Patience, knowledge and persistence in therapy

In principle, pulmonologists can encounter any form of sleep-wake disorder in their practical work, although sleep-related respiratory disorders are probably by far the most common. In clinical practice, the classification into the four main groups of 1. reduced sleep (insomnia), 2. increased sleep (hypersomnia), 3. distorted sleep (parasomnia) and 4. displaced sleep (sleep-wake rhythm disorders) has proven to be effective. In the case of insomnia, the focus is on chronic difficulty falling asleep or sleeping through the night; in the case of hypersomnia, sleep apnoea syndrome is the main cause.