Sleep Disorders and Mental Health: Causes, Effects, and Treatment

This article discusses sleep disorders and their impact on mental health. It covers causes, effects, and treatment options for sleep disorders, including nursing assessments, diagnostic tests, and recommendations for good sleep hygiene. The article also includes a personal account of sleep deprivation and its effects.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

1MENTAL HEALTH
Sleep Disorders
1.
a. Sleep is a condition of body and mind when a person’s consciousness is partially suspended
and the sensory activity and the activity of voluntary muscles is suspended for a specific time
period.
Yes, I have developed sleep deprivation and this made me feel very tired physically. I was also
had poor mood because of sleep disorder
b. Yes, I have a sound sleep at night and I feel good when I wake up.
c. No, I do not participate in any rituals before going to bed.
d. Yes, my abilities as a nurse will be compromised if I work with sleep deprivation. This is
because I will have poor concentration because of fatigue and I may end up committing errors.
2.
a. A new born is likely to sleep for 16-20 hours in a day. During infancy, the sleep time is 11-12
hours. The sleep duration changes gradually during adolescence period and people sleep for six
to nine hours. Adults and elderly people sleep for 8 hours on an average.
b. Alcohol, tobacco and caffeine interfere with sleep. This can be said because they disrupt the
central metabolism of the neurotransmitters and block sleep inducing chemicals in the brain.
3.

2MENTAL HEALTH
a. Major depression can impair sleep if adequate treatment is not provided to the person at the
right time. Depression and negative thoughts and feelings changes sleep patterns and
neurological markers of stress changes in those people with depression.
b. Anti-depressant medications affects sleep pattern as they may deteriorate the quality of sleep
due to the activation of serotonergic 5-HT2 receptors and dopaminergic neurotransmission.
However, there are other antidepressants too that improve the quality of sleep as they have anti-
histaminergic action.
4.
a. Sleep patterns change across the life span. An infant sleeps for longest hours such as 20 hours
compared to older adults who often struggle in falling asleep. Older people also wake up more
frequently during sleep.
b. The diagnostic test that can be done for sleep difficult includes blood test and a sleep study
c. Nursing assessment for sleep difficulty includes:
 Looking for signs of agitation and fatigue in client
 Reviewing the medications taken by patient
 Assessment of the environment in which the client sleeps.
d. Some recommendations for good sleep hygiene are:
 Establishing a regular bedtime routine
 Doing exercise in the late afternoon
 Avoid nicotine before bedtime
 Dinner should be taken 1-2 hours before bedtime

3MENTAL HEALTH
e. The client is suffering from sleep disorder. To treat the patient, it will be necessary to teach
patients about techniques to fall asleep. The patients should also be instructed to avoid heavy
meal or take caffeine closed to bed time. Dark and comfortable environment is also necessary.