Consultation

We recognize the essentiality of the consultation in the care pathway. It entails a comprehensive evaluation of the anatomical, environmental, and medical causes of your distress. This information and necessary medical records and testing will yield a personalized treatment plan. Many people find that understanding the source of their problems imparts a new perspective and hope for the future.

An initial consultation takes 120 minutes. To make this short period productive, please gather your records and recollections of previous treatments before the first session.

Your consultation begins with meeting our doctor. Anil Rama, MD is the founder of Sleep and Brain and serves as Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. He is the recipient of the 2021 Stanford Distinguished Service Award, awarded to one clinical faculty member per year. He is the former Medical Director of Kaiser Permanente’s tertiary sleep medicine laboratory.

Anil Rama square.jpg — Dr. Rama is also an editorial board member of the Sleep Science and Practice Journal and has authored several book chapters and seminal peer-reviewed journal articles in sleep medicine. Furthermore, Dr. Rama is a lecturer for the Dental Sleep Medicine Mini-Residency at the University of Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry.
In addition, Dr. Rama has been an investigator in clinical trials for drugs or devices designed to improve sleep and contributed to stories in national newspapers, local news stations, wellness websites, and health newsletters.

Together you and Dr. Rama will review your current concerns and past conditions. Part of this process includes speaking with, if available, family members, bedmates, and previous care providers. Generally, you will spend half of the consultation period reviewing the nature of your problems, their origins, and the course of any previous treatment.

Facial Thirds.jpg — The second half is devoted to a specialized examination and discussing the assessment of your difficulties and our recommendations.

The initial evaluation includes a comprehensive sleep brain evaluation utilizing a brain map. We may recommendation additional testing, such as home sleep testing, laboratory sleep testing, actigraphy, blood and urine tests, and imaging studies.

Often, we develop a team of specialized clinicians spanning multiple disciplines to collaborate with on your care. We work with psychiatrists, allergists, dentists, orthodontists, head and neck surgeons, and maxillofacial surgeons. The specialist's expertise and your specific needs will form the basis of the referral.

Our personalized treatments utilize the latest scientific innovations such as brain TMS, myofunctional therapy, CBT for Insomnia, positive airway pressure, mandibular advancement splints, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation.

Our return consultation lasts sixty minutes. During this time, we review the results of the recommended testing, such as sleep studies. We assess the impact of various treatment recommendations, such as medications. We discuss the specialist advice to whom we may have referred you, such as the maxillo-facial surgeon.

Mask Selector Square.jpg — Additionally, we troubleshoot prescribed equipment, such as optimizing positive airway pressure mask fit.

We remain involved in your care every step of the way. We help you navigate the landscape and make sense of the complex and confusing choices you may face. We look forward to joining you on your journey to healing your mind, body, and sleep. Thank you, again, for entrusting us with your care.