Non-medicinal therapy
- Change in lifestyle: e.g. avoidance of sensory overload from television in the evening, foregoing the use of stimulants, moving to a quieter residence, etc.
- Physical measures: including a hot bath before going to sleep (for nervousness), ear protectors, etc.
- Psychotherapeutic approaches: e.g. increased physical activity during the day, autogenic training, relaxation exercises, therapeutic processing of underlying conflicts, etc.
Medicinal therapy
Besides the various non-medicinal measures, there are a number of drugs for sleep disorders. Some are available over-the-counter for self-treatment and others only by prescription. Sleep medications can be divided into three group
- Over-the-counter herbal or homeopathic preparations: a rather weak effect
- Over-the-counter synthetic sleep medications from the group of antihistamines (e.g. Benocten): medium-strong effect
- Prescription sleep medications: strong effect
One should note with all three groups that medications do not eliminate the actual cause of the sleep disorders and, therefore, their intake should be for a limited amount of time. Whether or not a person takes a sleep medication depends on how greatly a person’s sleep and state of well-being during the day are affected.
Self-medication with over-the-counter sleep medications is frequently successful for acute sleep disorders. A physician should be consulted for chronic sleep disorders lasting longer than two to four weeks.
