[Management of sleep disorders from the geriatric psychiatry aspect].

Sleep disorders are a common phenomenon in patients of all age groups and often are not easy to influence. In geriatric patients sleep disorders are even more common and often are the main complaint. In addition to pharmacotherapeutic approach with a number of different psychotropic drugs non-drug procedures should also be used in the treatment of geriatric and psychogeriatric patients and combinations of different therapeutic approaches can be indicated. With every patient complaining of disturbed sleep a careful exploration of the origin of the sleep disorder is imperative prior to treatment.