Sleep Disorder Treatment London

Getting enough quality sleep is essential for your overall health and wellbeing. While occasional sleepless nights due to stress or a busy lifestyle are common, regularly struggling to sleep can have serious effects on your mood, energy, and daily life which may indicate a sleep disorder.

Treatment for sleep problems often starts with simple lifestyle changes, improving sleep hygiene, and dietary adjustments. If these approaches are not enough, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) specifically designed for insomnia, or medication in certain cases, can help restore sleep.

Sleep problems can take many forms, and recognising the signs early is key to effective treatment. Common symptoms include:

• Difficulty falling asleep at night
• Waking up during the night
• Waking up too early
• Having sleep that is poor in quality- still feeling tired after a night of rest
• Daytime fatigue or sleepiness
• Concentration, attention or memory problems
• Daytime irritability
• Worries about sleep difficulties or daytime symptoms

Other complaints may include difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep or early morning awakening, inability to return to sleep, excessive sleepiness, sleepwalking and repeated nightmares amongst others.

Sleep problems are varied and can significantly impact your health and daily life. Some of the most common sleep disorders include:

• Insomnia: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, often leading to daytime fatigue and mood changes.
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): Interrupted breathing during sleep, causing poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness.
• Snoring: Loud or chronic snoring, which can be a sign of underlying sleep apnea.
• Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS): Uncomfortable sensations in the legs that create an irresistible urge to move them, disrupting sleep.
• Sleep Hypoventilation: Shallow or slow breathing during sleep, reducing oxygen levels and causing fatigue.
• Sleep talking, sleep walking and other automatic behaviours: Unconscious actions during sleep that may affect rest and safety.
• Bruxism: Teeth grinding or jaw clenching during sleep, which can damage teeth and disrupt sleep.
• Narcolepsy: Teeth grinding or jaw clenching during sleep, which can damage teeth and disrupt sleep.
• Nightmares and night terrors: Disturbing dreams or episodes of intense fear during sleep, often interrupting rest.
• Rapid Eye Movement (REM) behaviour disorder: Acting out dreams during REM sleep, which can be physically harmful or disruptive.

Sleep disorders are often linked with depression, anxiety and cognitive changes that need to be addressed in management and planning.

Furthermore, sleep problems are established risk factors for the subsequent development of other medical conditions.

A comprehensive, multidimensional approach is needed, taking into account coexisting medical or neurological conditions, to establish a clear diagnosis and develop effective management strategies.

The diagnostic process for sleep disorders will typically begin with a specialist consultation. During this initial review, the doctor will assess your symptoms, medical history, and any contributing lifestyle or psychological factors. Based on this evaluation, you may be referred for further diagnostic tests, which may include a home video polysomnography and/or a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). These assessments help provide a clearer picture of your sleep patterns and identify any underlying conditions.

A physical examination, laboratory tests and imaging scans are sometimes necessary to rule out other physical problems that could cause your symptoms.

Once a disease is diagnosed, our multidisciplinary team works to manage symptoms, prevent progression, and involve all necessary specialists to improve each person’s quality of life and emotional well-being.