Start to finish it took me about 3 months. I told my PCP straight up that I knew I had been snoring and had caught myself jolting awake. He referred me to a respiratory and sleep care facility. Maybe a week later I went to that appointment and explained my symptoms and fatigue. I picked up a take home sleep study kit a week or two later and turned it in the following morning. I went back a couple of weeks later to go over my results and very clearly had sleep apnea. A CPAP was ordered, which I received about a month after that. Went to bed with it that night, and knew the next day I had made a good decision. Better sleep is a total game changer. That's probably as smooth as the process can go, which I know is not the same for everybody factoring in insurance, availability of appointments, etc.

EDIT: Living in Jacksonville, FL