In an ideal world, you would see your CPAP doctor once a year and discuss your current health for a good hour.
They’ll inquire about your family, your marriage, and if you exercise often. How do you feel about your job? Are you eating well?
You may prepare a list of inquiries for your expert, and you two would carefully review each. Your doctor may even inquire about how well you sleep at night and if you feel refreshed.
A CPAP doctor can advise you on the best course for treating your individual symptoms, recognizing sleep apnea symptoms, and diagnosing sleep apnea if necessary.
So when is the appropriate moment to discuss your sleep disorder? Do you even need to visit a sleep specialist, or can your CPAP doctor handle the situation? Is there such a thing as a sleep specialist? Let’s find out.
Who Are Sleep Physicians?
A medical doctor with extra specialized training in sleep medicine is known as a sleep doctor. Typically, a doctor will receive primary training in internal medicine, pulmonology, or neurology before completing further sleep medicine training.
A CPAP doctor must pass a demanding test to get boarded (i.e., qualified or credentialed) in sleep medicine (you can check a doctor’s certification on the American Board of Internal Medicine site).
After passing the sleep medicine board exam, a physician may interpret sleep tests and establish a sleep medicine practice. This CPAP doctor will also see patients with pulmonary or neurological disorders (based on her training). A doctor may need specialized sleep medicine training and certification to interpret sleep studies.
These medical professionals may include general practitioners, internists, pulmonologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, otolaryngologists, and dentists.
Five CPAP Doctor’s With Whom You Should Discuss Your Sleep Apnea
Pulmonologist
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), essentially when you stop breathing while sleeping due to a blockage in the airway, is one of the sleep disorders that pulmonologists are exceptionally acquainted with.
Some pulmonologists would want to become board-certified in sleep medicine since they treat other illnesses, including COPD, asthma, and other breathing problems that may be associated with sleep apnea. They could work for themselves or be connected to a sleep clinic, interpreting sleep testing for their patients.
Neurologist
Central sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and insomnia are neurological disorders, but moderate obstructive sleep apnea is a respiratory issue.
Suppose your primary care physician feels that obstructive sleep apnea is the source of your sleep problems, such as excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, etc. In that case, you won’t usually be sent to a neurologist but to another expert like a pulmonologist or ENT.
However, you could wind up seeing a neurologist if you also have additional symptoms that might point to a neurological explanation for your issues.
Neurologists, like pulmonologists, may be board-certified in sleep medicine, and some are associated with sleep centers and make their own sleep tests’ interpretations.
Psychiatrist
Most individuals with sleep problems, including insomnia, narcolepsy, and severe sleep apnea, may be seen by psychiatrists. Sleep apnea’s prevalent symptom of insomnia is insomnia.
These sleep problems may lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, which can negatively impact a person’s mood, anxiety, depression, sex drive, and other factors.
A psychiatrist would ask how you sleep to determine if you are at risk for a sleep disturbance. If so, they could suggest you visit a testing center for a sleep study or see one of the other sleep experts.
Dentist
A dentist checks more mouths every day than any other CPAP doctor. Today dental sleep medicine is expanding. You should also see your dentist twice a year, more often than any other medical professional.
Due to these factors, dentists are in a perfect position to manage sleep problems caused by bruxism (grinding teeth while sleeping) and obstructive sleep apnea.
Additionally, dentists are particularly interested in providing alternatives to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the standard gold therapy for obstructive sleep apnea. It is challenging to use CPAP, the only treatment for sleep apnea that is 100% successful, and some people may be able to lessen their sleep apnea using an oral appliance.
Otolaryngologist
A doctor who medicates problems with the ears, nose, and throat is known as an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) or otolaryngologist. If your kid needs their tonsils removed, has a deviated septum, or inserts a Lego up her nose, you should see this CPAP doctor.
The ENT may see concerns with sleep apnea and snoring during an examination since these conditions are brought on by blockages in the throat. Surgery is often advised by ENTs to address sleep apnea or snoring.
While these methods successfully treat sleep apnea in children (which is often brought on by enlarged tonsils or adenoids and may be surgically removed to cure the condition), they are less successful in treating the disease in adults.
For patients with sleep apnea symptoms, many ENTs would request sleep tests and suggest CPAP. Surgery may be an option if continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is not successful or tolerated or the patient discovers that he just snores and does not have sleep apnea.
Sleep Disorders May Or May Not Be Managed By Your Primary Care CPAP Doctor
The primary care physician is typically considered a generalist who refers patients with particular medical conditions to specialists for disease management; however, many doctors are now managing many medical conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, without referring to a sleep specialist. Sleep falls under this as well.
Some doctors will treat their patients’ sleep disorders. Some medical professionals will do sleep exams on each new patient and screen them for sleep disorders.
The doctor will inquire about your sleep. They may ask about how you are sleeping from your partner or family member. Do you snore? Nighttime gasping for breath? Do you ever stop breathing at night?
The next step is for this doctor to request a sleep study at home or at a sleep lab. The expert will get the findings of your sleep study, then get in touch with you to go through the following steps. This may include requesting CPAP treatment if you suffer from a sleep disorder like moderate sleep apnea.
You won’t need to visit a specialist if you see this kind of doctor. If your primary care physician treats sleep issues, inquire with the personnel at the office. If not, request a recommendation for a specialist or look for one on your own.
How Sleep Apnea Diagnosed By CPAP Doctor?
