KEYWORD: SLEEP APNEA DOCTOR
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that happens when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night.
If it’s not treated, sleep apnea can cause a number of health problems, including hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the muscle tissue of the heart), heart failure, diabetes and heart attacks. Untreated sleep apnea can also be responsible for job impairment, work-related accidents and motor vehicle crashes, as well as underachievement in school in children and adolescents.
Doctors that might treat sleep apnea:
Sleep medicine doctors: Sleep medicine doctors are usually trained in a medical specialty such as internal medicine, pulmonology, otolaryngology, or neurology, and then complete additional training in sleep medicine. Physicians who have undergone special training and certification in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders (insomnia, sleep apnea, etcetera.) are typically associated with an accredited sleep lab where diagnostic sleep studies are conducted.
ENT specialists: Sometimes sleep apnea is caused by anatomical anomalies such as an abnormally narrow airway, nasal passages that cause an obstruction or tonsils or adenoids that obstruct breathing. After a physical exam, an ENT may order imaging tests to get a better look at these structures to ultimately determine if you are best treated by a surgical or nonsurgical solution, or a combination.
Pulmonologists: Pulmonologists are medical specialists that focus on the health of the respiratory system. These physicians are very familiar with sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, and manage other diseases such as COPD, asthma, and other breathing disorders that may be related to sleep apnea.
Neurologists: Neurological disorders and sleep apnea may coexist, and there can be a bidirectional relationship. In fact, people with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, myotonic dystrophy, ALS, MS, and myasthenia gravis can be at a higher risk of sleep apnea. A neurologist can also determine if your sleep apnea is caused by an underlying and potentially undiagnosed neurological condition
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