IMPORTANT: If you have chemical sensitivities or other indoor air quality sensitivities, see the very last paragraph. (cleanliness tag)
Review:
My experience was fine, but I came very prepared bc that's what I do (see list below). (Note, I have no prior sleep study to compare my experience against.)
The young man who was assigned as my technician (sorry, I forgot your name, but you're the guy with the deeply meaningful memorial tattoo with stars) made the process psychologically very comfortable and not awkward at all. Just the right level of talking, self-disclosure, listening, and compassion for which I am greatly appreciative.
Here is a list of how I prepared to ensure that I got okay sleep and not too many pains:
(1) the bed - You might be able to ask for a different type of bed situation than what I got based on your needs. I did not ask for anything special. My bed was queen size I think. It was firm and had no topper. They wanted me to sleep on my back as much as possible, so firm makes sense. My old shoulder injury was a little sore but not too bad. My old lumbar injury may be a bit sore for a few days because I was not prepared well enough to support it fully.
(2) bring pillows - If lying on your back will cause lower back or neck pain, consider taking some pillows for support (or if you need an adjustable bed let them know that in advance). I wish I had been slightly more prepared for this.
(3) Temperature - The temperature was a good sleeping temperature likely about 68 degrees. I tend to get cold, so I brought some extra stuff to keep warm. I brought my comforter, blanket, and really warm socks. I also bought my sleeping hat. It's basically a winter skull cap that keeps my head warm. It did dislodge a sticky pad a couple of times (some of the electrodes are on your scalp). But for me being woken up to get the sticky pad reattached was better than being unable to fall asleep because my head was cold. I believe they also have fans and maybe space heaters if you ask for one.
(4) Bathrooms - The bathroom is in the hall (no private baths attached to your bedroom). So if you're modest, you may want to bring a robe or blanket wrap to go pee in the middle of the night. You don't really need one. But if that suits your personal preferences, keep in mind you'll have electrode wires running from your knees, chest, face, head, and hand. So you will need a wrap not a pull over. I went to the bathroom in my t-shirt and granny panties and nobody blinked an eye.
(5) Bthrooms - If you do need to use the restroom in the middle of the night, no worries, just push the call button. Your tech will come unhook one thing, and then you can go to the bathroom. When your back in bed, your tech will come back and reattach that one thing for you.
(6) Noise - If you're a light sleeper, consider bringing whatever you use to blockout noise. There will be doors opening and closing and those sorts of normal noises from people waking up to go to the bathroom at different times or calling the their technician for assistance things like that.
The minus one star is because of some kind of respiratory irritant. I don't know if it's vocs or what, but I started getting a post nasal drip, very sore throat, and a kind of a tight throat within 30 minutes of being there. I do have some chemical sensitivities, mold sensitivities, etc... But in every day life and when I'm sleeping at home, I don't have these symptoms. I have no idea which items are the bigest offenders (MDF, foam, plastic candula in nose, cleaning supplies..., all present). UPDATE: The comforter and pillows I brought, have a smell like a funky cleaning product odor. So maybe don't bring yours with you. I hope their air out completely before bedtime 🙁 ...I'm thinking maybe it's whatever antimicrobial cleanser they use to wipe down the plastic mattress cover. Arg!
