My Night in a Sleep Lab with a Chatty Cathy
When Dr. Yeh, my sleep doctor, first told me he was recommending an overnight study to better understand my sleep disorder, I felt anxious. My family told me to be excited that I might finally get some relief, but I remained skeptical after five torturous years of being unable to control my nocturnality . Sensors It wasn’t having a dozen sensors and wires attached to me that made me anxious. It wasn’t having to sleep an hour from home in what I was promised would be a hotel-like setting (not my kind of hotel , though). And it wasn’t even the prospect of a “sleep technician” observing me all night. What gave me the greatest pause was the “no devices rule.” No iPhone. No laptop. No Kindle. For nearly two months, I dreaded being unplugged for 8 hours or less. Little did I know that would be the least of my woes. Dr. Yeh prescribed two Ambiens to help with my intermittent awakenings. I kept them tucked away in a drawer and waited patiently for my appointment. (There are so many people nee...
