Sleep specialists diagnose and treat sleep disorders that affect your sleep quality. They help address conditions like insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy to improve your rest and health. Specialized training in sleep medicine enables them to evaluate symptoms and design therapies tailored to you. Here are some frequently asked questions about working with sleep specialists:
What Disorders Do Sleep Specialists Treat?
Sleep experts evaluate insomnia characterized by trouble falling or staying asleep. They help identify underlying causes of insomnia and treat it through lifestyle counseling or medication management. If snoring and breathing pauses disrupt your rest, a specialist may diagnose obstructive sleep apnea and recommend breathing devices. Parasomnias, like sleepwalking, night terrors, or restless leg syndrome, may need interventions to limit disruption.
What Do Sleep Studies Measure?
Laboratory sleep studies involve monitoring brain waves, oxygen levels, heart rate, and body movements during rest. Specialists analyze the results to confirm diagnoses.
Studies for insomnia often measure how long it takes to fall asleep and sleep duration. Those with suspected obstructive sleep apnea complete a polysomnogram to evaluate breathing patterns. Nap studies can encourage narcolepsy diagnoses by assessing your ability to stay awake.
When Should You Visit a Sleep Specialist?
Sleep specialists perform evaluations if you experience daytime fatigue, morning headaches, irritability, trouble concentrating, or reports of loud snoring. These are indicators of possible conditions. Diagnosis and treatment may be needed for those who fall asleep unintentionally during the day or while driving. Increased caffeine consumption to stay awake can also suggest an underlying sleep disorder affecting rest.
What Are the Benefits of Home Sleep Studies?
For at-home sleep studies, patients wear devices that record breathing patterns, heart rate, and oxygen levels overnight. Obtaining this information as you follow your daily bedtime routine and rest in your own bed may provide more accurate results. Specialists review the data to provide a diagnosis while understanding how your surroundings may contribute to disrupted rest. Home studies also offer convenience and comfort to those with obstructive sleep apnea.
What Is Polysomnography?
A polysomnogram (PSG) monitors your sleep overnight in a lab, and it remains the standard for assessing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), and other conditions. The PSG records brain waves, oxygen levels, heart rhythms, and body movements to help specialists confirm diagnoses. Reviewing this comprehensive data allows specialists to recommend personalized positive airway pressure (PAP) device settings or medications after the study.
What Are Behavioral Therapies?
Some sleep experts may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This therapy aims to improve your habits, environment, and subconscious thoughts to promote rest. You may learn skills for managing stress and stimulus control techniques to shorten the time it takes to fall asleep. CBT-I helps identify thought patterns that hinder sleep while building healthier routines. Relaxation strategies can address disruptions like restless leg syndrome.
Discover Sleep Solutions
Sleep specialists offer insights into the diagnoses and treatments available for disrupted sleep. They coordinate home sleep testing and in-laboratory studies to provide insights into the underlying disorders that impact your health. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep or take frequent naps during the day, it may be time to visit a sleep specialist. Contact an expert today to improve your sleep and overall health.