Try Sleeping With This On

No, this isn't an Anthony Hopkins publicity photo from the sequel to "Silence of the Lambs." It's Dad at his sleep study Wednesday night.

This is actually the third time he has had to undergo a sleep study - that's a rarity, according to the staff. The first two times were to evaluate his level of sleep apnea. The skinny on sleep apnea is that you stop breathing while you sleep. How often? In his case, an average of 12 times an hour - sometimes for as long as 35 seconds.

All those electrodes and the breathing apparatus made it more difficult to sleep than the previous two times (when it was just the electrodes). The idea behind the tube to the nose is to regulate your breathing so you do not stop for periods of time. Thus, a better night's sleep.

Did it work? According to Dad's preliminary assessment, no. He hardly got any sleep at all. Between trying to sleep on his back (which he never does) and having to breathe through his nose (another rarity), sleeping was an exercise in futility.

Auntie Mo at work weighed in with advice for the Sleep Study, Part IV (if there is one): "Next time ask them to pipe a little nitrous oxide in the tube," she wrote.