Recognizing you have sleep problems is the first step on the road to recovery. But where exactly should you go and who should you turn to for your treatment, and where do you find a doctor for snoring?
We’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of all the different types of doctors qualified to diagnose and treat your snoring and sleep-related problems.
Primary Physicians/ Primary Care Doctors
It’s likely that you already have a doctor who handles all your health-related complaints. This can be your internist, your family physician, or a general practitioner (or a geriatrician if you’re older).
If you have questions about your snoring, see your primary care doctor first. Even if your symptoms include headaches in the morning, slight memory problems, or shortness of breath, it is better to see your own practitioner familiar with your medical history. They might either diagnose and treat you independently or refer you to a specialist doctor for snoring.
Sleep Specialists
Yes, some doctors study sleep patterns and all disorders related to it. These doctors are board-certified physicians who undergo extensive training and testing to ensure that their abilities to diagnose and treat different disorders are up to the mark.
These specialists may begin as neurologists or ENT specialists and may help you diagnose the cause of your disorder or help you decide which doctor to consult for your snoring.
Ear, Nose, And Throat Specialists
Also known as otolaryngologists, they specialize in the diseases that involve your head and face region. They can also help identify if your snoring is caused by anatomical narrowing of your upper airway or due to a change in a different part i.e., your tonsils and your tongue.
They can tell if your tonsils or tongue are narrow compared to your windpipe, causing you to snore.
Neurologists
While sleep apnea and snoring are primarily an issue concerned with your breathing, other sleep disorders like insomnia, narcolepsy, and central sleep apnea can also be related to your chronic snoring and are diagnosed by a neurologist.
As you slowly age, your brain ages with you, and because of an underlying condition, it might fail to signal your airway to remain stiff and open while you sleep, causing you to either snore or wake up due to lack of oxygen.
Your primary care physician might not deem it necessary to refer you to a neurologist on the get-go but if you feel like your condition is more of a neurological type, you may end up with a neurologist.
Neurologists are boarded with sleep centers and have extensively studied sleep medicine. They are fully capable of diagnosing and treating your snoring and other sleep disorders.
Pulmonologist
Pulmonologists deal with the disorders of the lungs, but they’re very familiar with sleep disorders like snoring and obstructive sleep apnea because this condition occurs primarily due to airway blockage during sleeping.
Pulmonologists also study asthma and COPD and other breathing disorders that may directly affect snoring and sleep apnea. Hence, some pulmonologists might even get board certified in sleep medicine.
Dentists
These board-certified doctors do more than just clean teeth and fill your cavities. Dentists have more knowledge of the anatomy of your oral structures, including the tongue and throat. They can identify any discrepancies in anatomy to diagnose your snoring or sleep apnea that they get specially trained for.
They can also treat your snoring with special devices like splints that help bring your jaw forward and allow the airway to be more open and make breathing easier.
Psychiatrists
Behavioral changes often bring about physical changes in our bodies and psychiatrists can help resolve them. Using drugs, gaining weight and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol are all related to sleep apnea and snoring. It’s safe to say that these habits might be brought on by stress or other behavioral changes and can be used by people as a coping mechanism.
A psychiatrist plans to target the main underlying cause of the problem and treats It accordingly instead of treating the symptom. These trained professionals can also help you manage your poor sleep.
Surgeons
If your snoring and sleep apnea are persistent and don’t respond to treatments like breathing machines, weight loss, and dental splints, you might need surgery. The type of surgery you’ll have depends on the root cause of your problem.
Some surgeons merely shrink the size of the surrounding tissue to help you breathe better. Others do more extensive procedures that involve the removal of your tonsils and extra tissue. Ask your surgeon to explain the benefits and the risks before proceeding with the surgery.
Conclusion
There are several qualified doctors you can visit for your sleep disorders. Just make sure you do your research and make the right choice.
