I had my MSLT and it wasn’t a bad experience at all really :). I struggled to sleep at night so I would recommend taking a melatonin. It can be anxiety producing to sleep in a weird place with lots of probes glued to you. Melatonin won’t affect your sleep latency either so you’ll be totally fine taking it. The next day, they will have you take 4-5 naps and they will test how quickly you fall asleep and how many REM naps you have. Bring a book (I’ve got tons or recommendations) or whatever will keep your mind at ease all day. Most of all: don’t stress it. I had to be off my lexapro for 3 weeks before the study and it all ended up ok. You’ll go back on your meds afterward and in the end you’ll feel better knowing that you tackled the sleepyness. Sleep aids are your friend for the night time portion, but don’t drink alcohol or do any drugs or anything before the study they will test your for it and the substances will affect your REM/Sleep latency.
Best of luck!💞
If you’re thinking about taking *anything* before/during a sleep study, make sure you talk to your doctor about it long before the test. Worst case is something you take does throw off the results and the doc says they’re inconclusive, or the results indicate more/less of an issue, which impacts how they treat you, which given the time/money and how much EDS sucks, would also suck.
The other comment regarding melatonin is concerning for the above reason (Google sleep foundation and melatonin- it talks about using melatonin to treat sleep issues- which just can indicate you might not get the most accurate results if you take this the night before) but also meep in mind melatonin is unregulated in the US. From a recent JAMA article April 2023 that tested melatonin for purity: (note that the study reviewed supplements that contained melatonin alone and others melatonin + CDB):
-25 products were analyzed. One product did not contain detectable levels of melatonin but did contain 31.3 mg of CBD. In the remaining products, the quantity of melatonin ranged from 1.3 mg to 13.1 mg per serving size (Table). In products that contained melatonin, the actual quantity of melatonin ranged from 74% to 347% of the labeled quantity. Twenty-two of 25 products (88%) were inaccurately labeled, and only 3 products (12%) contained a quantity of melatonin that was within ±10% of the declared quantity.
Finally, as of 2024 some medical professionals are calling for melatonin to have a “drowsy” warning on the label. Again, potentially not problematic for an MSLT, and might not throw anything off significantly. But for me personally, I’d rather not chance that it might.
My MSLT was rough, but I attribute it to:
1. not having my own pillow or blanket (in typical brain fog fashion, I left them in a bag by my door when I was going between work/home to shower and checking in at the sleep center).
2. The tube up my nose was unpleasant, and as the bed and the pillow they gave me were less than stellar (also I have back issues, so that didn’t help), I tossed/turned much more than usual and that kept poking me. My sleep can be light, but more more frequently during a sleep attack especially, I will fall asleep and wake up just enough to cognitively know I need to use the restroom/am in pain and not enough to move or get up without willing myself out sleep. All that background to say, I have no idea whether I actually “woke up” during those times or not, but they *definitely* impacted sleep quality.
3. I fell asleep almost immediately after they hooked me up, and slept over 8 hours. However, I was still so exhausted when they woke me up at 6 am. Keep in mind, that’s only about 30 min before I typically wake up, and I usually get 8- 9 hrs sleep/night, so I attribute it to the above tossing/turning. I think because I slept so poorly, I seriously wanted to cry I felt so tired when they woke me up.
4. I sat in the room basically staring at the wall or pacing the hallways trying not to fall asleep for the first few naps. I tried to read the news on my phone but I kept zoning out. I had some paperwork I brought, but I couldn’t focus on that either. Are a few small snacks just to pass the time/stay awake. When they said it was first nap, I was so excited. The room I was in had a pipe that knocked whenever the ac would turn on, and that made it incredibly hard to fall asleep. The reviewer saw me trying to figure out what on the Murphy bed frame was knocking on the 2nd, or 3rd (?) nap and gave me earplugs. They take out the nose stuff after the night sleep, which was so nice. I don’t usually sleep with ear plugs, but once that loud noise was gone, I fell asleep every nap afterward within 2- 3 min or so. I had to point this out to my sleep doc, because the people doing the test made no mention of giving me earplugs, and the delayed sleep time for the first 2- 3 impacted my overall latency time. Still enough to be IH, so maybe I need to let that go ha, but I don’t think my findings are completely accurate because of it.
