Catherine Darley – Sleep and Mental Health: Non-Medication Interventions to Restore Sleep Quality and Improve Clinical Outcomes

Outline

Assessment Techniques to Evaluate Sleep Disorders

• Sleep mechanisms and importance of circadian rhythms
• Key clinical interview questions
• Why your clients need a sleep diary and how to implement it
• Practical screening questionnaires

Sleep Disorders Associated with Common Mental Health Disorders

• Differentiate sleep symptoms vs. mental health symptoms
• Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea with co-occurring disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Additional other disorders
• Narcolepsy and its impact on mental health
• Correlation between nightmares and suicidality
• Sleep recommendations for PTSD
• Behaviorally Induced Insufficient Sleep Syndrome
• Insomnia increases risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Classes of sleep disorders and their associated mental health symptoms
  • Insomnia
  • Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders
  • Sleep movement disorders
  • Parasomnia
  • Hypersomnia
  • Sleep breathing disorders

The Bi-Directional Impact of Medications

• Medications can interfere with sleep
• Common side effects of hypnotics
• Melatonin – how to naturally increase & when to use a supplement
• Nutritional supplements and herbal medicine

Sleep Deprivation and Mental Health: Recognize Symptoms and Implement Solutions

• 5 domains of sleep deprivation
  • Cognitive performance – decreases simple memory, complex problem solving and verbal fluency
  • Physical performance – increases drowsy driving and auto accidents
  • Physical health – weakens the immune system and increases risks of serious health issues
  • Mental health – intensifies anxiety, impulsivity, and emotional liability
  • Emotional intelligence – impairs moral and ethical decision making
• Implement behavior-modifying exercises

Interventions to Correct Circadian Misalignment

• Consequences of desynchrony with natural sleep cycle
• Treatment plans to protect shift workers from anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders
• Manage mania associated with jetlag
• Mental health risk of night owls
• Strategies for clients who frequently travel
• How to regulate circadian physiology
  • Body clock
  • SCN in the brain
  • Cellular mechanisms
• Balance out melatonin rhythm

Assess Children’s Sleep Issues and Implement Strategies to Improve

• ADHD, sleep disorder, or both?
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea often mistaken as other mental health symptoms in children
• Restless Legs Syndrome
• Sleep and naps are critical for development and growth
• Children’s sleep screening and recommendations
• Step-by-step guide for parents to help kids sleep better

Techniques to Evaluate and Improve Teen Sleep

• How to determine a teenage client’s natural circadian rhythm
• Dangers of sleep deprivation in adolescents
  • Increased negative risk taking
  • Correlation between lack of sleep and suicidality
  • Decreased academic achievement and decision making ability
  • Higher rates of juvenile delinquency
  • Driving drowsy and car accidents
• Tools for increasing teens’ sleep
• School start time – how to advocate for change

Practical Methods to Create a Sleep Healthy Lifestyle

• Develop individualized healthy sleep plans for your clients – not a cookie cutter approach
• Get clients to “yes” in prioritizing optimal sleep
• Behavior-modifying exercises to help clients snap out of their sleep-depriving habits
• Address family and couple dynamics to allow everyone healthy sleep
• Tips and tricks for evening cell phone use to promote better sleep
• Techniques to reinforce long-term sleep health
• When to make a referral
  • What clients can expect from sleep disorder treatments