Many people are affected by sleep disorders. Up to 25 percent of Germans suffer from difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, and around 5 percent are affected by a severe sleep disorder. Women and older people are more frequently affected. Patients with mental or physical illnesses also frequently suffer from sleep disorders.
Here you will find further information and selected doctors for sleep disorders.
Sleep is one of the vital needs of human beings. Sleep disorders can therefore be associated with severe suffering and lead to secondary problems such as loss of performance and accidents.
However, the various functions of sleep are only partially understood. In addition to relaxation, it is probably responsible for
important.
A basic distinction can be made between sleep disorders caused by
If people regularly fall asleep or sleep through the night so badly over a long period of time without any organic causes that their well-being and performance are significantly impaired as a result, this is known as primary insomnia.
Primary insomnia can usually be treated well with behavioral therapy. The aim is to reduce sleep-disrupting factors and thus enable normal sleep. Sleep-disrupting factors can be, for example
Patients also learn to break the cycle of brooding about poor sleep and learn relaxation techniques. Medication should only be used in conjunction with psychotherapy.
Primary hypersomnia refers to an increased need for sleep without an organic cause over a longer period of time. Those affected are constantly tired during the day despite a long night's sleep or fall asleep again and again. Like insomnia, it is mainly treated psychotherapeutically (better "sleep hygiene") and only in individual cases with stimulating medication.
The occurrence of occasional nightmares is relatively normal in childhood. In adults, they are often associated with severely stressful life events or mental illness. If they occur more frequently, nightmares can be treated psychotherapeutically and, if necessary, with medication.
Pavor nocturnus ("nocturnal fear") is when those affected sit up in bed or jump up in panic without remembering it later. They cannot be calmed down. Pavor nocturnus often occurs in combination with sleepwalking (somnambulism).
Poor sleep can also have many different organic causes. These include, above all, physical illnesses or the intake of sleep-disrupting medication or addictive substances.
Diseases that can have an impact on sleep include
Many mental illnesses, such as depression, are also often associated with poor sleep.
Drugs and substances that disrupt sleep include, for example
In sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), breathing pauses of 10 to 60 seconds occur during sleep. Those affected snore loudly and irregularly. Sleep apnea can lead to heart problems.
Risk factors for SAS are
Therapeutic measures such as weight reduction and abstinence from alcohol and nicotine are therefore recommended. In severe cases, a special ventilation method (CPAP ventilation) is used.
Narcolepsy is characterized by fatigue and attacks of falling asleep. Other symptoms are
Restless legs syndrome ("restless legs") manifests itself in the form of nocturnal
It often takes a very long time before it is recognized as a serious disorder. Restless legs syndrome can often be treated well with medication.
In the case of sleep disorders, the type of sleep disorder and the accompanying circumstances must first be precisely recorded. Those affected should document relevant events:
It is also important to record any shifts in sleep, e.g. due to shift work. Drug and medication use as well as the overall mental state and internal medical findings are also taken into account.
In order to obtain a detailed picture, it is often advisable to keep a sleep diary in which the patient records their sleeping times. Often no cause can be identified after the first examination. In this case, an examination in a so-called sleep laboratory should be carried out to find out other causes of the sleep disorder.
The most important treatment for sleep disorders without a physical cause is cognitive behavioral therapy. It can be carried out as a short group program. In this program, those affected receive information about normal sleep and good sleeping habits ("sleep hygiene") and learn relaxation techniques.
Sleep hygiene includes, for example
Patients should
Only in exceptional cases should additional medication be given. Herbal preparations such as valerian or hop tea should be the first choice. In a few cases, the use of other psychotropic drugs makes sense.
In the case of sleep disorders with physical causes, there are specific medication and other therapy methods.
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