Sleepingdisorders / sonoring   >> back to the newsletter overview

Waking up relaxed after a good night’s sleep cannot be taken for granted by everyone! Our sleep is highly complex. It can be divided into different stages and shall relieve our mind and body from stress. Our brain controls every single moment of our sleep. Sleep disorders may have an impact on other important functions or organs such as, e.g., the cardiovascular system, our metabolism and the brain itself. About 20% of the German population is suffering from malfunctions in the observation and control of our sleep, which means getting too much or too little of it.

The most common sleeping disorders are:

• insomnia (difficulties to fall asleep or sleep through the night, early waking up, non-relaxing sleep)
• sleep apnoea (breathing interruptions during the night, snoring, fatigue during the day)
• restless legs syndrome (an urge to move the legs, especially in repose)
• narcolepsy (strong day fatigue in uncommon situations, sudden loss of muscle tension)

Who should be screened at a sleep laboratory?

Symptomatic sleeping disorders can have many causes: pain or an increased urgency, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, thyroid gland diseases as well as psychological disorders. This means that, first of all, the underlying disease needs to be identified and treated as necessary.

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Patients that cannot get relaxing sleep even if constantly trying or that are suffering from one of the following symptoms or diseases should be examined at a sleep laboratory:

• persisting problems with falling asleep or sleeping through the night
• fatigue and the urge to fall asleep during the day, brief dozing off during monotone activities such as reading or watching TV, microsleep while driving
• a racing heart, shortness of breath, increased urination or increased sweating during the night
• strong and/or irregular snoring with or without interruptions of breathing
• patients with cardiovascular diseases
• patients with an occurred stroke or heart infarction
• diabetics
• patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease

What can we do for you?

If you notice one or several of these symptoms in yourself, you can contact us directly or ask your family doctor, an ENT specialist or a pneumologist for referral to us. We will then first screen you in an ambulatory sleep examination at home (“ambulatory PG” or “cardiorespiratory polygraphy”). If this proofs the initial suspect or the degree of the disorder, you will be recommended a screening at the sleep laboratory. Based on the results of this much more detailed measuring, you and the physician referring you to us will get a precise diagnose with respective therapy recommendations.

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