Elderly persons frequently complain of problems with their sleep.1–7 Actually, they often are very concerned about not obtaining enough sleep and/or not feeling refreshed after sleep.2,4,7 Physicians, however, may feel that some elderly patients are excessively preoccupied with their sleep in a hypochondriacal manner. Thus, not infrequently the elderly’s sleep complaints are not given proper attention or are simply dealt with through the hasty prescription of a hypnotic.2,4 Through such practices, a number of important issues related to the nocturnal as well as daytime life are overlooked, while there is an additional risk of creating certain iatrogenic complications.