Sleep Specialists in St. Joseph, MO

Sleep is a complex function, and many doctors are trained to diagnose and treat sleep disorders. Depending on the nature of your sleep deficiency, a primary care physician, psychiatrist, neurologist, or pediatrician could be right for you.

If you're needing a good night's sleep Sesame can help! Sesame offers convenient sleep medicine specialist consultations in St. Joseph, MO at affordable cash-pay prices. Book directly with the doctor you want to see and save up to 60% on your appointment when you book through Sesame - no insurance needed.

A sleep study is a diagnostic test that screens for sleep conditions. During a sleep study, doctors will monitor your heart rate, eye movement, brainwaves, oxygen saturation, and breathing while you sleep, getting the data they need to get to the bottom of - and ultimately treat - whatever is disrupting your normal sleep pattern.

Sleep studies are sometimes covered by insurance. Even with insurance, though, the amount you pay depends entirely on the relationship between your insurance company and the sleep institute conducting the study. The out-of-pocket cost will also depend on if you've met your deductible or not. The number of variables is enough to disrupt your sleep patterns even further.

If lack of sleep is dampening your quality of life, it's time to take back control. Sesame works directly with doctors - not insurance networks- so you can compare prices and book a visit with the sleep physician you want to see.

Sleep disorders are as diverse in their effects as they are in their causes. Some of the most common sleep disorders that doctors treat include:

Insomnia: Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night.

Sleep apnea: Sleep apnea includes abnormal patterns in breathing while you are asleep. There are several types of sleep apnea.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS): Restless leg syndrome, also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a type of sleep movement disorder in which patients feel an urge to move their legs while trying to fall asleep. This can lead to discomfort.

Periodic limb movement (PLM): Periodic limb movement is characterized by repetitive jerking or cramping in the legs while sleeping. PLM is the only movement disorder that occurs only during sleep. While it is often linked with RLS, they are not the same thing.

Narcolepsy: Characterized by extreme sleepiness during the day and falling asleep suddenly during the day.

Sleepwalking (somnambulism): Involves getting up and walking around while in a state of sleep.

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious condition in which breathing becomes labored and sporadic during sleep. Doctors treat three different kinds of sleep apnea, which include:

Obstructive sleep apnea: This is the most common form of sleep apnea and occurs when the throat muscles relax and obstruct breathing.

Central sleep apnea: Central sleep apnea is an issue not of the throat but of the brain. In patients with this condition, the brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.

Complex sleep apnea syndrome: Also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, complex sleep apnea occurs when a patients suffers from both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

While symptoms vary across these three conditions, signs of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea do sometimes overlap, making it difficult to determine which type you may have. Some of these symptoms include:

Loud snoring

Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep — which would be reported by another person

Gasping for air during sleep

Awakening with a dry mouth

Morning headache

Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)

Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia)

Difficulty paying attention while awake

Irritability

Loud snoring can pose a potentially serious problem, however, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores.

Connect with a real, quality doctor on Sesame who can assess your symptoms and get you the care you need - all for one affordable, upfront price. Save 60% on your next sleep consult when you book with Sesame.

Sleep apnea is often a chronic condition that does not go away However, there are several effective treatments that can keep your sleep apnea symptoms in check.

These include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), oral appliances, treatment for associated medical problems, supplemental oxygen, Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV), and more.

Connect with a sleep doctor on Sesame licensed to treat patients in St. Joseph, MO to learn more about your options and a treatment plan that works for you. Sesame works directly with sleep doctors - not insurance companies - to get you affordable, upfront prices without the copays and surprise bills that often make health care a headache.