Monitoring sleep quality and delirium are essential in providing modern intensive care. They present both equipment and personnel challenges. Not only because certain monitoring methods, such as polysomnography, affect monitored sleep themselves. Although new alternatives exist, polysomnography remains the gold standard in diagnosing and researching sleep disorders for the validity of the data obtained. Without monitoring and screening methods, delirium and sleep disorders cannot be reliably diagnosed in intensive care. Without a clearly established diagnosis, the outcomes of delirium and reduced sleep quality cannot be investigated. This article summarizes various options for monitoring both sleep and delirium, their advantages and limitations in the critical care setting.