Can you have a sleep study if you cant sleep on your back?
April 4th, 2013
I absolutely can not sleep on my back. I have a Chiari malformation so when i lay on my back for to long my face goes numb and i get a headache and nausea. I have been having some periods of sleep apnea and want to have a sleep study done but when my husband did his they would not let him get off of his back. He said it was terrible! Anyone have any experience with this?
yes the sleep lab should be able to test you no matter what position you sleep in. In fact the sleep studies i get back from the lab I refer to have a notation in the report as to what percentage of time the patient spent in various positions. With an underlying neurologic condition it is important that you find out if your sleep disturbance is obstructive or central/neurologic. Talk to the sleep lab technicians before you come in for your study to make sure.
April 4th, 2013 at 3:07 pm
yes the sleep lab should be able to test you no matter what position you sleep in. In fact the sleep studies i get back from the lab I refer to have a notation in the report as to what percentage of time the patient spent in various positions. With an underlying neurologic condition it is important that you find out if your sleep disturbance is obstructive or central/neurologic. Talk to the sleep lab technicians before you come in for your study to make sure.
References :
ENT physician
April 4th, 2013 at 3:37 pm
Absolutely!
The test is designed to get a feel for how you sleep every night. If you normally sleep on your stomach and are forced to sleep on your back this would not be indicative of how your normal sleep patter is and therefore the test is not a useful as it could be.
My husband is a belly sleeper and had his test while he slept on his stomach. No problem.
References :
Respiratory Therapist with a husband who has sleep apnea