Sleepy Time

It's hard to understand why anyone would call what I went through last night a sleep study.  Meaning it's rather difficult to study anyone while they sleep when so much is done to keep them from sleeping.

Let me explain.  I wrote about the snoring problem last week so there's no need to go back to that. Once my class 3 mouth was identified a sleep study seemed like the next logical step to make sure I don't have sleep apnea- something that my father suffers from.

I showed up at the sleep study center at about 9:45 last nigh in a comfortable pair of exercise shorts and a t-shirt.  In hardly any time at all a staff member had me connected to about 24 different wires.  The connections would be used to monitor everything from my leg movements to my brain activity.  The same staff member that wired me up would watch and listen from another room.  All I had to do was sleep.

Yeah, that's definitely easier said than done.  I did my best to get comfortable.  That was difficult seeing as there were so many wires.  In the back of my mind I wondered if it was possible to strangle myself while sleeping.  At least I knew my technician, Oscar, was there to rescue me if needed.

I read for about 25 minutes, turned out the light, closed my eyes and did my best summon slumber.  It didn't come, but then again why would it?  I could hear the buzzing of fluorescent lights from outside my door.  I wanted to roll over and find a more comfortable position but the tugging of all the wires stopped me.   Before long there was a gentle knock at the door.  It was Oscar to let me know that something had come unplugged.

I read some more- until about midnight -when I tried, once again, to fall asleep.

Over the years I've suffered through a few sleepless nights.  I've found it best to keep my eyes softly shut and count- not sheep, just numbers.  So I counted.  And counted. And counted some more.

Eventually sleep came- sort of.  It was a restless sleep, full of starts and stops but I made it through the night without dislodging any more wires.

At about 5:00am Oscar was back with a wake-up call.  By 5:20 I was completely unplugged from all the sensors, on my way home and back to bed after a quick shower to clean out the sticky paste needed to adhere the sensors to my head.

I awoke at about 8:00 to a rainy, gloomy day- the perfect kind of day for napping.