Overcoming Sleeping Disorder: Personal Experience

Commonly known as Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD) and other names, is a disorder in which the persons internal body clock is not in sync with the morning-rise evening-sleep pattern of the majority of people. Individuals with this disorder are not able to sleep and wake at the times that are regulated by normal work and school hours. They usually get enough sleep to keep them at a functional level through the day but not enough to be considered “well rested”. Polysomnography and actigraphy are tests commonly ordered for some sleep disorders to determine the illness. The cause of Delayed Sleep Phase can include a variety of reasons; puberty being one of the main causes, but some people are born with the disorder. The short term and long term effects of this illness is unfortunate for a person’s overall health. Overall cures to this disorder have not been found yet. Doctors have suggested sleeping pills to help or other alternatives. The disorder affects the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, the core body temperature rhythm, hormonal and other daily cycles.

Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder, short for Non-24, is a chronic circadian rhythm disorder that affects people that are completely blind. The circadian rhythms control the body clock and regulate sleep-wake cycle and various other cycles that are critical in the body. In most people, this body clock runs marginally longer than 24 hours. This means that rather than cycle on a 24-hour day, most people’s natural rhythms actually run a bit longer. Whether the cycle runs two minutes or 30 minutes longer, patients with Non-24 have these minutes add up day after day, few days adding to a few more the next. Eventually causing evident changes in one’s body. Their body’s circadian rhythm becomes out of sync from regular day and night cycle.

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. It can have a devastating impact on one’s emotion, physical, occupation and social life. While it occasionally can be seen in the clinical setting as a primary diagnosis, it most often presents as a comorbidity to a medical or psychiatric issue;

Ebben, M. R., & Narizhnaya, M. (2012). Cognitive and Behavioral Treatment Options for Insomnia. Mount Sinai Journal Of Medicine, 79(4)

Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders among college students is an area of concern among researchers, because of the relationship between quality sleep and quality of academic performance. The factors that have been shown to affect sleep quality or sleep patterns include staying up late, using social networking, and partying. This research uses a simple, unique survey instrument. A total of fifty college students participated in the study. Results substantiate the hypothesis that social media use is heavy among college students, and that the use of social media will be correlated with less sleep and less effective study habits. Future research may discover ways of helping students develop more balanced approaches to their academic, online, and social lives.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is proved to be an effective therapy for treating insomnia. (Edinger & Means, 2015) (Pigeon, 2010)(Mitchell et.al, 2014)

The second intervention I applied to my behavior was the decrease in active technology use before bed. Based on the literature “The Sleep and Technology Use of Americans: Findings from the National Sleep Foundation’s 2011 Sleep in American Poll.” Gradisar, Michael; Wolfson, Amy R; Harvey, Allison G; Hale, Lauren; Rosenberg, Russell; Czeisler, Charles A (2013) conducted a study by randomly surveying 1508 people between the ages of 13-64. They were asked 47 questions on technology use and what time they fall asleep over the course of two weeks. They found that people over the age of 30 were more likely to watch T.V. and people under the age of 30 were more likely to use their cell phones. The results showed that the use of cell phones before

The participants in the CBTI group had to attend five weekly 90-minute group treatment sessions. The groups were comprised of 5–15 participants. The intervention followed a treatment manual that had been used in three previous treatment trials. It included educational materials about sleep and the key CBT for insomnia components, which included sleep restriction, stimulus control, relaxation training, and cognitive strategies. The participants in the TAU group received routine individual treatment for insomnia, which was provided in primary care settings. Routine individual treatments could be from a mental health practitioner or a CBT therapist. The results showed that participants in the CBTI group had better sleeping outcomes post-treatment than those in the TAU group. There were smaller effects at 20 weeks. In addition, there were not significant differences

