Therapeutic fields / Insomnia

In principle, sleep disorders always arise when the sleep/wakefulness centre in the brain cannot turn off because it is flooded with external or internal stimuli. The causes are manifol

• Unhealthy lifestyle, e.g. change in the sleep/wakefulness rhythm due to shift work or travel, consumption of substances that stimulate the central nervous system (e.g. caffeine), a lack of physical activity, rich meals in the evening that are difficult to digest, sensory overload (e.g. watching television too long) or street noise
• Psychological stress: e.g. stress, increase in professional demands, personal worries or deaths
• Organic disorders: e.g. pain, itching, cardiac insufficiency or difficulty breathing

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.