What does sleep medicine cover?
Sleep medicine looks at problems with falling asleep, staying asleep, breathing during sleep, unusual movements or behaviours at night, and feeling excessively sleepy during the day. Similar symptoms can have different causes. A sleep physician starts with your history and chooses investigations only when they are likely to answer a useful clinical question.
At Australian Polyclinic in DHA Phase 5, Lahore, Dr G Sarwar Chaudhry assesses sleep and breathing concerns and advises on treatment, sleep testing or referral where appropriate. Explore the Sleep Medicine service.
Common reasons to see a sleep physician
Snoring and breathing pauses
Loud snoring, gasping, or pauses noticed by a partner may suggest obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Snoring alone does not establish a diagnosis. Read the OSA guide.
Difficulty sleeping
Taking a long time to fall asleep, waking repeatedly or waking too early may be insomnia. Sleep timing, other health conditions, medicines and habits are worth reviewing; a sleep study is not automatically needed.
Sleepiness despite enough time in bed
Excessive daytime sleepiness can reflect insufficient sleep, sleep apnoea, medicines, shift work or a less common condition such as narcolepsy. Persistent symptoms need an individual assessment.
Movement or unusual events at night
An urge to move the legs at rest, repeated limb movements, sleepwalking or acting out dreams can disrupt sleep or pose an injury risk. These concerns may need targeted investigation or referral.
Sleep timing problems, including those related to shift work, are also part of sleep medicine. A consultation helps distinguish a body-clock problem from insomnia or another cause of poor sleep.
What are the main types of sleep apnoea?
In obstructive sleep apnoea, the upper airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep despite an effort to breathe. In central sleep apnoea, the brain does not consistently signal the breathing muscles to work. Some people can have a mixture of obstructive and central events. The distinction matters because investigation and treatment can differ.
OSA can affect people of different body sizes. Symptoms such as witnessed breathing pauses, gasping, unrefreshing sleep and daytime sleepiness warrant assessment; symptoms alone cannot determine the type or severity.
Driving safety: If you feel sleepy while driving, stop driving and seek prompt medical advice.
How is a sleep problem assessed?
- Discuss the symptoms. Your doctor asks about sleep times, breathing, daytime alertness, other illnesses and medicines. Observations from someone who shares your room can help.
- Choose the next step. Depending on the concern, this may be a sleep diary, a treatment review, a sleep study or referral for a different investigation.
- Review the findings together. Any test result is interpreted alongside your symptoms. If the findings do not explain persistent symptoms, further assessment may be needed.
Australian Polyclinic offers Level 2 home sleep studies for suitable patients. These record sleep as well as breathing and other signals while the patient sleeps at home. A home study is not the right investigation for every sleep problem; your doctor will advise if a different assessment is needed. See how the sleep laboratory service works.
What might treatment involve?
Treatment depends on the diagnosis. For OSA, options may include positive airway pressure (CPAP or APAP), lifestyle or positional measures, or another treatment for selected patients. If you already use CPAP, a review can address mask fit, comfort, leaks and ongoing symptoms. Read the first-month CPAP guide.
For long-term insomnia, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is usually a first treatment option. Other sleep concerns may call for changes to sleep timing, review of contributing conditions or medicines, or referral to an appropriate specialist. A sleep study is one tool; it is not a treatment in itself.
Discuss your sleep concern
Dr G Sarwar Chaudhry, MBBS, FRACP (Australia), FCCP (USA), sees patients for sleep and breathing concerns at Australian Polyclinic, First Floor, Building 19, CCA, DHA Phase 5, Lahore. Clinic hours are Monday–Saturday, 2:00–9:00 pm; Dr Sarwar’s consultations are 4:00–8:00 pm. Call 0311 057 3333 to enquire.
Further reading
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Sleep apnoea
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Insomnia treatment
This guide is general information and does not replace an individual medical assessment.