Sleep Disorders : Needs Assessment And Rationale

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;

In my paper, I will tackle insomnia from various perspectives: definitions, types, causes, effects, and means of solutions.

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,

Insomnia can be defined as a purpose or apparent complexity in falling and staying asleep. Dissimilarities in variables used for measurement sleep-onset time, time asleep, and time awake by some, sleepiness, irritability, or other impairment of daytime function by others, make difficult comparisons between studies. The insomnia treatments for which there is confirmation of efficacy include sleep restriction, in which the patient is instructed to remain in bed only as long as he is actually sleeping, stimulus control no activities in the bedroom except sleep and sex, and a variety of relaxation methods, particularly in the circumstance of multimodal sleep clinics (Rowe, 1995).

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Sleep and Daytime Functioning in College Students. (Taylor, et al. 2014)

Insomnia is another sleep disorder that has an effect on the daily lives of others. There are four different types of insomnia that a person may have: difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early, and Sleep State Misperception. Sleep State Misperception occurs when a person gets a full night sleep, but they feel like they have not gotten any sleep at all. Insomnia can also be classified into three different categories: transient insomnia, short-term insomnia, and chronic insomnia. Transient insomnia occurs only a few nights, short-term insomnia occurs up to four weeks, and chronic insomnia happens most every night for a month or longer. It is common for most everyone to suffer from short-term insomnia at some point

For Chronic Insomnia, difficulty in sleep must occur at least 3 times a week, and be present for at least three months(Ciccarelli). If the periods of unrest are shorter, it’s considered acute insomnia. Next, the problems must occur even if the subject has a satisfactory place/time to sleep(Ciccarelli). They can’t be caused by an uncomfortable bed or noisy child. Last, the sleeping problems must not be related to other sleep-wake disorders or substance abuse(Ciccarelli). A substance-induced sleep disorder is different. Symptoms of Insomnia include waking up too early, feeling unrested, having a hard time focusing, and increased worry and anxiety(Mayo Clinic). Poor concentration and problems at work, school, or with friends may also be related to the lack of sleep(Ciccarelli), as well as slowed reaction time, which can cause accidents(Mayo Clinic). Long term symptoms from Insomnia are more harmful. Depressive disorders, high blood pressure, and heart disease can all significantly reduce your quality of life(Mayo

Sleep has a major function in the physical and mental health of an individual. It is important to assess elements of sleep disorders when evaluating for any mental health condition. According to Perese (2012), “Psychiatric disorders characterized by sleep disturbances include anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease” (pp 222-223). Normal sleep length should be at least 7 or 7.5 hours per night and when poor sleep pattern exists, it could affect alertness, memory, cognition, creativity and quality of life (Perese, 2012). Sleep-wake disorders can be described as any problem with sleeping including; difficulty falling or staying asleep, sleeping too much, sleeping at the wrong time and abnormal behaviors during sleep (MedlinePlus, 2015). According to DSM-5 (2013), “Sleep-wake disorders encompasses 10 disorders or disorder groups: insomnia disorder, hypersomnolence disorder, narcolepsy, breathing-related sleep disorders, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep arousal disorders, nightmare disorder, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome, and substance/medication-induced sleep disorder” (p. 361).

Sleep apnea is common in most people. It may briefly stop your breathing since there is blockage in the upper airways. This may cause pauses in breathing throughout the night and interrupt your sleep, leaving you waking up each hour. Often times people with these issues do not remember waking up each hour and feel exhausted during the day.(Smith) The most common sleeping disorder is Insomnia. Insomnia is a condition where you are unable to wake up feeling rested and refreshed. Often times Insomnia is a symptom of another problem such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Insomnia can also be caused by your medications or lack of exercise. This disorder can be cured with some lifestyle changes that you make on your own.(Smith) A few symptoms you may encounter if you have a sleep disorder may be feeling tired while driving, trouble controlling your emotions, or slow reactions.(Smith)

According to the study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, 216 participants were analzyed by researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School. Participants' sleep qualities, in conjuction with their mood, were studied over a period of two years.

There have been reports which have said sleep deprivation not only increases sleepiness but it also accelerates deterioration of mood (Kaida and Niki). Sleep and mood are closely connected; poor or inadequate sleep can be the source of irritability and anxiety, while healthy sleep can enhance well-being (Sleep and Mood). Therefore, sleep is crucial to have a pleasant mood and outlook on life on a daily basis. The typical adult requires about seven to eight hours of sleep for each night to have good well-being. University of Pennsylvania researchers found that subjects who were restricted to only four and a half hours of sleep a night for one week reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally exhausted (Sleep and Mood). Furthermore, college students who

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.

This paper will explore the study into and the results of a study into any possible connection between insomnia with short sleep duration and mortality. The purpose of this paper is to bring forth a better understanding of why this study was implemented and the benefits, if any, of the results stemming from the study. We will focus on the study itself and of its participants. We will also be providing thoughts on the study 's conclusions and of any ramifications that may arise moving forward, that this study provides. The methods that were used by the researchers were simple in theory and in application. Bring together a group of participants, one thousand seven hundred and forty-one to be precise. Study their sleep patterns for a single night and then follow-up on said participants throughout a fourteen year span. The researchers would attempt to discover any and all links between insomnia with short sleep duration and mortality in men and women with their findings. In doing so, the researchers had hoped that their work would lead to a better understanding of the necessity for the treatment of insomnia, and the need for further studies within this field. These researchers concluded that there is a link between insomnia with short sleep duration with mortality in men, although they were not as successful in finding a similar clear link in women.

Insomnia, generally affects women and older people, older people and men have trouble staying asleep, and younger people normally have trouble achieving sleep. Symptoms of insomnia usually begin from a stress-triggering element. Such symptoms may be lengthened can lead to insomnia (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). Studies have conveyed two main concepts related to insomnia: “physiological, emotional and cognitive activation” and how intense stress affects the person who goes through times of hardship. If insomnia continues without prevention, it may cause other disorders such as depression (Alexandru, 2009, p. 68).

Lying among tousled sheets, eluded by sleep with thoughts racing, many people wrestle with the nightly demon named insomnia. Insomnia is defined as, "the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following: difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep, waking up too early in the morning, or unrefreshing sleep" (Rajput 1431). Because the definition of "poor-quality sleep" is not the same for every person, it is not easy to determine the frequency and severity of it's occurrence (Holbrook 216). To add to the complexity of this problem, there is not even one universal treatment that can be used effectively in all cases. Many