Sleep Walking and Sleep Apnea Q&A

The following is a question sent to me. I actually hear this one frequently in the sleep lab.

Have you ever dealt with someone with sleepwalking caused by apnea? During my initial consultation, the doc said that the sleepwalking could be caused by "micro-arousals" which were triggered by the apnea, and subsequently scheduled my sleep test for next week. My reason for going to the sleep doc was constant fatigue, headaches, mental fog, and I'm just generally irritable. Is this doc just trying to blow sunshine, or is the "micro-arousals" line true? Also, am I going to wreck the equipment if I get up and start moving around during the test? Thanks for your help

My response:

Good questions. In my experience as a sleep tech, I've performed many studies on people with your same complaints. People with sleep apnea tend to be active in bed from rolling around often to arms and legs flailing like they are fighting. Some people that move like the latter say they sleep walk too. What the doctor says is true. Your sleep is so disturbed and you are so sleepy or half asleep at these times, you may not realize what you are doing. You sound like an excellent candidate for a sleep study. I think they will be able to help you out dramatically. I've seen the before and after of similar people myself. As far as the actual sleep study, you will be fine. It is normal for a wire or two to come off during the study on someone active. The tech probably has performed a sleep study on someone like yourself before. Good luck on your sleep study! Let me know how it goes.

Thank you for reading and keep your questions and comments coming!