Some things are supposed to be innate abilities like breathing, eating, and sleeping—after all you’re born knowing how to eat, breathe, and sleep, right? Unfortunately, sleep can be annoyingly elusive for millions of people. This is where a sleep specialist comes in.
These are a set of medical professionals that handle all types of sleep problems and they even treat issues with snoring. So, how do you become a physician specializing in sleep disorders? We’re looking at this and what an average day may look like.
Sleep medicine or somnology studies sleep and various related disorders. Sleep specialists or somnologists typically choose a subspecialty. For example, you can specialize as a:
These are only a few of the subspecialties under the somnology umbrella. So, what exactly do these specialists focus on?
As a sleep physician, you’re specializing in your patients’ overall sleep health. Your responsibilities include diagnosing and treating a variety of sleep disorders like narcolepsy, insomnia, and sleep apnea.
After finishing up your residency, instead of opening up a practice, you’re off to an advanced fellowship program. After completing the program, you’re typically certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine and the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Along with your expected training as a psychologist, you’re also going to take additional classes dealing with sleep and health disorders. Insomnia is a common complaint you’re probably going to see during your career.
Sleep psychologists also handle sleep-related behavior problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a technique you may use in some therapy sessions.
Sleep dentists tend to specialize in diagnosing and more often treating sleep apnea. A sleep physician may refer a patient to a sleep dentist when dental tools are better suited to treating a condition like sleep apnea.
Some sleep specialists focus primarily on parasomnias. Nope, this has nothing to do with the paranormal but it might feel different for the patient. Parasomnia deals with unusual behavior an individual exhibits while sleeping. Yep, this includes sleepwalking, also with bedwetting, intense regular nightmares, and teeth grinding to give you a few examples.
Even though somnologists can specialize in a subcategory of sleep medicine, they often diagnose and treat the same conditions like:
Don’t forget the cause of the sleep disorder can also make one specialist better suited to treat some sleep issues.
Diagnosing a sleep disorder usually starts with an overnight appointment at a sleep monitoring facility. Your patient is connected to equipment that monitors their wake-sleep cycle through the night.
Some of the equipment and other methods often used include actigraphy, polysomnography, the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), and the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT). Don’t be surprised if your patient may need to come back for another night at a sleep center facility. Some sleep disorders are tricky to diagnose. The symptoms are often similar and you don’t want to make a wrong diagnosis.
When it comes to treating a disorder like sleep apnea, medications, and even bright light therapy are common. A CPAC and similar devices are other treatments often prescribed by sleep specialists. Sometimes, dental equipment is necessary. In this case, patients are referred to a sleep dentist. When non-invasive treatments aren’t effective or if the condition is severe, surgery may be the best option.
The steps to becoming a sleep specialist start off the same as if you’re becoming a general practitioner. You must have a high school diploma, preferably with a high GPA. You need to be accepted into a four-year Bachelor of Science Program.
You can’t go to just any university. They must offer an approved pre-med program. If you’re not sure if the college you’re interested in has an approved pre-med program, the course description should give you some clarification. You can also ask your course advisor or the program’s dean.
Once you have your bachelor's degree, it’s time to apply for the MCAT (medical college admissions test). Think of this as another SAT/ACT. Remember the test you took in high school for college? This is essentially the same thing. Passing your MCAT test gets you into medical school. Guess what, you’re spending another four years in school. However, your internship will get you out of the classroom.
After four years of medical school, the steps typically look like the following: Pass the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam). Yep, you must pass all three exam stages.
Depending on your sleep medicine specialty, you may also need to spend some time at an osteopathic school. This means you’re also going to need to pass the COMPEX-USA (United States Medical Licensing Exam). Complete a three-year residency in any of the following:
Guess what, you’re getting close to finishing your medical training. After being certified, the next step is going through a one-year sleep medicine fellowship and passing the certification exam. If academics sound appealing, add a couple of years to your sleep medicine fellowship.
We can’t just toss out a number and say this is what you’ll earn as a sleep medicine specialist. Salaries vary across the United States and a few factors go into determining your potential pay rate.
The good news is sleep specialists are currently in demand. Finding a position in your field, even if it’s a subspeciality, shouldn’t be a hassle and your location can impact your salary, along with your level of experience. With that being said the average salary for a sleep specialist ranges from about $90,000 to $239,000 annually.
So is reaching out to a career as a sleep specialist right for you? There are some advantages to keep in mind. You’re probably not going to have trouble landing a position.
