Somnology is the science and research of sleep. A somnologist is a “sleep doctor” specializing in disorders and irregularities related to sleep.

This article will provide an overview of somnologists, when to see one, and what to expect during your appointment.

What Kind of Doctors Treat Sleep Disorders?

Sleep disorder specialists must be a physician (an M.D.) or have a Ph.D. along with significant medical training and research before treating patients.

Physicians who treat sleep disorders must complete four years of medical school, followed by four to seven years of internship, residency training, and a sleep medicine fellowship. Ph.D.s specializing in sleep come from various research backgrounds, commonly psychology.

What Is a Sleep Center?

Sleep centers, or sleep clinics, are medical facilities where somnologists perform sleep studies that help healthcare providers diagnose patients with sleep disorders. This information helps providers develop a treatment plan for their patients. Sleep centers are helpful because somnologists can study patients’ sleep disorders in a controlled environment throughout the night.

Recent technology allows some sleep center studies to be performed at the patient’s home, most commonly to confirm moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

The most common sleep studies include:

Polysomnogram

A polysomnogram (PSG) is a diagnostic sleep test that utilizes several medical devices to measure brain waves, blood oxygen levels, eye movements, airflow, and respiration to look for underlying causes of sleep issues. A PSG is the most common sleep study used to diagnose sleep-related breathing disorders and other abnormal breathing conditions during sleep.

Sleep disorders tested during a PSG may include:

  • Narcolepsy (sleep disorder of overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sleep attacks)
  • Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder
  • Periodic limb movement disorder

Multiple Sleep Latency Test

The multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) measures the tendency to fall asleep under certain conditions. Sleep latency is the amount of time a person takes to go from fully awake to completely asleep. This test can help measure daytime sleepiness to see if there are underlying physiological conditions affecting sleep quality.

Maintenance of Wakefulness Test

The maintenance of wakefulness (MWT) studies a person’s ability to stay awake in an environment with little sensory stimulation. This type of test uses a combination of polysomnography and MSLT to measure sleep latency. The MWT is calculated the following day.

When Should You See a Somnologist?

If you are experiencing signs and symptoms of a sleep disorder, make an appointment to see your primary care provider. They may review your medical history, perform a physical assessment, order noninvasive diagnostic testing, and ask you a series of questions to help determine if any other underlying health conditions are the cause of your sleep issues.

Following your appointment, your primary care provider may refer you to a sleep specialist who can help establish a diagnosis and treatment plan for your sleep issues.

Some sleep disorder symptoms may include:

  • Daytime sleepinessGasping during sleepPauses in breathing during sleepWake in the morning feeling unrefreshedFeeling sleep-deprived

How Do You Find a Somnologist?

In many cases, your primary healthcare provider can refer you to a somnologist in your area. Fortunately, somnologists work in several locations such as private practices, clinics, and hospitals in every major city in the United States.

Some somnologists also utilize telemedicine to see patients remotely and determine the types of diagnostic sleep studies that will work best before a patient even has to step foot in a medical setting.

What to Expect When Seeing a Somnologist

If you see a somnologist at a sleep clinic, they will usually perform a sleep study. The most common sleep study is a PSG.

A PSG is a painless and noninvasive diagnostic test. Here are a few things to expect during a PSG:

  • Electrodes are placed on your scalp, eyelids, and chin. These electrodes monitor brain waves, eye movement, and muscle activity.An elastic belt is placed around your chest and abdomen to monitor breathing.An oxygen monitor is placed on the tip of a finger to measure oxygen saturation in the body.A cannula may be placed in your nostrils to monitor airflow.

Your healthcare provider may also videotape you during the sleep study to observe your body movements and actions.

Summary

A somnologist specializes in disorders related to sleep. Doctors who treat sleep disorders must be M.D.s or have a Ph.D. and require significant medical training and research before treating patients.

Sleep centers, or sleep clinics, are medical facilities where somnologists perform sleep studies that help doctors diagnose patients with sleep disorders. This information helps healthcare providers develop a treatment plan for their patients.

A polysomnogram is the most common diagnostic sleep study used to diagnose sleep-related breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea during sleep.

If you have sleep-related symptoms, talk to your primary care provider, who can refer you to a somnologist in your area. Somnologists work in several locations such as private practices, clinics, and hospitals in every major city in the United States.

A Word From Verywell

Sleep disorders can negatively impact a person’s quality of life and may even lead to other health-related conditions if left untreated.

But the good news is that there are somnologists who can help diagnose sleep issues and develop a treatment plan tailored for you. If you or a loved one suffers from sleep-related symptoms, contact your healthcare provider or sleep specialist to discuss diagnosis options and treatments.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are somnologists considered doctors?
  • Somnologists are physicians such as medical doctors (MD) or doctors of osteopathy (DO), or non-physician doctors such as a Ph.D. Doctors who treat sleep disorders must have a significant amount of training and research before treating patients.
  • What conditions can somnologists help treat?
  • Somnologists help diagnose and treat a variety of sleep disorders and disturbances, including obstructive sleep apnea, nocturnal seizures, narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome, snoring, sleepwalking, or night terrors. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if a referral to a somnologist is the right step for you.
  • When should you see a somnologist?
  • If you experience chronic daytime sleepiness for no known reason, wake up feeling unrefreshed, or are sleep-deprived, you may want to consider seeing a somnologist.If your partner mentions that they hear you gasping during sleep or have pauses in breathing during sleep, talk to your healthcare provider to see if you may have a sleep disorder.Your primary care provider may be able to help refer you to a sleep specialist who can help establish a diagnosis and treatment plan for your sleep issues.

Somnologists are physicians such as medical doctors (MD) or doctors of osteopathy (DO), or non-physician doctors such as a Ph.D. Doctors who treat sleep disorders must have a significant amount of training and research before treating patients.

Somnologists help diagnose and treat a variety of sleep disorders and disturbances, including obstructive sleep apnea, nocturnal seizures, narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome, snoring, sleepwalking, or night terrors. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if a referral to a somnologist is the right step for you.

If you experience chronic daytime sleepiness for no known reason, wake up feeling unrefreshed, or are sleep-deprived, you may want to consider seeing a somnologist.