If you don't mind me asking, what was it like for you to get a sleep study that led to your narcolepsy diagnosis? I've had symptoms of narcolepsy for a few years but I've been too scared of bringing it up to my psychiatrist partially because I'm scared of having a sleep study
So, I totally get being anxious about a sleep study. It’s a big unknown! But honestly, in practice, it’s actually pretty easy. All you have to do is get a bunch of wires stuck to your skull and wear some weird monitoring devices, and then you sleep! Presumably, if you’re concerned you may have narcolepsy, then you’re pretty great at sleeping. So the hardest part is allowing yourself to relax when the time comes for your study!
My sleep study was ordered by my sleep doctor, who I go to as per referral from my Primary Care Physician. I don’t know how one would go about getting an order from a psych, but that’s not to say you can’t! I’m sure a psych would be able to point you in the right direction- as well as assuage your worries!
When I had my study, I arrived at the clinic super late, around 10pm. The next hour or so was devoted to prepping for the overnight test; Wires were temporarily glued to my scalp (to measure my brainwaves), and other various electrodes and monitors were applied all over my body.
(wow, hey, hi me from like 2016, wtf) The one by my eye was to calculate when I entered REM sleep. The bits in my nose were for testing for apnea and snoring. The obnoxious amounts of wiring connects to the “squid,” the electrodes on my scalp. I also had a band around my chest to measure the depth of my breathing, while asleep, and electrodes on my arms and legs to gauge muscle tone and whether I had symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome.
In the morning, everything but the “squid” came off. Because of the way my overnight study essentially “flagged” the tech that I might have N, I then stayed for an MSLT, or Multiple Sleep Latency Test. Essentially, I was told to nap at certain times, and tested for my ability to fall asleep and the time in which I did so.
All told, I was there at the clinic until, geez, 6pm? So, altogether, it was roughly 20 hours of being in a clinic, but I had access to my phone, video games, drawing supplies, a television in my room, and if I’d wanted to, I could have ordered take out to be delivered. It was pretty nice, though by the end I wanted to shower so bad because of the sticky stuff the electrodes were applied with.
I’ll never tell someone to not be scared, because, y’know, the unknown is pretty scary! But I can guarantee that it is not as bad as you think it is. And it’s worth it to know what’s going on in your brain-meats.
