Brady

Brady is one of the head nurses at the sleep center and quickly becomes Nova’s main caretaker. He’s a very friendly guy who kind of has “camp counselor” energy so David Bradburn was a great choice to play him. David and Mia really quickly became friends and had really good chemistry in rehearsals and that definitely reflects in their scenes together.

Brady is a very reassuring and calming presence for Nova and sort of becomes a big brother to her. He keeps Nova calm during the polysomnograms and tries to help her come out of her paralysis. Brady is a good person and a good nurse(and he’s a little beefy too *wink*).

The Polysomnogram

So I actually had to do a good bit of research for this show.(This is not knowledge I just randomly have.) So here’s a quick breakdown of what a polysomnogram actually is:

“A polysomnogram is an overnight sleep study that records brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, body movement, and more. Polysomnograms are used to help diagnose some of the following:

  • Sleep related breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
  •  Sleep related seizure disorders.
  • Sleep related movement disorders such as periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).
  • Sleep related disorders caused by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).

When you arrive for your sleep study, you will be met by a registered polysomnographic technologist (RPSGT) who will be administering your sleep study. They will generally go over your paperwork, have you fill out any necessary forms, and review with you what the sleep study will entail. After collecting your health history as well as some vitals like your blood pressure, the tech will apply monitors to measure activity in your body as you sleep. This will normally include:

  •  Wires with small cup electrodes attached to your scalp with a conductive paste to measure brain activity. This lets the tech know if you are sleeping, and what stage of sleep you are in.
  • Wire electrodes are taped to your face near the eyes and chin to show muscle activity. These electrodes are used to measure eye movements, which also give clues to sleep stages, as well as chin movements which can observe possible nocturnal teeth grinding as well as other sleep disorders related to muscle activity.
  •  2 elastic belts around your chest and stomach to measure breathing effort.
  • A nasal cannula (clear plastic tubing) and small heat monitor to measure all breathing activity.
  • A wire electrode on each leg to measure body movement/muscle activity.
  • A monitor taped to your finger to detect oxygen levels during the study.
  • 2-3 lead EKG monitors to show heart rate and rhythm
  • A small mic applied to your throat to detect snoring.

Once you have been hooked up to the various machines, the RSPGT will begin monitoring the data from another room. They will communicate with you via an intercom system and run through a series of tests to calibrate the equipment. When the calibrations are finalized you are encouraged to sleep.” (Alaska Sleep Education Center, What to Expect During an In-lab Sleep Study, Posted by Kevin Phillips)

So basically all of that is to say they put a bunch of wires on you that monitor your brain waves and breathing.

I could imagine it would probably be pretty scary the first time you go through something like this, especially if you’re not sure what to expect (and clearly Nova hasn’t done any research).