Sleep Medicine

Sleep is one of the most powerful tools we have for long-term health. When it's disrupted – whether by breathing issues, movement disorders, insomnia, or circadian rhythm problems – the effects ripple into every part of life.

Our role is to help you understand what's happening and guide you toward the right treatment. We assess and treat the full spectrum of sleep conditions, using modern home-based diagnostics and evidence-based therapies.

Sleep Conditions

Explore and learn about the range of sleep conditions we diagnose and treat.
Meet our team of specialists
Dr Kate Jones — Respiratory and Sleep Physician at South Island Respiratory & Sleep talking with a patient

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea occurs when the airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep, causing pauses in breathing. These events disrupt sleep quality and, if left untreated, can contribute to conditions such as high blood pressure.

    • Loud snoring

    • Witnessed pauses in breathing

    • Waking unrefreshed

    • Morning headaches

    • Daytime sleepiness

    • Poor concentration or memory

    • Frequent urination overnight

    • Home-based sleep studies assessing breathing, oxygen levels, heart rate, and sleep quality

    • Testing options include oximetry, Compass, WatchPAT, Level 3, and Level 2 home polysomnography

    • CPAP therapy

    • Oral appliances

    • Weight-focused management, including GLP-1 based therapies

    • Positional therapy

    • Lifestyle strategies

    If you snore, feel excessively tired, or others have noticed pauses in your breathing, a sleep assessment is recommended.

Insomnia

Insomnia includes difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early – despite having adequate opportunity for sleep.

    • Trouble falling asleep

    • Frequent nighttime waking

    • Early morning waking

    • Unrefreshing sleep

    • Daytime fatigue or irritability

    • Detailed clinical assessment

    • Sleep studies when needed, to rule out underlying disorders such as sleep apnoea or restless legs

    • Management of contributing sleep disorders, medical or psychological factors

    • Sleep hygiene and behavioural strategies

    • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi)

    • DORA medications such as lemborexant (Dayvigo)

    If sleep difficulties persist for more than three months or affect daytime function, specialist input can help.

Narcolepsy and Idiopathic Hypersomnolence

These are conditions causing excessive daytime sleepiness, disrupted nighttime sleep, and sometimes emotion-triggered muscle weakness (cataplexy).

    • Overwhelming sleepiness

    • Unrefreshing naps

    • Difficulty staying awake

    • Sleep paralysis or vivid dreams

    • Cataplexy

    • Home sleep study including Level 2 polysomnography

    • Specialist clinical evaluation

    • Referral for advanced testing if required

    • Wake-promoting medications

    • Sleep scheduling

    • Behavioural strategies

    • Management of co-existing sleep disorders

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

RLS causes an uncomfortable urge to move the legs, typically worse in the evening and relieved by movement.

    • Tingling, crawling, or aching sensations

    • Difficulty falling asleep

    • Nighttime leg movements

    • Daytime fatigue

    • Clinical diagnosis supported by iron studies

    • Review of medications

    • Assessment for co-existing sleep disorders including limb movement analysis

    • Iron replacement if levels are low

    • Medication options

    • Lifestyle strategies

    • Treating co-existing sleep conditions such as sleep apnoea or insomnia

Parasomnias

Parasomnias are unusual behaviours during sleep, such as sleep talking, sleepwalking, and night terrors.

    • Sleepwalking

    • Night terrors

    • Dream enactment

    • Confusion on waking

    • Injuries during sleep

    • Detailed clinical history

    • Home sleep study when needed, to rule out triggers such as sleep apnoea

    • Safety strategies

    • Managing triggers

    • Medication in selected cases

Circadian Rhythm Disorders

These include delayed or advanced sleep phase, shift work disorder, and irregular sleep timing. We help you understand your body clock and develop strategies to realign sleep with your lifestyle.

All sleep studies are performed at home using modern, validated technology. Every test is paired with a full, comprehensive sleep assessment from one of our specialists, with clear instructions and support from our team of sleep physiologists.

Explore and learn about the range of sleep testing we offer.

Home-Based Sleep Testing

Book an appointment
Woman with long dark hair sleeping on a bed with a dark gray quilt, pillow, and a blue pillowcase, covered in a light blue long-sleeved shirt, relaxing with eyes closed.

Overnight Oximetry

A simple overnight test measuring oxygen levels and heart rate during sleep.

    • Nocturnal hypoxaemia (low overnight oxygen levels)

    • Monitoring response to treatment such as CPAP

  • A small finger probe and wrist device worn overnight at home.

    • Patients who have difficulty tolerating more complex testing

    • Monitoring oxygen levels on treatment

    • Monitoring in respiratory disease

COMPASS (Flow-Based)

A home sleep apnoea test measuring airflow, breathing effort, oxygen levels, snoring, and body position.

    • Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

    • Severity of sleep-disordered breathing

  • A lightweight nasal cannula, chest/abdominal belts, and a small recorder.

