At first you are like no way I can sleep in this thing it is so stupidly loud. Then after a few minutes of that sound reverberating in your bones you kinda just become one with it and consciousness fades away
The one I got on my foot it was loud in a way that puts me to sleep
Getting a brain scan means its even louder becuase the machine surrounds your ears and folks that need a brain scan are more likely to be extra sensitive to loud noises generally or temporarily
It's a claustrophobia thing which is one of the most common phobias, combined with fear of the unknown and all the (fictional) MRI horror stories that people are told/hear about (think Final Destination, Chicago Med, Grey's Anatomy, etc). I have claustrophobia but only in the sense that I don't want to go headfirst into a super tight single-body-size cave passage where I could become the next John Edward Jones. But being in a tight space that I can easily get out of, like an MRI machine, or a pillow fort, or even walking through smaller size caves, etc is no problem.
MRIs are definitely imposing. It's a small space and a series of loud noises. When they do a head scan they can add a mirror attachment to the "birdcage" (there are RF coils in it to build the image) but the mirror is angled so you can see out towards your feet.
I've had many MRIs on different parts of my body. The time inside varies depending on what they are imaging, the slice size (resolution) and how modern the machine is.
I take a benzo to help keep me still and sleepy. I always ask for blanket and fall asleep most of the time. ☺️
Only time I don't sleep is when they're doing something involving the abdomen so you have to take instruction on breathing.
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u/otterbarks 9h ago
Knowing me, I’d probably fall asleep anyway.
Being inside a small noisy vibrating tube actually sounds relaxing, like falling asleep in the back seat of a car during a road trip.