Sleep problems Increasing rush in the sleep laboratory

Big rush in the sleep laboratory

05/04/2015

Around every fourth adult German citizen suffers from sleep disorders. In the longer term, sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems. Meanwhile, more and more sufferers search for sleep laboratories. The waiting times are long.

„Increase in waiting times in the sleep laboratories“
It is not really comfortable in the sleep laboratory with the narrow bed and the many cables and medical devices in the room. Nevertheless, the 18 beds in the Sleep Medicine Center in Nuremberg are always occupied, as senior physician Dora Triché told the news agency dpa. Over the past ten years, the number of patients have increased „increased significantly“. And Thomas Penzel, member of the board of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM), said: „We see an increase in waiting times in the sleep laboratories.“ Nationwide, there are currently 280 accredited sleep laboratories and sleep medicine centers. In these are on average 3.5 „polysomnographic measuring stations“, so beds with surveillance, available. Although sleep disorders in Germany are not increasing, awareness of these problems is increasing, explained Penzel.

Various causes of sleep problems
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin, sleep disorders are among the most common health complaints in the population. About a quarter of adults, according to surveys, suffer from it. More than ten percent of the respondents said that they often or permanently experience their sleep as unrestful. So far, 50 sleep disorders have been defined. Although sleep deprivation does not cause any damage at short notice, it impairs functions in the brain, so that concentration, thinking and performance diminish. The causes of sleep problems range from long-term stress, high heat in the bedroom, too much alcohol or nicotine, severe overweight (obesity) to physical and mental illnesses. According to estimates of the DGSM, about one percent of the population requires a study in the sleep laboratory.

Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
The majority of Dora Triché's patients suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. During the night they have recurrent respiratory arrest (apnea). On a computer screen, the expert sees a blue line representing the breathing of a patient. There are small rashes for each breath and then a continuous line to see. „Here the patient did not breathe for 43 seconds“, Triché explained in a case. This man has a breathing pause almost every minute, then wakes up each time, and his blood pressure and heart rate rise. „This is always a murder stress for the body“, so Triché. This increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke for many years.

The typical patient is male and overweight
The Cologne sleep expert Alfred Wiater explained that such sleep-disordered breathing would have a significant negative impact on the cardiovascular system, life expectancy and performance. This is because the muscles that keep the pharynx open are less active at night, which is why the throat closes and less air flows into it. Predisposition can play a role in this, but also the declining muscle strength with age or severe obesity, in which tissue accumulates in the throat and makes breathing difficult. „Snoring is therefore a very common symptom. Not every snorer suffers from obstructive sleep apnea, but almost every patient snores“, Triché explained. Although the typical patient male and overweight, but also women and normal weight are affected. A special mask over the nose, which conducts air into the airways with a slight overpressure, can help many. The doctor explained: „The mask does not heal. You have to wear them like glasses for life.“

People in industrial nations are sleeping less and less
Even without such severe respiratory disorders, many people feel limp and un-fast in the morning. People in developed countries are sleeping less and less according to some researchers. It is unclear whether this is due to job stress, shiftwork or increasing sensory overload. „More and more value is placed on efficiency and optimization of our time. And now it's time for sleep“, Penzel said of the Berlin Charité. „In our information society we sleep one to one and a half hours shorter than in the 1960s“, said Geert Mayer, sleep specialist in Schwalmstadt, Hesse. An adult on average needs seven to eight hours of sleep. „Six hours of sleep can be enough if you are fit and well rested in the morning“, so Triché. Even though sleep requirements tend to decrease with age, many older people complain about poor or too little sleep.

Pay attention to the correct sleep hygiene
The Nuremberg Clinic offers training for you and other groups such as shift workers. The doctor, Kneginja Richter, who said sleeping can be learned, teaches participants in their classes to pay attention to proper sleep hygiene, such as maintaining a regular sleep-wake cycle or not reading or watching TV in bed. In a guidebook, the DGSM has even more tips: Thus, the intake of stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol or nicotine should be reduced or avoided. Since stress is a common cause of sleep problems, stress relief relaxation exercises may be helpful. This can be meditation or biofeedback. Patients with sleep problems should always avoid taking a nap during the day as this usually causes additional sleep disturbance. And if possible, those affected should get up and go to bed every day at the same times. (Ad)

Image: Stephanie Hofschlaeger