    • Patients with symptoms of OSA

    • Those without major co-morbidities

    • When a straightforward diagnostic pathway is appropriate

WatchPAT

A validated home sleep test using peripheral arterial tone (PAT), heart rate, and oxygen levels to estimate sleep stages and detect apnoeas.

    • OSA

    • Sleep fragmentation

    • Autonomic arousals

  • A wrist-worn device and finger probe – no belts or nasal cannula required.

    • Patients who find nasal cannula difficult to tolerate

    • Patients living remotely (can be posted to their home)

    • Patients with a high likelihood of significant sleep apnoea

Level 3 Home Sleep Study

A multi-channel home sleep study measuring airflow, effort, oxygen levels, snoring, body position, ECG, and limb movements.

    • OSA

    • Severity grading

    • Positional sleep apnoea

    • Limb movement disorders

  • A nasal cannula, belts, finger probe to measure oxygen levels and a small recorder worn overnight with leads on the legs.

    • Most patients with suspected OSA

    • Those needing more detailed assessment than COMPASS or WatchPAT

    • Patients with symptoms of nocturnal limb movements

Level 2 Home Polysomnography

A detailed full polysomnography study performed at home, measuring brain activity (EEG), eye movements, muscle tone, breathing, oxygen levels, heart rate, and limb movements.

    • Complex sleep apnoea

    • Sleep-related hypoventilation

    • Parasomnias including REM behaviour disorder

    • Periodic limb movements

    • Causes of sleep fragmentation in insomnia or chronic fatigue syndrome

    • Primary disorders of wakefulness such as narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnolence

    • CAA aviation medicals

    • Cases where Level 3 or WatchPAT is insufficient

  • A detailed setup including EEG sensors, belts, nasal cannula, limb leads, and an oxygen probe.

    • Patients with complex symptoms

    • Those with co-existing respiratory or neurological conditions

    • Patients suspected of non-respiratory sleep disorders

    • Individuals needing full polysomnography without hospital admission

All sleep testing is done at home, ensuring you can be assessed in the comfort of your own environment

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All sleep testing is done at home, ensuring you can be assessed in the comfort of your own environment —

Sleep Treatments

Explore the variety of sleep treatments we offer

CPAP Therapy

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) delivers gentle air pressure through a mask to keep the airway open during sleep. We offer a comprehensive, supportive pathway tailored to each patient.

    • Patients diagnosed with OSA

    • Some patients with problematic snoring or upper airways resistance syndrome who have significant daytime symptoms

    • Significant daytime sleepiness

    • Cardiovascular risk factors

    • Patients who have not responded to other treatments

    1. Personalised in-person setup: An hour-long session with our specialist sleep physiologists covering mask fitting and CPAP education. Long-term benefits of CPAP are  directly related to proper mask fitting and education at this early stage.

    2. 4-week supervised trial: Patients undergo a 4-week auto-titrating CPAP trial with online monitoring and ongoing contact with our team to check progress and adjust settings as needed.

    3. Transfer to long-term treatment: Following the trial, you'll meet with your specialist physician to discuss next steps. Options include purchasing a machine, short-term rental, or transitioning to alternative treatments.

    4. Life-long support: Once established on CPAP, ongoing support remains available from our team.

    • Better sleep quality

    • Improved alertness

    • Reduced snoring

    • Improvements in general health and wellbeing, including reduced cardiovascular risk

Oral Appliances

Custom-made dental devices worn during sleep to reposition the jaw and help keep the airway open.

    • All patients with OSA, particularly where CPAP is not preferred

    • Patients with positional sleep apnoea (worse when lying on the back)

    • Patients who are unable to tolerate CPAP

    • Assessment and referral to local dental sleep medicine

    • Bespoke fitting and adjustment of your device

    • Follow-up sleep study to ensure control of your sleep apnoea and allow further adjustments if indicated

    • Portable

    • Quiet

    • Often well-tolerated

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi)

The gold-standard treatment for chronic insomnia and other sleep conditions.

    • Difficulty falling asleep

    • Frequent waking or difficulty maintaining sleep

    • Early waking

    • Sleep scheduling

    • Stimulus control therapy and behavioural sleep conditioning

    • Sleep restriction/time-in-bed therapy

    • Cognitive strategies

    • Relaxation techniques

Weight Management (Including GLP-1 Therapies)

For patients where weight contributes to sleep or breathing issues, we offer clinical assessment, personalised weight-management plans, and GLP-1 based therapies, overseen by our SCOPE-trained obesity physician.

    • OSA with weight-related severity

    • Obesity-related hypoventilation

    • Metabolic syndrome

    • Difficulty losing weight despite lifestyle changes

    • Reduced OSA severity

    • Improved alertness

    • Better metabolic health

Book an appointment

Ready to take the next step?

Sleep problems can feel overwhelming, especially when you've been struggling for a long time. We're here to make the process easier.

Contact Us 
Where You'll Find Us

Milford Chambers & Leinster Road

Christchurch

Marinoto Clinic

Dunedin

MacMurray Centre

Queenstown

Wānaka Lakes Health Centre

Wānaka

Telehealth appointments are available for patients throughout Aotearoa.