For those who are seeking treatment without the help of sleeping pills, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy may be the right method for them. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, often called CBT-I, is an approved method for treating insomnia without the use of sleeping pills (Cognitive). Focusing on the cognitive aspect of insomnia as a treatment solution is much like trying to find the underlying cause of what is keeping the individual awake at night. This type of therapy involves regular meetings and follow ups with a doctor who will closely evaluate the person’s changing sleep habits while making changes as needed to fit that person’s needs until they get to the point where they can sleep regularly. Some changes that are recommended by the staff of Mayo Clinic may include stimulus control therapy or improving the sleep environment. Stimulus control therapy is the act of training your mind to associate your bedroom with sleeping rather than lying awake or working. It may be helpful to not lie in bed on the phone or watch T.V at night because those could be distractions to the mind that are keeping the body awake. Improving the sleeping environment can aid the body to get in “sleep mode”. Sleeping could be improved by doing simple tasks such as adjusting the room temperature, making the room darker, or eliminating noise can also put the mind at ease for a restful night of sleep (Mayo Clinic Staff). CBT is not a quick cure by any means; however, it can be very successful and long lasting if a person is able to stick with it. A sleep diary is important in CBT as well so that the doctor can assess the person’s changes and they can see the changes as

Studies have shown that sleep disturbances are extremely common in individuals that suffer from PTSD as well as those that suffer from primary insomnia. Although a few studies have been done separately that show the consequences of sleep disturbance in PTSD patients and Insomnia patients, there is little known about how they differ. Some sleep problems reported in PTSD are very similar to those of primary insomnia, but issues that are unique to PTSD suggest that conditions may be worse or different than they are for insomniacs. These additional factors may contribute to sleep variability more heavily due to the fact that it could cause sleep patterns to be unpredictable and different from patient to patient

This paper will explore the case story of “A Day in the Sleep Clinic”. I will explore the aspects of Dr. Williams' behavior that influence the decisions of the families he works with and possibly influence the ultimate health outcomes of their children. I will explain the roles culture, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status play in families' experiences in the healthcare system. Finally, I will discuss factors, other than provider-patient communication, influence disparities in health outcomes.

It can be proven, through literary research and personal experiences, that music has a positive effect on learning and memory. It can be concluded that these positive effects have an impact on patients with Alzheimer’s, on the motor skills and auditory memory of mentally disabled children, on students attempting to remember subject manner that they are learning, and on the affectivity of advertisements. On a personal note, music has facilitated my ability to remember things, both positive and negative, a number of times. For example, in high school I memorized the days of the week in French by singing them along with a tune that was already familiar to me. I have also had multiple experiences in which I remember things that I do not want

Sleep disorders alter ones sleep pattern and often results in the inability to either sleep or sleep soundly. They often cause you to feel restless, tired, fatigued, and irritable. It is estimated that nearly 75 percent of adult Americans experience sleep disorder symptoms at least a few nights per week. At the same time, sleep disturbances in some form are seen in as many as 25 to 30 percent of infants and children (“Sleep Disorders” 2013). Clearly a huge conundrum in the world, sleep disorders affect an inordinate amount of people. Millions of people suffer or have suffered from a sleep disorder at one point in their lives and if mistreated can impact organ systems functioning negatively. Physical disturbances, medical issues,

Sleep disorders have always surrounded me through family and friends. though I never suffered with any sort of sleeping disorder, I was well aware of how unnerving it can be toothless who suffer from it. I did not know all of the different types there were, and was intrigued when reading chapter three of my psychology book. I had assumed that nigh terrors, which I used to think were the same as nightmares, were over exaggerations of a person’s scary dream. Sleepwalking also held interesting facts that I didn’t know prior. Having a best friend who occasionally sleepwalks, I was always interested in why she would seldom remember both walking and talking. I also appreciated learning about sleep apnea because my father used to struggle with it and would worry my mom about his breathing when he was asleep.

There is no denying that the impact of climate change on human health has become increasingly prominent in recent years, it has become almost a matter of concern to all humanity. According to statistics, every year 150,000 people will die of disasters caused by climate change in Europe (BBC, 2017). Among them, the spread of viruses, natural disasters and agricultural production are the three main negative effects on human health from climate change.