Do I have a Sleep Disorder?
- Do you snore?
- Are you excessively tired during the day?
- Have you been told you stop breathing during sleep?
- Do you have a history of hypertension?
- Is your neck size more than 17” (males) or more than 16” (females)?
If you answered "yes" to three or more questions, you may be at risk for sleep apnea. Your next step should be to visit the North Dakota Center For Sleep. ndsleep.com
My Story:
Working on the Froggy Gang Morning Show means that I have to go to bed pretty early. I usually go to bed around 9:30pm and get up at 3:15am. My wife obviously doesn’t have to wake up as early so she stays up later. When it comes time for her to get to bed, she usually can’t sleep because of my snoring and ends up on the couch. She says that I snore very loud and even stop breathing at points during the night. We are both getting tired of taking turns on the couch and I am really getting tired of getting smacked in the middle of the night so I stop snoring.
After talking about my snoring problem my wife and I decided that it would be a good idea for me to do a sleep study. I contacted the North Dakota Center For Sleep and got the process started.
Follow my journey through the sleep study process.
Tuesday January 12th 2010
Today I had my very first appointment at the North Dakota Center For Sleep; it was very quick and easy. The center had mailed me a packet of paper work to fill out which was just some questions about my medical and family history and my sleep habits. When I got to the center I was taken back by a nurse who did the usual height, weight, blood pressure and temp. When the nurse finished, Dr. Seema Khosla came in the room and she asked a series of questions to help determine if I was a good candidate for the sleep study. After several minutes she decided that I should have the study done, so the appointment was made.
My polysomnogram, or PSG is scheduled for February 5th. I will be hooked up to a bunch of wires that will record my sleep patterns and behaviors associated with sleep. I am really excited that the process has started and can’t wait to get a good night sleep.
Tuesday January 26th 2010
My sleep study has been moved up. I will be going in Thursday the 28th. I am so excited, but probably not as excited as my wife! Follow me on Twitter @bullfrog999 to get my thoughts while they wire me up Thursday night.
Thursday January 28th 2010
Today is the day! I am so excited to have my sleep study tonight!
Here is what my room looks like. Pretty nice huh?
The first thing I had to do when I got there was fill out some paperwork, and then it was time to get wired up.
All wired up and time for bed
Friday January 29th 2010
It is the morning after my sleep study and I have to say I already feel better. My sleep technician woke me up about two and a half hours after I went to sleep to put the CPAP machine on me. This was the only time during the night that I was disturbed. It took me a few minutes to get used to the mask and the breathing but I soon fell back asleep. I didn’t even notice the mask while I slept. I was able to go back and forth between my sides and back no problem.
When it was time to wake me up the sleep technician actually let me sleep past my scheduled wake up time because I was in such a deep sleep. I was amazed that felt immediate results from the machine. I can’t remember the last time I felt this refreshed in the morning, it really was amazing.
I have an appointment this afternoon at the CPAP Store to get properly fitted for my mask and learn how to use the equipment.
Tuesday Feb 2nd 2010
Well, so far so good with my CPAP machine. I have been using it since Friday night, and it is working well. It did take me a couple nights to get the mask adjusted so it fit properly. The only real problem I have had was getting the humidifier set correctly. I had it set to high the first night, and my nose was getting wet and I could hear water in the tube when I was breathing. I made some adjustments and its all good now. I have only had my CPAP for a few days, but I can already feel the difference. My wife can too.
I got a call this afternoon from a nurse at the North Dakota Center For Sleep and she went over some of the results from my study. I was very surprised to learn that before they put the CPAP on me I stopped breathing around 50 times an hour. I couldn't beleive it, that was very scary to hear. I will get the rest of my results on February 15th.
Tuesday Feb 16th 2010
I had a follow up appointment at the North Dakota Center for sleep yesterday. I met with Dr. Khosla and we went over the results from my sleep study. I already knew that I stopped breathing on average 50 times per hour, but yesterday I was able to see the length of time. There was one point during the night that I stopped breathing for 53 seconds! I couldn’t believe it. The average time I held my breath was 17 seconds. That is so scary.
I am so thankful that my wife encouraged me to have this sleep study done. Speaking of my wife, I will post her thoughts on the sleep study and my CPAP, and how it has improved our lives.
Thursday March 18th 2010
Here is what my Wife has to say:
I am so thankful that I can actually sleep all night long next to my husband now. After getting married, Jer and I moved in together. The shocker was that he was the loudest sleeping person I have ever heard! I lived in a house with a snoring dad and two snoring brothers, I thought I had heard it all. Wow was I wrong, the way Jer snored was different, at times he would hold his breath and practically choke as he gasped for his next breath. Being a loving new bride I would gently nudge him until he rolled over, when that didn't help I would tell him to get a glass of water, blow his nose, take an allergy pill before bed, anything. He was happy to do whatever I asked of him, he even brought home and started using the breathing strips for his nose. I would still try to nudge him to breath quieter, then I was nudging him to BREATH period. He really scared me at times and after too many gentle nudges and sweet cooperation on his part, he became defensive and was upset, "why do you keep waking me up? I am sleeping perfectly fine." "Well, actually you stop breathing to the point that your legs kick before you start your next breath". Now that I feel unappreciated for my lifesaving techniques I decided that he actually is quieter when he's not breathing. I moved to the couch.
I spent the greater portion of 8 months on the couch while my new husband slept in our bed. What was I going to do? I didn't want this kind of life. I decided to make our guest bedroom into my bedroom and our problems would be solved. What did I need to do in bed with him while he was asleep anyway? That's when FROGGY stepped in and let us know that from all his complaining on the radio, The ND Center for Sleep had heard about our problem and thought he could try just one last thing. He went to the sleep center and did a study and discovered that I was right... yes, they told him that his wife was just looking out for his best interest and he was actually in danger, without the new living arrangement and the worry of his beautiful bride he would have carried on unaware of his sleep apnea.
After going through the study he was told that he stops breathing (like I said) and holds his breath for almost a minute (like I said) and needed help. He came home with a CPAP machine that was smaller than our CD/ alarm clock, quieter than our fan and, stopped the snoring immediately. THIS SAVED OUR MARRIAGE! Thank you so much North Dakota Center For Sleep.
-Greta
Saturday April 17th 2010
Well, I have had my CPAP machine for almost three months now and I must say it has truly made a difference in my life. As my wife stated in her story, she is now able to sleep in our bed again for the first time in a long time, and when the wife is happy we are all happy.
I still get questions from people wondering how I sleep with that mask on my face, and to be honest I don’t even notice it. It is very comfortable to wear and makes very little noise. I wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to go for the day. I still don’t get very much sleep, but the sleep I do get is GOOD sleep and that makes a huge difference. If you or your spouse are having trouble sleeping give the North Dakota Center For Sleep a call and take a tour today.
Monday July 19th 2010
I have had my CPAP machine for almost 6 months now and things are going great! I am sleeping better, and getting better sleep than I have in a long time! My wife is still a lot happier too! One of the great things about my CPAP machine is that it’s so small, that I have been able to pack it and bring it with no matter where I go. The CPAP Store even has a battery available for my machine, so if I go camping I will be good to go. When I go to bed I don’t even think about putting my mask on, it’s just something I do every night and I haven’t missed even one. If you have been told you snore, or stop breathing while you sleep, go to the ND Center For Sleep and get checked out. Give them a call TODAY at 356-3000; don’t wait any longer to get the sleep you deserve.
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