I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2004.  In the process, I underwent an all night and all day sleep study and, later on, a one-night study.  At the time, we hoped I could tolerate using a CPAP machine to treat my condition but after 9 months, I gave up.  I found it impossible to go to sleep wearing any sort of mask or nasal apparatus and I tried 4 or 5 variations.

After the CPAP, I tried dental appliances.  These things work by moving the lower jaw forward enough to open up the air passage.  The one I'm using now is one generation older than the current Thornton Adjustable Positioner.  It seems to work well enough even though it breaks about every 6 months.  Maybe I'll get one of the third-generation models someday soon.

My third sleep study was to confirm the efficacy of the dental appliance.  The numbers looked good in '05 or '06 when this study was completed and I hadn't given it another thought until recently.

As I noted in a recent diary, I have given up caffeine in order to better fall asleep at night.  Two or three months after giving up caffeine, though, I noticed that I couldn't stay awake during the day which was no surprise given that I almost never get enough sleep during the work week.  The real problem, though, was that I was getting light-headed and dizzy as well.  This symptom lead me to my doctor who ordered another sleep study.

This study was completed last night and it went as well as could be expected.  I have to wait for a report from my neurologist for the results but I believe the dental appliance still does a pretty good job of keeping me breathing during the night.

And here's the real reason I wrote all of this, to give some context for this photo.  A sleep study (polysomnograph) involves collecting a great deal of information by taping an array of electrodes and sensors to the patient. 

Not noted in this image:

• A finger-tip probe to measure blood oxygen and pulse rate.
• Two elastic bands around the chest to provide yet another measure of respiration.
• The room is wired to record sound and video.

Getting all of these sensors attached to you takes some time and, of course, results in a very awkward sleeping situation.  Two out of my four experiences have involved replacing or repeatedly adjusting various sensors during the night.