A sleeping disorder is a condition in which a sufferer either cannot sleep enough, or sleeps too much, has greatly frightening nightmares on a consistent basis, and more. Patients with a sleep disorder should seek professional help to alleviate the problem. The physician often directs them to sleep disorder clinics or centers, depending on the severity of the problem. They are sent to the clinic with a record of their medical and family history. These clinics have doctors who specialize in the field of sleep disorders and sleep medicine.

Sleep disorder clinics are often attached to big hospitals, universities, or psychiatric institutes. These offer testing and treatment services to patients. They also undertake sleep studies to diagnose the real causes of the disorder. Specialists in sleep medicine prescribe medicines based on test results.

Most centers provide a questionnaire to first-timers, to form a basis for a diagnosis. Sleep facilities are staffed with somnologists who are trained in many medical and scientific fields. A typical sleep disorder team comprises a physician, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and a surgeon. In some cases, a pediatrician also forms part of the team.

These centers deal with adults and children. They primarily function as outpatient centers where patients are interviewed, given psychological tests and, if required, made to stay for a day or two to have their sleep patterns recorded. A physical examination is also conducted in certain cases.

A letter containing information received and the sleep specialist's impressions is sent to the referring physician for future use.