The Past Is Prologue: The Future of Sleep Medicine
- S-Med
- Oct 2
- 2 min read
Sleep medicine, by its very nature, is a technology-driven medical specialty. From polysomnography and HSAT to PAP machines and hypoglossal nerve stimulators, sleep specialists have implemented innovative technology to treat sleep illness. Moreover, consumer sleep technologies now are transforming the way populations consider their sleep health. The field of sleep medicine can debate the pros and cons of this emerging phenomenon and its collective effect on sleep, but this paradigm shift affords an opportunity to consider how the practice of sleep medicine may evolve in coming years. In particular, it is important to contemplate how these changes may increase the efficiency of sleep providers, improve access to sleep services, and reduce the cost of providing sleep care.
Emerging technologies that allow clinicians to screen for, and potentially diagnose, sleep apnea via contactless monitoring on smartphone applications could obviate the need to mail and retrieve home sleep apnea tests or have the patient come into the sleep laboratory for testing. A comprehensive telemedicine pathway could exist for sleep-disordered breathing. The initial visit and follow-ups could be completed by simultaneous video-based telemedicine with either the sleep specialist or a member of the sleep team; the diagnosis would be accomplished through physician supervision of contactless monitoring of breathing patterns in the patient’s own home over multiple nights; and PAP compliance and adjustment would be assessed and facilitated by industry-provided cloud computing solutions and simultaneous telemedicine visits. This paradigm extends beyond sleep apnea. The diagnosis and treatment of insomnia and sleep-related movement disorders such as restless legs syndrome also could unfold in a similar manner, albeit without need for a consumer-based diagnostic test. Although
simultaneous telemedicine visits could be used to diagnose insomnia and implement cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), Internet-based CBT-I programs dramatically extend access to this proven insomnia treatment modality.
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