Professional title of Sleep Doc?

I can't find "sleep doctor" in the phone book -- what is the professional name of someone in that specialty? I never even saw the sleep doc for my study or titration, except before the study when he looked up my nose and said "oh." - so clearly I need to find a more professional professional!

Thanks, all.

They are often under some other specialty. Mine is a pulmonologist. Might look for "Sleep Center" or in some Hospital sections.

Hi Kat

The business card of my Sleep Doctor says -

Consultant Respiratory Physician

and he is a

Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians

cheers

Mars

In the USA sleep is not a primary specialty. Specialists such as Pulmonologists, Neurologists, ENTs (ear, nose throat), etc. sometimes take on sleep as a sub-specialty. Other specialists do too but these three are the primary specialities that take on sleep as a sub-specialty.

"Sleep" and "sleep disorders" are the most likely "yellow pages" subjects to look under.

My doc is a Chest Medicine Specialist/Sleep Medicine Specialist. Your primary would be a good referral source.

Slinky wrote:In the USA sleep is not a primary specialty. Specialists such as Pulmonologists, Neurologists, ENTs (ear, nose throat), etc. sometimes take on sleep as a sub-specialty. Other specialists do too but these three are the primary specialities that take on sleep as a sub-specialty.

"Sleep" and "sleep disorders" are the most likely "yellow pages" subjects to look under.

Sleep as a specialty does seem to get the short end of the stick in the US. Any MD can write a prescription for a CPAP. That can work for or agaist the patient depending on how educated we are as patients. Any doctor can pass a short course in sleep therapy, open a sleep lab, and depend on the staff to 'collate' the data in a way that speeds expected diagnoses. It's still less of a verified field of expertise like 'neurology' or 'pulmonology' and more of a money pit for the many unsuspecting patients who fall into it due to sleep doctors who are still, in essence, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists or cardiologists.

If you can find a doctor who is specifically a sleep doctor - a somnologist - and not a heart doctor or an ear-nose-throat or a gut doctor who happens to also 'own' a sleep lab, you may get a better experience. I know this is pretty cynical, but it comes from years of crummy experience with sleep docs.

If you are looking for a sleep doc in the US, try this Web site:

http://www.absm.org/listing.aspx

If you are looking outside the US, try here:

http://www.absm.org/bycountry.aspx?

These are all diplomates of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. I'm sure there are other organizations who certify sleep specialists, particularly overseas.

My sleep doc is a pulmonologist and a pediatrician, too.

Debbie

Thank you for clarifying this for me, and for all you suggestions. I think I'll work with my primary care doc. So far she has been willing to write the scrlps I request for replacements, but I'll ask her what her experience with CPAP is, and whether she can handle this or recommend someone else.

Thanks

My Sleep Doctor is the Pediatrician, It seemed kinda strange to sit in an exam room with little furniture and cartoons on the walls . But he knows his stuff about sleep medicine.

And when I pass him in the halls of Pediatrics or OB he always asks me how i'd doing, kinda like a free mini checkup.

As is now clear, there's really no such thing as a "sleep doctor" per se.

In the phone book (if they still exist - I haven't seen one in ages), you look under "Physicians and Surgeons" and hope for a subcategory.

Most doctors with board certification in sleep medicine were originally, and may still practice primarily as, ENT's, pulmonologists, neurologists, or psychiatrists.

The BCBS site is not particularly easy to negotiate
Apparently they are not interested in making it easy or intuitive.
Jerks!

The BCBS site is not particularly easy to negotiate
Apparently they are not interested in making it easy or intuitive.
Jerks!

Of course not, actually paying for care eats into their profits

My sleep doc is a pulmonologist. I was referred to him by my regular doc. Good luck!

katcw wrote:I can't find "sleep doctor" in the phone book -- what is the professional name of someone in that specialty? I never even saw the sleep doc for my study or titration, except before the study when he looked up my nose and said "oh." - so clearly I need to find a more professional professional!

Thanks, all.

Where did you get that avatar? I want one like that. Sorry no advice on your OP.

why would i need the services of a sleep doctor as last time went to see one she looked at the sleep quality report on my S9 autoset and said she did not approve of APAP and want to set the machine in cpap mode at pressure of 18 as that was showing ( i was using Quattro FFM at that time ,had a lots leaks) i ask her if she could download the data from the sd as the high pressure due to mask leaks she replied that she don,t have the Rescan and she quickly increased my maximum pressure to 20 and showed me the door .