I just had one of these last night at the hospital. Strange experience.

First, by the time I was supposed to show up at the hospital, the only entrance was the ER. The sleep tech shows up (who reminded me of Alice from the Brady Bunch, was Alice in her 50s?), and I follow her down what seems an endless series of hallways to the bowels of the hospital. We haven't seen ANYONE after leaving the ER. This part of the building hasn't been renovated and looks terrible with old wallpaper, worn tiles on the floors, low ceilings, so visions of horror movies start going through my head.

Anyway, Alice shows me the room, which looks like a very small hotel room, and tells me to get comfortable and fill out the paperwork on the bed. I said, "Get comfortable, as in 'change into your sleeping clothes'?" She says, "Sure, I have to help the other patient, and then I'll be back" and leaves. I'm standing there thinking I'm going to get hit-on/raped by a 50-year-old woman for some sort of favor.

Thankfully, that never happened.

To make a long story longer, she did come back and start measuring my head (the one on my shoulders, thanks), and marking on it with a wax pencil which hurt like hell. Then she glued 8 electrodes to my head, and two to each leg (those hurt like hell when they were removed). Taped a microphone to my neck (which hurt like hell when removed too - pretty sure that one took some skin off), attached two bands around my chest and stomach (each with 2 sensors), attached another sensor to tell how I was laying on the bed, and an oxygen sensor to my finger. Oh yeah, the worst one came over the ears and under my nose. It had protrusions on top that irritated my nose, and protrusions on the bottom that extended over my mouth.

So with all these freaking wires and crap attached to me so I felt like Frankenstein's monster, I was supposed to go to sleep. After rolling around for an hour, I had her come back in there and turn the air down. I finally fell asleep, but that only lasted 4 hours.

I left about 5:30 this morning. The whole experience sucked. Even the TV only picked up about 2 channels clearly, the others were only watchable from a distance. And the channel with the olympics didn't work at all.

Have any of you had one of these studies? Share. Discuss. Go.

About a year ago my girlfriend had an experience pretty much exactly like yours... (though she didn't, as far as I know, get hit on by a Brady-Bunch doppelganger.) After going through it all, they called her in a week later to say, "Yep, something's wrong with you, but we haven't the slightest idea what it is. Enjoy your life!" So hopefully yours will turn out to have been more useful.

I've been really tired for the last couple of years, so I'm going to get one very soon methinks

Obviously you need a Sleep Number bed!

Yeah, me too. I fell asleep in class a couple of days ago. Luckily, it wasn't my worst class of the day. A student said, "Mr. Chewie, are you tired?" At that point I opened my eyes and realized I had been asleep (sitting up at my desk, not face down somewhere).

It would be amazing if your students actually called you "Mr. Chewie."

I had this same thing done. They used some kind of putty to attach stuff to my head, so no skin rippage, though.

They told me I had sleep apnea.

Can you just sign up for something like this and be part of a test group or is it something you have to pay for?

I'd love to go do one of these .. I think there would be some very interesting results.

It's generally something you go have done when you can't sleep worth a damn.

This.

I was referred by my regular doctor. Twice, actually. I stalled and made up excuses because I didn't want to do it. My insurance covers it. Some do not. I'm pretty sure it's a few thousand dollars for the misery.

Antony, they put some sort of pasty crap for the electrodes on my head, but tape every where else. I was able to wash out most of the paste, but the tape was brutal. I've got this big tape-sized red mark across the front of my neck.

Dawn dish soap is best for the paste crap. I have so far found nothing that works better.

That nose thing did suck ***, though.

Oh and my nurse gave me lunesta when I couldn't go to sleep, and I was really tempted to stay awake so I'd start tripping.

Rubbing Alcohol doesnt work on the tape marks?

I've had much less intrusive sleep monitoring to improve my insomnia when I was really young, but I think that was more to see if it was how I was sleeping.

My wife's conditioner did pretty well.

Rubbing alcohol?! LOL, it's not that there's sticky stuff from the tape on my body - there SKIN MISSING IN THE SHAPE AND PATTERNS OF THE TAPE. I'm not man enough to put alcohol on that!

They put lotion on my skin before they put the tape on. It made it so the glue didn't pull any skin off. I'm not sure why they use such ridiculous glue for these things.

so they don't come off during sleep?

You're not supposed to toss and turn during the study anyway. You have to lay flat on your back otherwise it messes up the readings. There's no reason for the glue on the tape to be that strong.

there's no reason

Yeah, and sab knows, because he's a mailman.

Of all the things you do, this is the one thing that actually makes me laugh every time.

Yea, because if someone tells me to totally not toss and turn during my sleep, I'm definitely going to remember that and listen when I'm not fully conscious.

Of all the times you've done this, this is the one time it made me scream in a sudden guttural burst of uncontrollable rage:"I'M NO GODDAMN MAILMAN"

Right. Like I somehow fabricated the conditions of a sleep study to suit my stance that the tape has no reason to be so strong. They specifically say to do your best to stay still during sleep and you're not allowed to sleep on your side. I didn't make this up.

Uh oh, look out, mailman goin' postal!

They told me no such thing. In fact, one of the sensors on me was to determine what position I was in at any given moment. Alice said she had to use that because the camera in the room was broken, which I think was a flat-out lie, because I saw the lights on the camera come on and off several times during the night.

Different studies for different things?

That's weird. They told me if I rolled over or anything they'd have to do it again because it would mess up the results.

I had one done at an actual sleep clinic. It was nothing like that aside from the electrodes. I was led to a room with soft lighting, chocolate brown walls, and a huge king sized bed with a down comforter and a ton of pillows. I was even given a set of silk pajamas to wear... which was weird. They had me wear a sleep mask instead of the microphone, but I still had electrodes on my head and legs.

They also gave me a sedative to help ease me to sleep in the new place. It was actually pretty sweet.

Damn, Yecti, next time I really need to relax I'm gonna set one of those visits up...