Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders can have a significant impact on performance, health and well-being. However, restless nights do not necessarily indicate a sleep disorder.

Serious problems only arise when the duration of sleep is too short or too long, interruptions of sleep show up frequently or when there is no feeling of successful recovery after sleeping. Sleep disorders are described as chronic if these problems last three nights a week and longer than a month.


On this page we inform you about the most common sleep disorders and give you tips for prevention. If you have severe problems with your sleep, you will find further information regarding therapy methods and contact addresses further down the page. In this case further clarification is needed.

Note: The information provided by this website is only for educational and informational purposes as well as a self-help tool for your own use. Always consult your doctor before making any decisions or changes regarding your health condition or treatment.

Insomnia


Insomnia is one of the most commonly diagnosed sleep disorders and literally means "without sleep". Sleep deficits caused by problems falling asleep and staying asleep belong to this category. Possible triggers are stress, alcohol, medication, mental or physical illnesses, unresolved conflicts and excessive demands. Typical symptoms include tiredness, fatigue, daytime sleepiness and lack of energy. Affected people cause tension by having many negative thoughts and anger about the fact that they are not sleeping yet. In consequence a vicious circle can be set in motion. Behavioural therapy, such as for example setting regular bedtimes and wake-up times, is used to treat insomnia.

Breathing-related sleep disorders


  • Hypopnoea: flattening of breathing during sleep
  • Apnoea: Intermittent breathing.


Breathing disorders during the night can lead to a dangerous lack of oxygen. The reason for symptoms is a narrowing of the upper respiratory tract.

Hypersomnia


Extreme daytime sleepiness and an increased need for sleep, despite a long night's sleep, can indicate a hypersomniac disorder. Affected persons try to get their tiredness under control during the day with the help of simple coping strategies (nap, coffee) without being aware of hypersomnia as a disease. The reason for the persistent fatigue is disturbances in nighttime sleep. In some extreme cases, uncontrolled falling asleep can occur, sometimes even in combination with a sudden loss of muscle tone. The explanation for this can be found in an overactivity of the REM sleep control system, which suppresses movements and tension in the body.

Circadian rhythm disorders

As soon as one's internal clock differs from the natural day-night rhythm, the body can fall into a circadian rhythm disorder. Causes can be either internal (for ex. Alzheimer's disease, sleep apnoea) or external (for ex. jet lag, shift work, irregular bedtimes). Affected people have difficulties keeping control of when they fall asleep and when they wake up

Parasomnias

Parasomnias include all problems that occur "besides" sleep. A distinction can be made between REM sleep parasomnias and non-REM sleep parasomnias. Nightmares, for example, belong to REM sleep parasomnias. Affected persons lack muscular suppression during REM sleep. This leads to movements during dreaming. Especially intense and vivid dreams with a lot of physical activity cause this kind of motion. Non-REM sleep parasomnias describe a "half-awake state" in which parts of the brain are still "asleep" and affected persons are only responsive to a very limited extent. (e.g. sleepwalking).

Movement disorders during sleep


Movement disorders during sleep are manifested by various simple involuntary movements that are usually not noticed by the affected person itself. They repeatedly put the body into a brief state of being awake. As a result, the night is divided into small fragments, and furthermore there is a great increased of the time it takes to fall asleep or fall back asleep.

Treat sleep disorders

Do you regularly notice symptoms of sleep disorders such as difficulties in falling asleep, staying asleep or daytime sleepiness? Do you get comments from others about your sleep pattern? Maybe you've even thought about treatment or going to a sleep clinic yourself. Below we inform you about diagnostic procedures and treatment options for sleep disorders. 

Note: The information provided on or through this website is intended only to provide an overview of the topic of sleep disorders. It does not claim to be complete and is not a tool for diagnosing or treating a sleep disorder.

  • When should medical help be considered?

    If, despite efforts to improve sleep hygiene, sleep difficulties persist for a period of more than four weeks and significantly restrict your everyday life, it makes sense to clarify your sleeping behavior and symptoms. First, we recommend a visit to your family doctor. Here the symptoms can be analyzed in detail and initial questions can be answered and the further procedure can be discussed. In addition, many health insurance companies only cover the costs of treatment in a sleep laboratory if a referral slip is presented. In preparation for a visit to the family doctor, it is helpful to observe your own sleeping behavior over the past few weeks and to note key points. Use e.g. B. the template for a sleep diary of the DGSM. A short online questionnaire from TK is available free of charge and can help to analyze the severity of your sleep disorder. Of course, this serves purely as a guide and is not directly comparable with a doctor's consultation.

  • Diagnostic procedures

    As numerous as the causes and symptoms of sleep disorders can be, so are the diagnostic procedures. Depending on the symptoms, different diagnostic procedures are available, such as:

  • Therapy options

    Depending on the type and severity of an existing sleep disorder, different methods are used in the treatment. Examples of this are light therapy, trying out different relaxation methods, exercise or the use of medication.

Counseling


If you feel you need help with sleep problems, you can look at the following addresses and possibly contact an advice center:



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  • Sources

      Erlacher, D. Sport and sleep. Berne, Switzerland. Springer 2019 Wohlers, S. et al. Sleep well, Germany - TK sleep study 2017. Hamburg. TK Hausdruckerei 2017 Müller M. Sleep disorders from a psychiatric perspective. Innsbruck, Austria: Springer Nature 2021AOK. Sleep rhythm – tips for a healthy sleep. https://www.aok.de/pk/magazin/wohlbesucht/schlaf/schlafrhythmus-tipps-fuer-einen-gesunden-schlaf/ (accessed on February 4, 2022) Sleep.org. Should I Visit a Sleep Clinic?. https://www.sleep.org/sleep-questions/should-i-visit-a-sleep-clinic/ (accessed on February 2nd, 2022) https://www.schlaf-hno.de/deutsch/schlaflabor/schlaflabor /