Split Study for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: What to Expect?

My question is what can I expect from a "split study" test? I had my consultation yesterday for WLS and my surgeon ordered a split study test for obstructive sleep apnea. I have to give this request to my PCP who then orders the test. I am not so convinced that I have sleep apnea. I told my surgeon that I routinely wake up once in the night to use the bathroom, plus I don't wake up refreshed and feel tired during the day sometimes. Personally I think my problem has more to do with my aging mattress, weak bladder and my dog who sleeps with me and pushes me to the edge of the bed. I guess based on that, and because I am at high risk for sleep apnea (BMI 43) he wants me to be tested before surgery. Okay, that's fine. Will I have to spend the night in a sleep lab hooked up with wires? I am not looking forward to this and the thought of sleeping in a lab full of strangers makes me think that I will be more anxious than anything.

I'm not sure what they mean by "split test" but i can tell you that the rooms they put you in to sleep are like hotel rooms. with only one bed per room. I just had another test on friday. They let me into my room which was really nice and i took my time getting dressed for bed, watching tv, turning down the covers and setting up the bed how i wanted it (i like my own pillow and blanket). Then they came in and put a few wires on my legs and head that you barely notice after a few minutes, a strap around my belly and chest (again you barely notice) and then they let you close the door, turn out the lights and go to sleep. Yes you're being watched by a camera but you can't really tell.

Thank you very much for the reply. That doesn't sound too bad. I did some research on the Web and I believe I found the answer(s) to what a split study is. It is either: A. They hook you up to the sensors and monitor your sleep for 1/2 the night, and in the second half they fit you with a CPAP device to see how you do with it, or; B. You only spend one night in the lab, as opposed to a to a follow-up visit which is sometimes required.

DOH! you're killing me here. that is EXACTLY what i want but they won't do it that way for me. I have to go back twice. once for diagnosis and once for titration (they put you on cpap and keep upping the pressure till the apneas stop and that's how they get their setting for your cpap machine.) And we already know i have sleep apnea but my tests were so long ago they want a new diagnosis. It's hard for me because i don't go to sleep till 4am and even then i have trouble sleeping. one night? you got it made. think of it as a restful night in a comfortable hotel room.

I had to go THREE nights for mine. It was horrible. I could not sleep at all the first two nights, then had to go back again for the CPAP fitting. I am very claustrophobic, so all the wires made me have panic attacks and I could not sleep. Luckily the third night I was able to sleep and was able to sleep for 4 whole hours without waking, which was phenomenal because I can normally only sleep 1-2 hours without waking up. Also yukky was the glue crap they put on my head to attach the electrodes to. About 6 big ol' wads of gummy glue...how attractive! Anyway, it is over now, but I had trouble with my insurance over the CPAP machine. Talked to 6 different people before they would agree to pay for the machine. Or I say pay for it. They will be paying 90%, which will still leave me with $200-$300 co-pay, but that's better than nothing. The CPAP helped and I'm looking forward to getting it to use at home (without being in a strange bed with people watching me on a camera and being all tied up with wires.) The insurance were such idiots that I wasn't able to get it today, but will be going tomorrow at 3pm to get it. You will be in a room all by yourself, just like a normal hospital room with a bathroom and everything. If you have a good therapist taking care of you, it won't be as bad. Mine was horrendous because of my claustrophobia and panic attacks. It's just one more step toward the goal of the surgery. My BMI is 51 and I do definitely have severe sleep apnea, so hopefully it will make my life a little easier while I wait for the surgery. Good luck! Joni

I don't think of myself as claustrophobic so didn't think I'd have a problem. Wrong. Took me two separate nights to get the study in and then a 3rd night for getting it set up. First night I didn't sleep at all. Longer I laid there wider awake I became. I do have problems with anxiety and when all hooked up I felt like a reluctant scuba diver! Second night took an Ambion (sleeping pill) still didn't help. Finally about 2am I turned the tv on and bam out I went. I think it gave me something else to focus on. At home I listen to instrumental CDs. That might have helped also. Take something like that along if you're used to it. All in all after it was said and done I got used to the machine and sleep much better with it. I no longer am sleepy during the day. I'm 7 wks post op and down almost 60 lbs. I feel like my settings need to be turned down as I wake up feeling like my mouth is being sucked inside out! Also, after surgery the machine was definitely a necessity for me. My oxygen levels were quite low for about 12 hours after surgery.

My first sleep study is tomorrow night. I check in at 8 p.m. but don't finish up until 4 p.m. the next day. Does anyone know what the agenda is for the second day? The day sounds really boring. Maybe that's the plan, bore me to sleep. The sleep clinic is supposed to have dial-up connection, but I am hooked on broadband so I don't know if I can handle being without my DSL line. The nurse at the neuorologist's office told me last week that they may have me come back for a third night. I hope not. I usually wake up an hour so before I my normal wake up time to to go to the bathroom. Stupid question, but can I disconnect myself from the monitoring equipment easily enough when nature calls?

Chris, The daytime test is an MSLT, Multiple Sleep Latency. They let you be up for an hour or so, then hook you to the monitors again and make you stay awake for about 20 minutes and then let you take a nap. It's testing for excessive daytime sleepiness. If you fall asleep fast and go into REM sleep within five minutes, you might have Narcolepsy. The EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness) can be due to OSA. You will be taking 4 or 5 naps durnign the day. As for when nature calls, if your male no problem they give you a container, if female you need to call the tech to unhook you.

Thanks Jeanne for the reply. I finished up today early with my sleep study, but I still need to go back again on May 3 from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. They had planned to have me do several nap studies today, but after one nap, they said they had enough information already and let me go at 9:30. I was wired up head to toe. They had wires on my head, on my face, chest, arms and legs. It took some getting used to, that's for sure. The pulse monitor on my finger with the red light took the longest to get used to. I don't know why it had to be on so tight, ouch! I looked like ET with the lit up finger, LOL! The room was nice and comfy and the staff were friendly. I told the nurse that I wanted to go to sleep at 10:30, but he didn't show up until 11. I don't think I was able to fall asleep until 11:30 or 12. I woke up several times during the night. I had wanted to get up and use the bathroom, but I felt embarrassed to have to call them into the room to unhook me so that I could go, so I managed to keep it in until I could no longer hold it any longer and told them I needed to go, which was about 6:15, my normal wake-up time (go figure). They had me stay awake and that point, but I couldn't shower yet because I was still wired for testing. They told me that I didn't snore, which surprised the one nurse who thought that I would be wrong because he used to think that he didn't snore, but he later found out that he did and had sleep apnea. When I go back again I think they will have me sleep with the CPAP machine with the mask on to see if it improves my sleep.