Morning Lark Sleep Medicine
Conditions We Treat
Sleep medicine is far broader than snoring and insomnia. We diagnose and treat the full spectrum of sleep disorders — from sleep-disordered breathing to circadian rhythm disruptions — across all ages and complexity levels.
1 in 3
Adults with inadequate sleep
6–10%
Adults with sleep apnea — most undiagnosed
10-15%
Adults with chronic insomnia
Comprehensive Sleep Care Under One Roof
Conditions where breathing is interrupted or impaired during sleep, including the full spectrum from snoring to complex central apnea.
3 conditions
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the muscles of the throat relax during sleep and repeatedly block the airway, causing breathing pauses that can last 10 seconds or longer. Each pause triggers a brief arousal that fragments sleep and stresses the cardiovascular system — often without the person ever fully waking.
Central Sleep Apnea
Unlike obstructive apnea, central sleep apnea (CSA) arises from the brain failing to reliably send the signal to breathe — not from a blocked airway. It is less common but can be serious, and is frequently associated with heart failure, opioid use, or high-altitude exposure.
Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome
UARS occupies the spectrum between snoring and frank sleep apnea. The airway narrows enough to create significant breathing effort and arousal — causing daytime symptoms identical to sleep apnea — but doesn't always meet the standard diagnostic threshold. It is frequently missed and misdiagnosed.
Insomnia
Difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep — whether from behavioral patterns, perception, or underlying medical and psychiatric conditions.
2 conditions
Chronic Insomnia
Chronic insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early — at least three nights per week, for at least three months. It affects roughly 10–15% of adults and is the most common sleep complaint seen in primary care. Left untreated, it predicts depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular disease.
Acute Insomnia
It lasts for less than three months. Stress, life changes, or illness often cause it. Sleep usually returns to normal once the main trigger resolves. If it doesn’t improve, acute insomnia can evolve into chronic insomnia.
Hypersomnias
Disorders of excessive daytime sleepiness where the central nervous system fails to maintain normal wakefulness.
2 conditions
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the autoimmune destruction of hypocretin-producing neurons in the hypothalamus. It causes irresistible daytime sleep attacks, disrupted nocturnal sleep, and — most distinctively — cataplexy: sudden muscle weakness triggered by strong emotion.
Idiopathic Hypersomnia
Idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness despite long, uninterrupted nocturnal sleep — without cataplexy. Patients often report severe sleep inertia ("sleep drunkenness") lasting hours after waking. IH is a distinct, frequently under-recognized disorder.
Movement Disorders
Conditions characterized by abnormal movements at rest or during sleep that disrupt sleep onset or continuity.
2 conditions
Restless Leg Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes uncomfortable sensations in the legs that create an overwhelming urge to move. Critically, symptoms occur at rest and worsen in the evening, making it one of the most common causes of sleep-onset insomnia. It affects 5–10% of the population and is dramatically underdiagnosed.
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
PLMD involves repetitive, stereotyped leg movements during sleep — typically every 20–40 seconds — causing arousals the patient is often unaware of. A bed partner frequently notices them first. PLMD is distinct from RLS but the two often co-occur.
Parasomnias
Disruptive behaviors and experiences arising during sleep transitions — from the benign to the clinically significant.
2 conditions
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
RBD is a critical condition to identify promptly because it is a major prodromal marker for Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia, and multiple system atrophy.” to “RBD is a critical condition to identify promptly because the sleep behavior can lead to self injury or injury of bed partners. Also, it may be a prodromal marker of other neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.
Sleepwalking & Night Terrors
Sleepwalking and sleep terrors are NREM parasomnias — disorders of partial arousal from slow-wave sleep that leave the person in a mixed state between sleep and wakefulness. Both are common in children and often resolve with age, but adult-onset or persistent cases warrant evaluation.
Circadian Rhythm Disorders
Misalignments between the body's internal clock and the external environment, resulting in sleep occurring at the wrong biological time.
2 conditions
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
DSPS is a circadian rhythm disorder in which a person's internal clock is shifted significantly later than conventional norms. People with DSPS (Night Owls) may not feel sleepy until 2–4 AM and want to sleep until 10 AM–noon. They sleep perfectly well — just at the wrong time. It is frequently misdiagnosed as insomnia.
Shift Work Sleep Disorder
SWSD affects workers whose schedules require sleeping and waking at times misaligned with their circadian rhythm — night-shift, rotating-shift, and early morning workers. It is associated with chronic insomnia, excessive sleepiness, and increased rates of cardiovascular disease and workplace accidents.
Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder
Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (ASWPD) is a circadian rhythm disorder where a person's internal clock is shifted significantly earlier than conventional norms. People with this condition (Morning Larks) naturally fall asleep and wake up several hours earlier than normal. This schedule is stable, meaning they wake up early every day, even when they stay up late.
Jet Lag
Jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder that happens when your body clock is out of sync with a new time zone. It occurs because rapid air travel shifts your location faster than your internal biological clock can adapt. Your body eventually adjusts, but the process can take several days. Strategies are available to help travelers reduce the symptoms of jet lag.