Creature from The Sleep Lab

Sleep deprivation is a funny thing; it can cause all sorts of trouble in people. When a person doesn't sleep well naturally, the impact to their physical and mental health can be rough. I personally have snored and had trouble getting enough oxygen overnight since I was ten years old; I even snored when I was skinny. Not surprising, since my Grandpa Harlow was historically loud at night, so loud in fact that when he died Grandma Martha had trouble sleeping after nearly 70 years of snoring went silent. In the end I got a CPAP machine after a sleep test determined that I not only stopped breathing 41 times per hour but also that the "oxygen saturation levels" in my body fell to dangerously low levels overnight.

Enter Super Dave, the Human Hurricane...

We knew that David was a great sleeper once he was able to slow down long enough to drift off, which has an industry term of "Delayed Sleep Onset." But because the issues caused by sleep problems can mimic those of ADHD in some children, David got a sleep test last night at Children's Hospital. Sherry accompanied him to the sleep lab in Bellevue for an overnight study, where they got to sleep in a comfy bed and watch TV. Before the test David was hooked up to all the sensors that measure everything from breathing effort to oxygen levels in the body. Since I work in the sleep industry I asked Sherry if she could get photos of David hooked up to the sensors. The result was perfectly suited for Halloween - "The Creature from The Sleep Lab!"

Sherry said he did a phenomenal job while getting hooked up, edgy at first but eventually helping the tech. He also slept well, which Sherry didn't. It would appear that he doesn't have any trouble with sleep, only getting to sleep. That means that his ADHD symptoms would in fact be ADHD symptoms instead of the result of some apnea.

Sherry, on the other hand, got very little sleep overnight and is really dragging today :(

We should have the test results within the month!