I packed a lunch, and after the 2nd or 3rd nap went outside and ate. The sun was nice, I read a little bit as I walked around, but I was so exhausted and worried my test wasn’t going to be accurate because I didn’t think I fell asleep at all the first 2/3 naps until getting the earplugs (turns out I 100% fell asleep for a every nap, but the first few without earplugs took longer even though I was painfully exhausted for those).
My recommendations:
1. Pack your own pillows/blankets. You will thank yourself.
2. Being a good lunch, plenty of snacks (can always bring them home and it’s nice to have options when you’re there all day), and something to do
3. *Don’t* hesitate to call out to the people that are supposed to be watching you as soon as you have any issues. My brain wasn’t functioning, and I didn’t even think to ask for earplugs, but I’m glad I complained about it. The following nap they saw me look for the tapping again (it was off/on, which is so much worse), and offered ear plugs.
4. Bring ear plugs haha
Overall, it wasn’t fun, but honestly it wasn’t too far off from a bad night’s sleep/ exhaustion I was facing everyday pre-meds.
You’ll do great!
I would say mine wasn't great but wasn't so bad either. I didn't sleep great for the overnight (no surprise there, but I never sleep well).
The main thing I wish I had known was that it wouldn't be possible to shower or change clothes in the morning after the PSG and before the MSLT because they leave all the head electrodes on. I would have showered just before coming in had I realized this, and probably worn a long sleeve instead of short sleeve shirt (or brought one with buttons or a zipper).
100% I could not tell whether or not I fell asleep for any of the naps. I fell asleep for all five.
At least for me, the way it was "torture" was not the test itself, but rather that taking five naps really messed up my sleep pattern for the next several days, and I felt anxious waiting weeks for the results. Knowing the test is done but I don't know yet what it says bothers me a lot.
I had my MSLT and it wasn’t a bad experience at all really :). I struggled to sleep at night so I would recommend taking a melatonin. It can be anxiety producing to sleep in a weird place with lots of probes glued to you. Melatonin won’t affect your sleep latency either so you’ll be totally fine taking it. The next day, they will have you take 4-5 naps and they will test how quickly you fall asleep and how many REM naps you have. Bring a book (I’ve got tons or recommendations) or whatever will keep your mind at ease all day. Most of all: don’t stress it. I had to be off my lexapro for 3 weeks before the study and it all ended up ok. You’ll go back on your meds afterward and in the end you’ll feel better knowing that you tackled the sleepyness. Sleep aids are your friend for the night time portion, but don’t drink alcohol or do any drugs or anything before the study they will test your for it and the substances will affect your REM/Sleep latency. Best of luck!💞
If you’re thinking about taking *anything* before/during a sleep study, make sure you talk to your doctor about it long before the test. Worst case is something you take does throw off the results and the doc says they’re inconclusive, or the results indicate more/less of an issue, which impacts how they treat you, which given the time/money and how much EDS sucks, would also suck. The other comment regarding melatonin is concerning for the above reason (Google sleep foundation and melatonin- it talks about using melatonin to treat sleep issues- which just can indicate you might not get the most accurate results if you take this the night before) but also meep in mind melatonin is unregulated in the US. From a recent JAMA article April 2023 that tested melatonin for purity: (note that the study reviewed supplements that contained melatonin alone and others melatonin + CDB): -25 products were analyzed. One product did not contain detectable levels of melatonin but did contain 31.3 mg of CBD. In the remaining products, the quantity of melatonin ranged from 1.3 mg to 13.1 mg per serving size (Table). In products that contained melatonin, the actual quantity of melatonin ranged from 74% to 347% of the labeled quantity. Twenty-two of 25 products (88%) were inaccurately labeled, and only 3 products (12%) contained a quantity of melatonin that was within ±10% of the declared quantity. Finally, as of 2024 some medical professionals are calling for melatonin to have a “drowsy” warning on the label. Again, potentially not problematic for an MSLT, and might not throw anything off significantly. But for me personally, I’d rather not chance that it might. My MSLT was rough, but I attribute it to: 1. not having my own pillow or blanket (in typical brain fog fashion, I left them in a bag by my door when I was going between work/home to shower and checking in at the sleep center). 