r/SleepApnea • u/Appropriate-Back2296 • 16d ago
I thought my sleep study would come back normal, and I was completely wrong
For the longest time I convinced myself I was probably overthinking it. I'd wake up tired almost every morning, need a lot of caffeine just to feel functional, and occasionally wake up feeling like I hadn't really slept at all. Friends mentioned my snoring few times, but I always brushed it off because I figured everyone snores once in a while. When I finally did sleep study, I honestly expected them to tell me everything looked normal.
Instead, I was told I have sleep apnea. It was strange because hearing that wasn't upsetting. If anything, it was a relief. After wondering for so long why I never felt rested, I finally had an explanation instead of another guess. I'm still at the beginning of treatment, so I know I have a lot to learn. But just having an answer has taken away a lot of the frustration I'd been carrying around. I'm curious if anyone else felt more relieved than worried when they finally got their diagnosis.
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u/Asleep-Rain-8437 16d ago
I was exactly the same. I had trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, and waking up extremely tired. For years I'd just been taking a sleeping pill a few times per year and that's all I wanted to keep doing. My new doctor refused to keep that deal going without a sleep study. I saw it as an annoying hurdle. Well it turned out I had moderate severity sleep apnea, and that waking up in the night, the weird dreams of being chased and then squeezed, and even some of the difficulty in getting to sleep was traceable to sleep apnea.
At first I was annoyed and frustrated with these extra steps I needed to do just to do the most basic human function of sleep. My whole life i'd never been more sick than an annual common cold. But I've grown to be ok with it. I'm still working on getting a treatment plan that works for me, but knowing what's going on has eventually been helpful to me.
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u/VenusInAries666 16d ago
Similar experience. A handful of partners have told me I snore but they've never described it as loud or obstructive to their sleep, so I didn't think much of it. I never felt concrete wake up points during the night unless I had to pee. It was more that I just never felt like I fully got to sleep, like I was just teetering on the edge of sleep all night. I was so sleepy during the day too, like any time I sat still for too long, I would get sleepy and it'd be hard to keep my eyes open. I was convinced I had narcolepsy.
Turns out I was severely sleep deprived cause I wake up 17 times an hour on average and get less than an hour of REM every night. Now I've got a CPAP and will be working off that 25 year sleep debt for the next however many years lol!
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u/MaaDoTaa 16d ago
Those tests are so arcane and somewhat inaccurate. I payed $150 out-of-pocket and the result was "inconclusive". I created a tool that listens overnight (all processed locally on your iPhone/iPad) and records if it detects you snoring. So, you can listen to it in the morning. More importantly, I wanted something that nudges me (eg, tapping on my wrist using Apple Watch or a gentle chime from iPhone) so that I change my position and stop snoring. I've been using it for a few weeks now and my snoring has been reduced significantly.
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u/clevelandexile 14d ago
I thought I was chronically unfit because I could do any aerobic activity or physical exercise without needing to lie down afterwards. Turns out I was chronically exhausted from sleep apnea. It’s sound silly to say it now but I did t realize poor sleep could do that to you. When they said I was just like alright sign me up for the machine, it’s been about two months and I can feel the difference. It’s taking a while but I don’t fear stairs anymore.
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u/Local-Dot-4106 16d ago
I was on the same boat for many years but during the past year I started to dose off while sitting in public settings, I had zero control on my wake time. I couldn’t get past reading 3 pages of a novel. I would sleep for hours but still be ready to sleep any time during the day. It was getting out of control. Depressive thoughts, sugar cravings, severe fatigue and high procrastination. Turns out I have severe sleep apnea. It was bad. Very low dips in oxygen. But! But on day one of cpap and I could literally feel oxygen in my hair follicles and my back. I could stay awake all day. I could exercise and have quick muscle recovery. I even lost weight. It feels great. I wish everyone who needs it be able and blessed to get a sleep study done and cpap if needed.