4 million Germans suffer from sleep disorders

Sleep disorders in Germany: Four million people affected

04/04/2011

According to the projections of the TK, around five percent of Germans suffered from sleep disorders in 2010. About 400,000 policyholders of the TK were affected, which again represents a significant increase over the previous year. In 2009, about 250,000 suffer, in 2008 even only 210,000 TK insured sleep problems, reported the health insurance. With the increase in sleep disorders, the use of sleeping pills has increased significantly, so another result of the TC study.

Trend towards more sleep disorders and self-medication with sleeping pills
In the course of its investigation, the TK confirmed a trend that was clearly evident in recent years: More and more Germans are suffering from sleep disorders. The growth in the past year has reached a worrying level. The fact that around five percent of Germans now suffer from sleep disorders is being viewed with increasing concern by both health insurance companies and medical professionals because of serious health problems. Chronic sleep deprivation and fatigue, for example, lead to a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety disorders, warned DAK experts in September last year, as the renewed massive increase in sleep disorders was already evident. The DAK also emphasized that far too often in self-therapy, over-the-counter hypnotic drugs were taken and the visit to the doctor was avoided. This tendency seems to be confirmed in the current study of TK, because here was also a significant increase in the intake of sleeping pills recorded. In 2010, more than 1.4 million people in Germany used sleeping pills to manage their sleep disorders, with half of the users being over the age of 60, TK said.

Warning against regular sleep aid use
In view of the drastic increase in the use of sleeping pills, TK urgently warned against the possible negative consequences of regular sleep-drug use. For example, there is a risk that the active substance will not be fully degraded during the night and that the medication will also have an effect during the day, ie fatigue and a reduction in reactivity, the TC warned. The experts suggest that sleep disorders that last more than a month, at least three times a week and / or have a disruptive effect on the profession, urgently require medical examination. Of the self-medication with sleeping pills, however, should be discouraged, because the regular intake can bring significant side effects. „It is frightening that almost 60 percent of sufferers take medication without the help of a doctor“, said Wolfgang Wirkner of the DAK with reference to the DAK health report last year.

Stress and lack of exercise causes sleep disorders
The TK mentions occupational and private stress, lack of exercise as well as extreme alcohol, nicotine and caffeine consumption as major factors in the significant increase in sleep disorders. However, according to the experts also diseases, pain or permanent noise may be the cause of sleep disorders. People who work nights (such as shiftworkers or nurses) are particularly affected. As a rule, seven to nine hours of sleep per night is considered ideal for adults, although individual sleep requirements may differ significantly from these benchmarks. Sleep researchers have long been pointing out that adherence to fixed sleep and wake-up times can help prevent sleep disturbances, as the biorhythm sets itself to the fixed periods of rest. Also, relaxation exercises such as autogenous are recommended at bedtime to prevent sleep disorders. In natural medicine, considerable success has been achieved with the use of valerian to regulate sleep patterns. However, the experts warn that too much sleep can also have negative effects on the organism and a significantly increased need for sleep may be a sign of another condition. (Fp)

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