Be ready to explain your symptoms and respond to inquiries when you see a doctor for obstructive sleep apnea. In addition, the CPAP doctor will review your medical history, examine you physically, and go over any drugs you are taking (certain medicines may relax the throat’s muscles and tissues, narrowing the airway).
A certified sleep lab is often where a diagnostic sleep study is carried out, and you will be watched while you sleep. Typically, the standard gold test, polysomnography, which is non-invasive, is advised.
While you sleep, it monitors brain activity, eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, respiratory effort, airflow, and blood oxygen levels.
In-home sleep studies that use a device to monitor airflow, blood oxygen saturation, and breathing patterns while you sleep are among the other sorts of tests that are accessible, depending on your condition and symptoms.
After diagnosing OSA, your CPAP doctor may treat you or send you to one or more experts for multidisciplinary therapy.
What Questions Will Your CPAP Doctor Ask You?
To determine the root of your sleep disorders, your doctor will have specific questions for you to answer. These inquiries could cover the following:
- How long have you had your sleep issues, and what problems do you have?
- When did your symptoms start to show up for you? At that time, did anything else in your life change?
- What did a restful night’s sleep feel like for you before your sleep issues started?
- What effects do your sleep problems have throughout the day?
- How long does it take you to become comfortable when you go to bed?
- What hour do you go to sleep and wake up?
- Ever woken up early and had trouble going back to sleep?
- Do you have menopause, or are you pregnant?
- Are you a smoker, coffee, or alcohol drinker? How much alcohol or tobacco do you consume daily?
- What kind of exercise do you perform, and when do you exercise?
- How are you feeling mentally? Do you experience tension, worry, or depression?
Some sleep disorders are signs of insomnia, which affects up to one-third of self-reporting people and is characterized by persistent problems getting to sleep or staying asleep.
It’s also conceivable that your sleep problems are brought on by, or at least exacerbated by, an underlying medical condition. Chronic pain, cancer, acid reflux, diabetes, depression, and hormonal changes brought on by pregnancy or menopause are a few health issues linked to poorer-quality sleep.
Your doctor will likely do a physical check in addition to asking you questions to see if one of these disorders is hurting your ability to sleep. For instance, they could examine the size of your tonsils or neck or listen to your heart and lungs.
What To Expect After Discussing Sleep Issues With Your CPAP Doctor
Your doctor will choose the best course of action based on your medical history and physical examination.
Although some patients anticipate receiving medicine when they first seek medical assistance for their sleep problems, physicians often suggest other therapies first, such as sleep hygiene, counseling, or referral to a specialist.
When you start therapy, your doctor may suggest keeping a sleep journal to track your improvement and make adjustments.
The initial step in therapy is often to improve sleep hygiene. Your doctor may advise establishing a regular sleep pattern, altering your food or exercise habits, creating a relaxing nighttime ritual, or modifying your bedroom decor to promote better sleep.
CBT-I, or cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia, is also suggested. The goal of CBT-I is to assist you in identifying the behaviors and ideas that interfere with your ability to fall asleep and replace them with actions that promote sound sleep.
Your doctor can recommend a sleep expert if they believe a sleep disorder is the root of your sleep problems. Before making a definitive diagnosis or suggesting a course of sleep apnea treatment, sleep experts will inquire more about your symptoms since they have received specialized training in sleep medicine.
What Is Polysomnogram?
A polysomnogram, also known as an overnight sleep study, is often used to monitor your sleep and other vital signs, including your breathing, eye and limb movements, and brainwaves.
Insomnia patients generally underestimate their sleep, therefore a polysomnogram may rule out other diseases like sleep apnea.
Some sleep abnormalities are really signs of a more profound condition that, when resolved, cures the sleep disorder. Your doctor could prioritize fixing that problem first. For instance, if worry or sadness is a factor in your sleep problems, they could prescribe antidepressants.
With the correct sleep apnea diagnosis and therapy, many sleep issues may be cured or significantly reduced. If you are worried about your sleep, talk to your doctor.
To help you sleep better, they could suggest a few lifestyle adjustments and sleep hygiene advice. A mix of sleep hygiene, counseling, and medicine may be used to address more severe disorders.
How Soon Should I See A Specialist?
If you have any of the following chronic OSA symptoms, see a specialist or receive a referral from your doctor.
A Pattern Of Loud Snoring
Understanding why you snore is the first step to getting treatment and sleeping better. Common factors that contribute to OSA include:
- Throat and neck tissue in excess: Being overweight or obese is often associated with bulky, fatty throat and neck tissue, low muscular tone, and airway constriction.
- Age: As you age, your tongue and throat muscles may droop and loosen, obstructing your airway.
- Anomalies In The Anatomy: A deviated septum, a minor throat, a cleft palate, and/or swollen adenoids and/or tonsils are just a few of the nasal and throat anatomical issues linked to snoring.
Excessive Drowsiness Throughout The Day
The airway gets closed during sleep with OSA, which wakes you up and forces you to start breathing again. You may experience this a hundred times each night, which prevents you from getting quality slumber.
Unaccounted-for headaches
Obstructive sleep apnea has been linked to headaches, particularly when first waking up in the morning. Low oxygen and high carbon dioxide levels during recurrent OSA episodes while sleeping may cause these headaches.
Shortness of Breath, Gasping or Choking Upon Awakening
You can wake up suddenly gasping for oxygen or choking if your throat muscles are so relaxed that they restrict your airway.
What is a CPAP Machine, and What Does It Do?
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