Frequently Asked Questions

Typical signs are loud, irregular snoring with breathing pauses (often noticed by a partner), sudden gasping awakenings, morning headaches, dry mouth and above all pronounced daytime sleepiness up to microsleep. Our Epworth self-test gives a first orientation. Only a measurement provides certainty — we perform ambulatory polygraphy at your home.

If you spend seven to eight hours in bed and are still exhausted during the day, your sleep is often not restorative. Common causes are unrecognised sleep apnea, insomnia, shift work or restless legs syndrome — but also internal-medicine causes such as thyroid disorders, iron deficiency or poorly controlled blood sugar. As an internist with a sleep-medicine focus, I check both sides.

Yes, considerably. Fat tissue in the throat and around the abdomen narrows the airways and makes breathing harder when lying down. Studies show that around 10% weight loss can noticeably reduce the number of nightly breathing pauses — in mild apnea sometimes to near-freedom from symptoms. Conversely, poor sleep makes losing weight harder, which is why we treat weight and sleep together.

You take a compact recording device home and sleep as usual in your own bed. Overnight it records airflow, oxygen saturation, snoring sounds, heart rate and body position. The next day you return the device, we analyse the data and discuss the result with you. No clinic stay, no waiting for a sleep-lab place.

Polygraphy is the ambulatory screening at home (breathing, oxygen, snoring, pulse, body position) and, where there is a justified suspicion, covered by statutory insurance. Polysomnography additionally records sleep stages via EEG and gives the complete picture — with us also as a mobile measurement for home, as a private service. Which examination makes sense depends on your specific question.

Ambulatory polygraphy for a justified suspicion of a sleep-related breathing disorder is a statutory insurance benefit. The extended mobile polysomnography we offer as a private or self-pay service. What is indicated in your case we clarify in the initial consultation.

For chronic insomnia, guidelines recommend cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as first-line treatment — not sleeping pills. It works sustainably and is now also available as an insurance-reimbursed digital application (DiGA). Sleeping pills are only useful short-term. We first clarify the cause and advise you on the right path.

Yes. Rotating and night shifts force the body to sleep and eat against its internal clock. This can trigger a distinct shift work sleep disorder and is associated with an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Targeted sleep and light planning can improve a lot — especially in combination with a weight issue, the work-up is worthwhile.

At your first appointment, we focus on the essentials for your specific concern: previous conditions, medications, relevant symptoms. Depending on the situation, this may include a physical examination, blood draw, or initial diagnostics.

Please bring your health insurance card. Helpful but not required: a list of current medications, any relevant previous medical reports, your vaccination record, and recent blood test results from the past 12 months. We can also work without prior records — many findings can be assessed directly in our practice.

Standard consultation appointments focus on your specific concern. On Thursdays we additionally offer an extended consultation with longer slots — with room for details, background and individual questions. This is the right setting when a topic needs more depth: a nutritional medicine consultation, planning a GLP-1 therapy, or a more complex clinical picture. Private patients and self-payers can generally book any weekday — the extended consultation is independent of this and open to anyone who needs more time.

For repeat prescriptions of known long-term medication, please use Doctolib or call us. Email is not a secure transmission channel: if you nevertheless write to rezepte@internist-wenzel.de, please do so only if you consent to unencrypted transmission — and include only the minimum necessary details. Prescriptions can only be handed to third parties (e.g. relatives or care services) with your written consent and upon presentation of ID — the consent form is available at our front desk. For GLP-1 medications (Wegovy, Mounjaro, Ozempic), an initial examination and regular follow-up appointments are medically required.

Yes — consultations in English are available for expats, private and self-pay patients. Please mention this when booking via Doctolib or by email at info@internist-wenzel.de. The Thursday private and self-pay consultation is well-suited for in-depth English appointments.

All three are GLP-1-based medications, but with different active substances and indications. Ozempic (semaglutide) is approved for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is also semaglutide, but approved specifically for weight reduction in obesity. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) acts on two hormones simultaneously (GLP-1 and GIP) and achieves on average somewhat greater weight reduction in trials. Which medication is right for you depends on your diagnosis, existing conditions, and individual situation — we discuss this in consultation.

Generally suitable for people with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) or excess weight (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m²) with weight-related conditions such as high blood pressure, pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The therapy supports rather than replaces lifestyle changes. It is not suitable in certain conditions, such as a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or pancreatitis. Whether it is right for you is determined in a detailed initial consultation with blood tests and medical history.

An honest answer: after stopping, weight can return if sustainable lifestyle changes have not been established alongside the medication. Studies show that a significant proportion of lost weight returns within one to two years when treatment ends without accompanying behaviour change. This is why we always combine GLP-1 therapy with nutritional counselling, physical activity advice and regular follow-up appointments.

No. A medical initial examination and regular follow-up appointments are medically necessary — and non-negotiable. Prescriptions for GLP-1 medications without a physician-patient relationship and without monitoring do not meet our standards. That protects you as a patient.

For patients with statutory health insurance: Wegovy and Mounjaro for weight reduction are currently not regular GKV benefits. In poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, coverage as a statutory benefit may be possible depending on the situation (applies to both statutory and private insurance) — whether this applies to you, we check individually. Otherwise, the therapy is offered as a self-pay service within our extended consultation on Thursdays; scope and costs are discussed in advance.

IGeL (private health services) are medical services that fall outside statutory insurance coverage. In our practice these include BIA body composition analysis, nutritional medicine consultation, extended laboratory diagnostics, CGM glucose screening, and mobile polysomnography — performed within the extended internal medicine consultation on Thursdays. Billing follows the GOÄ; before the service is provided, we conclude a written agreement in accordance with § 18 (8) BMV-Ä. You have time to consider at any point and may decline the service.

Yes. As a statutory insured patient you can use all covered services via your health insurance card and additionally book private health services as a self-payer. Billing is clearly separate. Statutory insurance does not reimburse IGeL services.