[Sleep problems of the aging (author's transl)]

Sleep problems of the aging differ from adolescents clinicaly as well as in their EEG-pattern. They can be purely functional (exogenous or reactiv) however are frequently influenced by changes in the aging organism. Most common are cardio-vascular and pulmonary problems. The treatment of sleep disorders has to emphasize the improvement of these problems so that functional sleep difficulties can be treated successfully. It has to be recognized that elderly people can react paradoxically or overreact to all psychotropic agents including hypnotics.