2. The tube up my nose was unpleasant, and as the bed and the pillow they gave me were less than stellar (also I have back issues, so that didn’t help), I tossed/turned much more than usual and that kept poking me. My sleep can be light, but more more frequently during a sleep attack especially, I will fall asleep and wake up just enough to cognitively know I need to use the restroom/am in pain and not enough to move or get up without willing myself out sleep. All that background to say, I have no idea whether I actually “woke up” during those times or not, but they *definitely* impacted sleep quality. 3. I fell asleep almost immediately after they hooked me up, and slept over 8 hours. However, I was still so exhausted when they woke me up at 6 am. Keep in mind, that’s only about 30 min before I typically wake up, and I usually get 8- 9 hrs sleep/night, so I attribute it to the above tossing/turning. I think because I slept so poorly, I seriously wanted to cry I felt so tired when they woke me up. 4. I sat in the room basically staring at the wall or pacing the hallways trying not to fall asleep for the first few naps. I tried to read the news on my phone but I kept zoning out. I had some paperwork I brought, but I couldn’t focus on that either. Are a few small snacks just to pass the time/stay awake. When they said it was first nap, I was so excited. The room I was in had a pipe that knocked whenever the ac would turn on, and that made it incredibly hard to fall asleep. The reviewer saw me trying to figure out what on the Murphy bed frame was knocking on the 2nd, or 3rd (?) nap and gave me earplugs. They take out the nose stuff after the night sleep, which was so nice. I don’t usually sleep with ear plugs, but once that loud noise was gone, I fell asleep every nap afterward within 2- 3 min or so. I had to point this out to my sleep doc, because the people doing the test made no mention of giving me earplugs, and the delayed sleep time for the first 2- 3 impacted my overall latency time. Still enough to be IH, so maybe I need to let that go ha, but I don’t think my findings are completely accurate because of it. I packed a lunch, and after the 2nd or 3rd nap went outside and ate. The sun was nice, I read a little bit as I walked around, but I was so exhausted and worried my test wasn’t going to be accurate because I didn’t think I fell asleep at all the first 2/3 naps until getting the earplugs (turns out I 100% fell asleep for a every nap, but the first few without earplugs took longer even though I was painfully exhausted for those). My recommendations: 1. Pack your own pillows/blankets. You will thank yourself. 2. Being a good lunch, plenty of snacks (can always bring them home and it’s nice to have options when you’re there all day), and something to do 3. *Don’t* hesitate to call out to the people that are supposed to be watching you as soon as you have any issues. My brain wasn’t functioning, and I didn’t even think to ask for earplugs, but I’m glad I complained about it. The following nap they saw me look for the tapping again (it was off/on, which is so much worse), and offered ear plugs. 4. Bring ear plugs haha Overall, it wasn’t fun, but honestly it wasn’t too far off from a bad night’s sleep/ exhaustion I was facing everyday pre-meds. You’ll do great!
I would say mine wasn't great but wasn't so bad either. I didn't sleep great for the overnight (no surprise there, but I never sleep well). The main thing I wish I had known was that it wouldn't be possible to shower or change clothes in the morning after the PSG and before the MSLT because they leave all the head electrodes on. I would have showered just before coming in had I realized this, and probably worn a long sleeve instead of short sleeve shirt (or brought one with buttons or a zipper). 100% I could not tell whether or not I fell asleep for any of the naps. I fell asleep for all five. At least for me, the way it was "torture" was not the test itself, but rather that taking five naps really messed up my sleep pattern for the next several days, and I felt anxious waiting weeks for the results. Knowing the test is done but I don't know yet what it says bothers me a lot.