Sleep Study: What They Study

[woodwardiocom]

For those who've never done one, here's the data they gathered in my sleep study:

• Heartbeat.
• Breathing.
• Whether my eyes were rapidly moving.
• Whether I was grinding my teeth.
• Whether my legs were twitching.
• Blood oxygen levels.
• Nasal intake/outgo.
• There was a second doohickey on my upper lip . . . possibly to measure CO₂ levels?
• Brainwaves.
• Whatever random noises I might be making.
• And, of course, a seven-hour video of me sleeping.

That's a lot of data to crunch . . .

Comments

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

And, of course, a seven-hour video of me sleeping.

I think I've seen that movie! Didn't Andy Warhol direct it?

[mrw42.livejournal.com]

I think they used it for a training video at McDonald's in the late 1970s. No wait, maybe that was me sleeping...

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

In order for them to get an accurate picture they'd have to add "where the cat is sleeping" because it's usually on me...

[dr-kromm.livejournal.com]

This. I have many wasted-feeling days owing to the cat. As she's a rescue kitty with a neurological problem, I'd feel bad shutting her out . . . but, uh, her jumping and cleaning and acting the goat has probably cost me 7-8 hours sleep this week alone, and likely zapped the quality of another 10-12 hours.

More generally, be sure to look at environmental factors in your sleeping area. Not just pets, but also breezes and cool/hot spots caused by cooling, heating, and ventilation (including accidental ventilation by cracks); noises and subsonics due to machinery (a PC fan 40' away counts, and so does a settling house); and so on. Heightened awareness in some states can lead to a princess-and-the-pea effect linked to the lightest of stimuli. Left unchecked, this can establish patterns that stay with you long after the stimulus goes away.

Source: Comments from my wife's doctors when consulted on what sounds like very similar issues.

[dr-kromm.livejournal.com]

PS: And yes, another person counts, whether in the same bed, across the room, or breathing and making noise down the hall. We aren't all cut out for cuddling or even social living during our sleep time.

[archangelbeth]

Wheeeeeee!

No results yet, eh?

[be-well-lowell.livejournal.com]

With all those probes taped to me, I barely got *one* hour's sleep...