Summary: A suitable amount of sleep is essential for optimal mental and physical health. Sleep disorders are one of the more frequently reported ailments in the elderly because aging in some way predisposes to the appearance of sleep disorders. However, insomnia may not always be an integral part of aging, and chronic sleep disturbance is more often secondary to ill health and chronic disease than aging itself. That is why it is crucial to distinguish potential age-related sleep disorders from those requiring diagnostics, which are a consequence of other conditions. Significant are disorders associated with common mental diseases in old age: dementia and depressive disorders. According to the recommendations, treatment of sleep disorders should be initiated using many available non-pharmacological methods that are effective and free of side effects. Some medical conditions like OSA or RLS may be exceptions. However, at an earlier age, sleep disorders are so permanent and affect everyday functioning and even cause cognitive disorders that we start pharmacological treatment almost from the very beginning.