The primary care physician is usually considered a generalist who will refer patients with specific medical conditions out to specialist for disease management; however, many of these doctors are now managing many medical conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension themselves without referring to a specialist. This also applies to sleep.Some physicians will manage the sleep issues of their patients. Some doctors will screen all of their new patients for sleep issues and incorporate sleep assessments into their new patient intake forms (check out the most common assessment). This doctor will ask how your sleeping. Better yet, she may ask your bed partner how you’re sleeping.
Are you snoring?
Gasping for air at night?3.Do you stop breathing during the night?
These are all signs of sleep disorder. This doctor will then order a in-home sleep study . After your sleep study, she will receive the results and contact you to discuss next steps. If you have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, this may include ordering CPAP therapy to treat your disease (learn more about that here). With this type of doctor, you won’t need to see a specialist. It’s worth asking your primary care physician’s office staff if he or she manages sleep disorders. If not, you may wish to ask for a referral to a specialist.
