If you suffer from heavy snoring or suspect that you have sleep apnea, an outpatient examination should be carried out first. As a rule, this takes place under a pulmonologists’ (A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory disorders) care.

This examination entails recording of the respiration, the oxygen level in the blood, the heart activity, the body position and the snoring sounds with a small portable recording device.

The device is attached to you during the day in the physicians’ office, or is shown to you how you should put it on yourself in the evening. You sleep at home in your bed and then the next morning you bring the device back to the physicians’ office. It is read out there and the results will be discussed with you.

This is a relatively easy and reliable method to recognise sleep apnea. Other specialised medical examinations might eventually be arranged, for example, with an ear, nose and throat doctor.

If the supposition has been confirmed or if, in spite of normal findings, the suspicion of sleep apnea or another sleep disorder continues to exist, the doctor will send you to a sleep lab for a more exact diagnostics.

Disturbances that impede falling or staying asleep, e.g., Restless Legs or "normal" sleep disorders without organic cause within the scope of insomnia, are usually examined by a sleep specialist in an outpatient sleep clinic first.

In doing so, the sleep problem is localised by exact questioning and, perhaps, some technical examinations in order to find a resolution. Questionnaires are also helpful. You can look at some of them here and print them out.

Generally, several consultations at intervals of several weeks are necessary to judge the progress of the treatment and to guide the therapy.