ABSTRACT
There are a variety of other sleep disorders which may present with many of the same daytime symptoms as sleep apnea. Sleep disorders causing excessive daytime somnolence include insomnia, narcolepsy, and periodic limb movement disorder. Symptoms of these sleep disorders should be assessed with a sleep questionnaire, since they could cause the daytime symptoms or could be present in addition to sleep disordered breathing. For instance, a patient with primary snoring (but no sleep apnea) may present with daytime somnolence caused by the sleep fragmentation associated with periodic limb movement disorder. Other sleep disorders should be evaluated and treated, if present. Evaluation may require consultation with a psychiatrist, neurologist, or additional testing with a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT).
