Has anyone had a sleep study done based off their fit bits results?

[Kristinnu]

Has anyone had a sleep study based on the results of your sleep tracker? I am averaging 3hours 20mins of dark blue sleep a night. I'd like to make an appointment to see my doctor about my sleep so I can get a referral for a sleep study. I'd like to know if doctors see the fitbit as a valuable tool or not.

[grammie160]

You definitely need to have a sleep study done. My guess if that you may have sleep apnea. I do and have a CPAP machine. It works wonders. Losing weight will also improve your sleep, and is one cause of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can effect your weight and blood pressure. Get it done soon.

[katheliz]

I didn't have a sleep study done because of the fit bit but the fit bit did support lack of restful sleep and why I was so tired. I never thought I had sleep apnea as I really didn't snore and am not considered over weight. However, after many years of complaining and switching doctors right away they were certain I had it due to jaw structure issues. I recently underwent double jaw surgery ( could not tolerate CPAP) to correct the imbalances and fit bit supports I am sleeping better. while not perfect it is less interrupted. Go talk to your doctor, before they do a sllep study they will likely ask you several questions regarding how tired you are. Although I only had moderate slleep apnea ( diagnosed from sleep study) my daytime fatigue was severe, many times I would have to close my eyes at red lights and dozed off at lunch at work if I was the only one in the office. Hope you get checked soon.

[ShelleyGardner]

To answer your orginal question, no, the FitBit data was not used as a derterminated in having my sleep study done. My complaint that I didn't sleep at all is what triggered it.

Which is sad. I had taken multiple surveys with every surgery and hospitalization about my sleep, and every time the doctors said I had sleep apena, yet the PCP never sent me for a sleep study to confirm it. Another doctor had me take home an oxygen sensor, but the stupid thing kept me up all night and so never recorded a drop in oxygen, so my apnea wasn't confirmed with that study. Then I developed severe insomnia, and my PCP finally ordered the full sleep study, with a split night- first half withou the CPAP, 2nd half with. At first, my insurance wouldn't pay for a sleep study. We switched insurances and finally I got my sleep study. IMHO, that should have all happened years earlier!

Now that I have a CPAP machine and am seeing a sleep specialist, to answer the 2nd part of your question, YES, he wants to see my sleep logs every time, along with notes on what I did for hygiene each night (what meds I took, other steps I did to try and sleep better, etc) to help me determine what helps and what isn't. They do take them seriously.

Finally, if you think you have apnea, make an appointment to talk to your doctor about it. Be proactive and insist on a sleep study. Yes, take your logs with you, but be persistant if you are having trouble sleeping or staying asleep, or if your sleep isn't restorative or effective. The PCP can only prescribe sleep meds and make general recommendations for sleep. And while you can research a ton on sleep on the internet, and it's mostly good advice, it deals with the insomnia portion only. The apnea diagnosis and CPAP machine only comes from a sleep study- for during your sleep, they play with the pressure levels on the machine to see what pressure of air you need to stop your apnea events. The machine, type of mask, and settings are all very specific to your type of apena, face, and sleep pattern (mouth breather, only nose breather, etc) that they observe in the first half. 

Hope this helps.