What Is A Sleep Center?

If you have a sleep disorder like insomnia, sleep apnea, snoring, narcolepsy, or any of the other 81 sleep disorders, sometimes it takes more than just your primary care physician to investigate the problem. That's where a sleep center comes in handy. At a sleep center, you will meet with a subspecialty physician who focused his/her training on sleep disorders medicine.

Not Every Sleep Center Is Created Equally

Not every sleep center is actually a sleep center. If the place you refer to as a "sleep center" ONLY does sleep studies at night, then they are more aptly called a "sleep laboratory". In order to be called a "sleep center", a sleep physician must see patients in the daytime. And not just sleep apnea and snoring patients - they see all patients with sleep disorders.

How Do I Find a Good Sleep Center?

These days, sleep centers are so common that you can just search for "sleep center" plus your city and state and usually you can find one. For example, if you were living in Portland, you would type "sleep center portland oregon" in Google. Once you find a sleep center, call and make sure the sleep physician is "fellowship trained." Fellowship training is now the gold standard for sleep medicine training. Believe it or not, many doctors who call themselves sleep specialist have never been through fellowship training.

Now That I've Found A Sleep Center In My Area, What Next?

Once you have found a good sleep center in your area, the next step is simple: call and make an appointment with the sleep physician. You will meet with the sleep physician and be asked hundreds of questions about your sleep. A sleep study may be necessary to be further evaluated.

In summary, a sleep center is a medical facility that diagnoses and treats sleep disorders. When searching for a sleep center, make sure it is not just a sleep laboratory and make sure the physician is fellowship trained. Once you find a good sleep center in your area, call and make an appointment with the sleep physician.

Disclaimer: As with all the content on this site, this article is to be viewed as educational only. In no way should this be construed as medical advice. If you are concerned that you might have a sleep disorder, make an appointment with a sleep physician for proper advice.