Getting proper help for insomnia used to mean a referral, a waiting list, and a trip to a specialist's rooms — often in another part of the city. Slumbr is an online, physician-led sleep clinic that makes clinical sleep care available to adults anywhere in South Africa.
This page explains how clinical contact with a Slumbr clinician actually works, and what to expect from it.
Please note: Slumbr no longer runs scheduled video consultations. There is no appointment to book. Where prescription sleep medication is appropriate for your pattern, a Slumbr clinician telephones you when you place your first prescription order, before anything is dispatched.
Key takeaways
- The starting point is the free Sleep Pattern Assessment. It is a structured screener, not a diagnosis.
- There are no scheduled video consultations and nothing to book.
- Where prescription treatment is appropriate, a Slumbr clinician phones you after your first prescription order, before dispatch, at no extra charge.
- Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the internationally recognised first-line approach for chronic insomnia (AASM 2021 / ESRS 2023). Medication is only considered where clinically appropriate, never as a first step.
- Prescription medication is never directly purchasable and is never dispatched without that clinical conversation.
Where does an online sleep consultation fit in?
A general practitioner does vital work — but a GP appointment rarely leaves room for the depth a sleep problem requires. Insomnia has a range of drivers: behavioural, physiological, psychiatric, and pharmacological. Understanding it properly takes time and a structured framework.
Slumbr's approach is built around that. The assessment does the structured history-taking in your own time, and the clinician's call focuses on the clinical decision that matters most: whether a prescription medicine is safe and appropriate for you.
How the process works, step by step
- Take the free Sleep Pattern Assessment. It maps your sleep pattern and screens for the conditions that commonly sit underneath poor sleep, including obstructive sleep apnoea, restless legs, low mood, and anxiety.
- Review your result. The result explains your pattern and what kind of support is appropriate for it. For many people that is behavioural change and non-prescription support, not medicine.
- If prescription treatment is appropriate, create an account and place your first prescription order. Nothing is dispatched at this stage.
- A Slumbr clinician phones you. This is the consultation. It happens before dispatch, and there is no charge for it.
- If approved, your medicine is dispatched in discreet packaging. If the clinician decides it is not right for you, it is not dispatched and they explain why.
- Reordering. Once you have had that call, you can reorder within the review window without another one.
What does the telephonic consultation cover?
The call is a clinical conversation, not a formality. It typically covers:
Your sleep history and pattern — bedtime, time taken to fall asleep, night wakings, wake time, and daytime impact, plus how long the problem has been going on.
Your medical and medication history — many medications disrupt sleep, including some commonly prescribed for blood pressure, depression, thyroid conditions, and pain. The clinician reviews what you are taking alongside your relevant health history.
Screening for conditions that change the answer — in particular depression and sleep apnoea. These can be primary drivers of sleep difficulty, and some sleep medicines are unsafe in untreated sleep apnoea.
Screening for alarm symptoms — the things that mean in-person assessment is the right step rather than an online one.
Confirmation that the medicine is right for you — or a clear explanation of why it is not.
Dose, duration, and how to take it — including how long the course should run and what happens at the end of it.
What if the clinician decides the medicine is not right for you?
Then it is not dispatched. The clinician explains the reasoning and points you to the appropriate next step — non-prescription sleep support, or in-person medical review where that is what your picture needs.
This is the point of the call. It is a clinical gate, not a sales step.
What does it cost?
The telephonic consultation is included with your first prescription order at no extra charge. There is no separate consultation fee and no appointment to pay for.
You can read the full explanation on the consultation page.
Who is this for?
Slumbr provides online sleep care for adults aged 18 and over across South Africa.
You may be coming to Slumbr as your first step after struggling with sleep for some time, or because a GP has suggested you see a sleep physician, or because you have already tried self-help or CBT-I and want to understand what else can be done. In every case the free assessment is the place to begin.
Slumbr does not provide emergency care. If you are in crisis or have thoughts of self-harm, please contact SADAG on 0800 567 567 (24 hours, 7 days a week) or go to your nearest emergency unit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral or an appointment?
Neither. There is no referral and nothing to book. You start with the free Sleep Pattern Assessment, and where prescription treatment is appropriate for your pattern, a Slumbr clinician phones you after you place your first prescription order. If you have relevant recent test results or letters from other treating doctors, it is helpful to have these to hand for the call, but they are not required.
Is there a charge for the telephonic consultation?
No. The call is included with your first prescription order at no extra charge. It is not a separate purchase and it is not billed on top of the medicine.
Will I definitely be prescribed medication?
No. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is the internationally recognised first-line approach for chronic insomnia, and prescription medication is only considered where it is clinically appropriate. If the clinician decides the medicine is not right for you, it is not dispatched, and they explain why and point you to the appropriate next step.
How is this different from a sleep study?
A sleep study (polysomnography) is a specific diagnostic test for conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea, not a consultation. The telephonic consultation is a clinical conversation about your sleep history, your medication and your suitability for the medicine you have ordered. If a sleep study is indicated, the clinician can discuss that with you.
Related reading
- Our complete guide to insomnia in South Africa — the full picture of chronic insomnia, its patterns and treatment options.
- Online sleep doctor: city guides — how online sleep care works wherever you are in South Africa.
Where to start
The free Sleep Pattern Assessment gives you a structured, evidence-based picture of your sleep and what is likely driving it — and it is what determines whether prescription treatment is even the right conversation.
Take the free Sleep Pattern Assessment — or read how telephonic consultations work.
Reviewed by a specialist physician.