:confused: Hi I have been told I need a sleep study done on me, am so tired in the mornings. I did buy a recorder, digital one and before bed put it on. It is voice activated. I had what I thought was a nightmare, thought someone was strangling me, had hard time breathing, then woke up. I did think my husband came home that night for some eery reason he was fishing. Well all tv's and fans shut off for this is voice activated. The first sound bright and clear of a man saying there is nothing here time for you to leave go out the back door. By the time on the recorder an hour later, all kinds of sounds were on this recorder. Whispering cursing, sounds of swing in background that needed oiling, crying in the background, more like screaming. A door seemed to be opening, heard from afar a voice say GET OUT. Well the next thing heard a man say what are you trying to kill me, then I heard my wheezing, I indeed thought I was dreaming and being strangled that sound came out, then other noises, and after my trying to take a breath heard soft laughter from women, like trying to drown out my tying to get my breath, then I woke up. I then thought like I said my husband came home day early and went back to sleep. It was strange when the man says What are you trying to kill me it is then I hear my gasping for air I was like in the dream being strangled. Well I tried this out to catch any sleep apnea I might of have before a sleep study and before setting the recorder heard on TV just say anyone want to talk go ahead, of course when I played this back I was surprised. Of course can't errase it all my family wants to hear it. Just so strange.
The reason for sleep study in the am I am not refreshed until at least late at night.
Thank you Joan any suggestions

The first thing that I would do is look for logical explanations for the sounds and speaking on the recording. Did you have a window open near the recorder? If so, maybe it was picking up the sounds of some neighbors who were fighting.

Another thing is, that some people will move around A LOT in bed when they are sleeping. For a number of years, I would wake up in the mornings and find that my top mattress may have moved as much as a foot away from the headboard. There was no footboard to prevent the top mattress from moving away from the headboard. I know this happens because in speaking with friends, it has happened to some of them also.

The voice activated recorder could also probably be activated by any sounds. If you were moving around, then you may have been making enough noises to activate it. Also, you may have been speaking in your sleep, if you were having a nightmare, and your voice may not have even sounded like your own because of the relaxed condition of your vocal folds and everything else that goes into making you sound like you. If you have not heard very many recordings of yourself, or even never listened to a recording of yourself or for that matter, never been recorded, you may not be recognizing that it is the sound of your own voice. The sound of a squeaking swing that needed oiling, may have just been the sounds of the springs in the bed.

My dad used to have many nightmares. He would speak out loud during them. He did not sound like himself. I was a child when I remember him having the nightmares. I do remember that I could understand almost everything that he was saying and that the experience of listening to him scared me.

Most voice/sound activated recorders will not start at the instant the sound happens. There may be a very slight, what appears to be a pause, in the recording. If not everything in the recording is crystal clear as to what is being said, then you may be INTERPRETING what you THINK has been said because you may not be hearing the whole thing and what you hear may not be crystal clear.

Are there more reasons for having a sleep study done, other than for being tired in the mornings? I mean, why would you bother to by a recorder and record yourself as you sleep?

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of something paranormal. However, I would suggest ruling out every other logical possibility first.

You may even have been walking in your sleep or even role-playing. You don't really know, because you weren't awake!

I hope that the sleep study works out for you and you find out what is going on so that you can get a better nights sleep!