I had my overnight sleep study last week at the Royal University Hospital's Sleep Disorders Centre. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to sleep after being hooked up to various electrodes, wires, etc. The results, which were extremely detailed, showed that I did manage to sleep and that I have sleep apnea. However, it's only borderline sleep apnea. (I've always suspected I was "borderline"!) The doctor who went over my results with me on a computer the next morning said that the CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine that they give to people with severe sleep apnea (so they don't stop breathing many times during the night) would probably cause me more discomfort than it would be worth. My oxygen level decreases at times when I'm sleeping, but not to a dangerous level. If my problem gets worse, I can get a CPAP machine without another long wait for a sleep study.

The doctor recommended forcing myself to sleep on my side and losing about 10 pounds, although he said (and it was nice to hear) that I weigh a lot less than most of their sleep apnea patients. He also said that part of the reason why the quality of my sleep got much worse in recent months could be stress. Given that I had taken on a lot of temporary extra work and had fallen on ice--affecting my neck and back--this makes sense. I'm sure that a lot of my stress came from worrying about having untreated sleep apnea.

At first, I was disappointed that there wasn't a clear and quick solution to my problem. After thinking about it for a bit, I realized that I'm glad I don't have a severe form of sleep apnea, which can cause problems such as heart damage if it's bad enough. I definitely feel less anxious now when I go to bed at night.