Dinner Speech - Kai Spiegelhalder

Insomnia

Insomnia is defined by sleep initiation and/or sleep maintenance difficulties associated with a significant impairment of daytime functioning. The worldwide prevalence of insomnia is approximately 6-10%. Insomnia is often associated with other medical conditions, but can also be a disorder on its own. While it is often viewed as a nuisance symptom in clinical practice, there is meta-analytic evidence showing that insomnia is a major risk factor for depression, and suicides, as well as for cardiovascular diseases. Accordingly, insomnia contributes to the major diseases of our ageing societies and to a significant part of our health expenses. This dinner speech will give an overview on the epidemiology, etiology and management of insomnia highlighting recent developments in both research and clinical practice.