICE. Honestly though, I didn't find the experience very bad at all. It's always conducted in a private room - how often do you get THAT in a hospital? Bring a book, watch some tv and pretend you're in a hotel! I had a follow up study done last year and at this hospital they even gave you a voucher for a free breakfast in the cafeteria, LOL.
   — sandsonik

December 19, 2002
You can read my profile where I described my sleep study (which was just last night). Worst night of my life (sleep wise), but I had an excellent Sleep Technician. Good luck to you.
   — ccwilliams




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