Sleep Doctors and Sleep Medicine        
Sleep Medicine was introduced as a medical specialty during the 1970s. Physicians who specialize in sleep medicine treat people with sleep disorders, or problems associated with falling or remaining asleep.  Sleep specialists also provide treatment for other sleep disorders such as narcolepsy (an unavoidable urge to fall asleep at inappropriate times, such as during the day).

Sleep doctors can assist patients with a number of sleep-related problems and disorders including: insomnia (the inability to fall or remain asleep), shift work and circadian (internal clock) related sleep problems, sleepwalking, sleep apnea and snoring, and periodic limb movement disorders (i.e. restless leg syndrome).

Sleep Doctors
Sleep doctors often have a background in a different medical discipline, but have completed specific training in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related disorders. Many sleep doctors are also neurologists, pulmonologists, or ear, nose and throat specialists. 

A board certified sleep doctor will have attended the required training and passed the necessary examinations for the specialty of sleep medicine.  While the form of treatment a sleep specialist can offer will vary based on his or her medical background, some of the more common sleep disorder treatments include:  surgery, medication, behavioral psychotherapy, mouth appliances and CPAP machines (a mask connected to a device that provides continuous airflow while the patient sleeps).

Neurologists as Sleep Doctors
Many sleep disorders are best treated by a neurologist, especially if they fall outside the realm of those caused by breathing problems (such as sleep apnea or snoring).  Neurological illnesses can cause disturbances in sleep (for example: anxiety, depression, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease, and Multiple Sclerosis). 

In addition, sleep disorders may aggravate the symptoms of other neurological illnesses (for instance: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity). A neurologist, with his or her expertise in the relationship between the brain, nervous system and subsequent behavior, can be a helpful ally for patients suffering with sleep disorders.

Getting a Sleep Study
Sleep studies are commonly used by sleep specialists to diagnose sleep disorders.  The patient is asked to spend the night in a sleep lab while being closely monitored by machines which track and document respiration, body and eye movement, air flow and brain activity.  The cause of the sleep disorder often becomes obvious during the sleep study as pertinent information is gathered while the patient sleeps or, conversely, struggles to sleep.

Sleep Lab
A sleep lab is a very specialized laboratory with all of the equipment necessary to provide an effective sleep study.  Sleep labs are usually located inside a patient-friendly neurological institute or freestanding sleep clinic, although some can be found as part of a hospital. While the patient sleeps in a private room similar to that of a luxury hotel, doctors are able to monitor and assess the conditions surrounding the sleep problem and gather the necessary data for a proper diagnosis.