We have been diagnosing and treating adult sleep conditions for over 20 years at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals. Our sleep and ventilation service is the largest in Europe.
Helping you get a good night's sleep
Sleep is vital to our health and wellbeing. Yet up to 1 in 4 people in the UK have a sleep disorder. Unfortunately, this means that many experience excessive tiredness during the day, affecting their concentration, mood and work and family life.
Importantly, some sleep disorders which disrupt breathing, such as sleep apnoea, can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Our consultants have an international reputation in advancing the field of sleep medicine, particularly in sleep apnoea and domiciliary ventilation (providing breathing support at home). We offer diagnostics and treatment across the full spectrum of sleep disorders to help patients get the rest they need
Expert sleep care
We treat all sleep conditions, including:
- sleep apnoea (disrupted breathing during sleep)
- troublesome snoring
- insomnia (difficulty getting to and staying asleep)
- restless leg syndrome (an overwhelming urge to move your legs)
- narcolepsy
- REM sleep behaviour disorder (nightmares and acting out dreams)
- idiopathic hypersomnia (long-term daytime sleepiness)
- parasomnias (sleep walking, talking, nightmares, sexsomnia)
- circadian rhythm disorders (disruption of the body clock, such as from jet lag or shift work)
- nocturnal hypoventilation (breathing that is too low or shallow during sleep)
We are also one of the few centres that offer private cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi), which is the gold standard treatment for insomnia.
Advanced sleep studies
We offer a range of sleep studies at our state-of-the-art facilities to help with diagnosis, including:
- respiratory sleep studies
- detailed polysomnography studies
- assessment of sleepiness (multiple sleep latency test, Osler wake test)
- sleep-wake activity levels (actigraphy)
- home sleep studies
Our sleep expert, Dr Allie Hare, explains what happens during a sleep study.
Specialist non-invasive ventilation at home
Our advanced sleep medicine facilities enable our experts to diagnose and treat sleep disorders in patients with complex conditions affecting their breathing. These include cystic fibrosis, COPD, curvature of the spine and neuromuscular disorders (such as muscular dystrophy and motor neurone disease).
These conditions can lead to under-breathing during sleep, leading to high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood (called ‘nocturnal hypoventilation’).
Our consultants pioneered the use of non-invasive ventilation in adults and children with nocturnal hypoventilation and now care for 1,600 patients with small portable ventilators at home.
This treatment has revolutionised outcomes for these conditions including extending life expectancy, reducing hospital admissions and improving quality of life for patients.
Our sleep expert, Dr Allie Hare, explains how a CPAP machine works to help with sleep apnoea.
Treatments
-
Domiciliary ventilation
Domiciliary (at home) ventilation is used to treat a range of common and complex neuromuscular, chest wall and respiratory conditions.
-
Invasive ventilation weaning service
Our consultants, intensivists, therapists and specialist nurses offer a specialist invasive ventilation weaning service.
-
Sleep disorder clinic
Our experts treat all sleep disorders and can create tailored programmes of care to reduce symptoms and significantly improve quality of life.
Locations
Our experts in sleep medicine provide care at these locations:
Discover our experts in sleep medicine
Our sleep experts at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals are at the forefront of their field, using advanced techniques to diagnose conditions and providing the most effective treatments