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Sleep is a Necessity, Not a Luxury

Millions of people suffer from chronic and pervasive sleep disorders. But what you are about to read is not about traditional sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, night terrors, restless leg syndrome, or narcolepsy. For information on those conditions, I ask you to check with a professional source in that area. What I am providing for you here is the most preventable type of sleep disorder and problem; self-imposed sleep deprivation.

What happened to us? When did things begin to change regarding one of our most basic and necessary functions for health and wellness? When did sleep become frowned upon and why? Was it the Industrial revolution? Was it the Technology age? Who did the brainwashing?

When did sleep become a bad habit, a sign of laziness and, pardon me, a luxury?

Well, finally the research is out. But sadly, it seems that no matter how much information is put out there with statistics and fancy research results, many people are NOT heeding the call to sleep. The worst of it is that we are not listening to our own intuition and biological clocks. Well this is your “wake-up” call asking you to sleep more and sleep better.

How Sleep Deprivation Harms You

Did you ever hear or say the phrase “I’ll sleep when die”? Well, guess what? Lack of sleep will catch up to you and cause you overall and long-term harm which could actually lead to premature death, or at least have you looking like a zombie!

Here below are the most common effects of the lack of proper sleep:

Fatigue and exhaustion.
Irritability and foul mood.
Your physical appearance is affected adversely, meaning people who don’t sleep enough look unhealthy, sunken in, older than their physical age-have you heard of beauty sleep?
Increased risk of diabetes.
Increased risk of cardio-vascular disease.
Pre-mature aging.
Weight gain.
And possible increased cancer risk.

Purpose of Sleep and Its Benefits-From Sleeping Beauty to Beauty Sleep

Sleep is most assuredly a biological, mental, emotional and spiritual necessity. Just like we need air to breathe and food for sustenance to survive, sleep is a required activity, and not an optional habit. Here are some of the documented benefits of sleep:

Biological: While you sleep, there is restoration and recovery of your cells, muscles and organs, including your biggest organ-your skin. Human Growth Hormone and Melatonin are released while you sleep and that is essential to healthy skin, hair, nail growth and anti-aging benefits. There is also the release of antioxidants and increased immune system strength. With enough sleep there is increased energy, and we can all use more of that during our waking life.
Mental: With more sleep, you can expect a sharper mind, better concentration, and increased memory. A more intelligent world is a better world.
Emotional: Forget being crabby. With restorative sleep you will have better and balanced mood, less irritability, higher optimism.
Spiritual: Two of my favorite reasons to sleep are to “work things out” and increase in natural intuition. We are only beginning to understand and explore both the physical and the metaphysical benefits of sleep. From personal experience and the research I have conducted, I can tell you that when you sleep at your body’s optimal level, your intuition and psychic ability are increased. You may also tend to remember your dreams more clearly and with more detail and that provides invaluable insight into your life issues, challenges and desires.
Physical: Sleeping works above and below. The result is literally increased beauty by increasing your overall health and giving you a refreshed appearance everyone will notice.

Your Sleep Process

How many hours do you sleep? Do you feel it is more productive to sleep less and work more? Are you feeling vital and energetic?

I say “your sleep process” because each person’s sleep cycle is. There is no cookie-cutter sleep recipe. The amount of sleep you need varies from anyone else’s in your life. Even if you sleep the same amount of sleep as someone you know, the way you drift off, your style of sleeping, the sleep position in your bed, your dream life, kind mattress or pillow you need, etc. is all your own. But more often than not, the amount you need to feel refreshed, alert and healthy will be somewhere between 7 and 9 hours. There are also factors like your age, phase of life and general health condition that affect how much sleep you need. However some people need less and some, like me, need as much as 11 or 12 hours sometimes to feel rested.

Most people do not get nearly as much sleep as they need out of guilt or the conditioned belief that sleep is a bad habit. But in the process of sleep certain biological, mental and spiritual necessary processes occur. It may take time to find the amount of sleep that works for your highest health benefit. So make that time for yourself-you are worth it.

What the Heck is Sleep Hygiene-Creating a Sleep Conducive Environment and Banishing Sleep guilt

I don’t know who came up with the term “Sleep Hygiene” but it sounds like, cleaning your sheets, or a showering before bed kind of thing. That is obviously not what it means. I believe the term does not accurately represent what it is trying to portray which is what I call, creating a Sleep Conducive Space (SCS).

Some sleep experts claim to restrict your bedroom, (assuming you sleep in a traditional bedroom) to sleep and sex only. But this is simply not realistic. But what is doable is to create the most conducive environment for yourself as possible. This process begins outside and into your bed. General useful considerations are:

Watch your caffeine intake, alcohol intake or medications.
Do something that lowers the temperature of your room to the cooler side.
Gentle stretching and certain gentle yoga poses.
Darken your environment (whether or not you are a day or night person).
Quiet a restless mind by having note pad and pen and list quickly all that’s on your mind to deal with another time then RELEASE it.
Try to use soft and pleasant scents like lavender sleep sprays.
Try soft nature sounds, or you respond to silence and there is a lot of noise around you use a white sound machine to block out unpleasant noise.
Ask a doctor or other professional about supplements like Melatonin, or Valerian root etc.

In the end, the way you choose to create a sleep conducive space, will again, be unique and customized to you. If you do the research, reacquaint yourself with your natural biological clock, and trust your intuition, you will no longer succumb to the myth the less sleep is better. You can count on being on your way to better overall health. For a healthier, youthful and more beautiful you, go ahead, slumber Away.

 

This article focuses on the need for mental health nurses to promote sexual health. As a mental health nurse I have observed that during practice, nurses are encountering problems dealing with sexual health issues in mental health. Clients have experienced sexual health needs that nurses failed to meet and many nurses have experienced that they are out of depth.

Lomas (2009) carried out a survey with at least 283 mental health professionals of which half of them were nurses.  Evidence from the research showed that even though 80% of the participants were in support of the idea that sexual health promotion was a vital part of their role, only 30%, representing less than half the participants regularly discussed sexual health with mental health patients, (Lomas 2009).   A revelation also made by Lomas (2009), survey suggested that 92% of respondents had no clue that people with schizophrenia were at an increased risk of contracting HIV than the general population, 72% were not even convinced that they were more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviour.   From the participants, 14%  felt uncomfortable discussing sexual health issues with mental health patients, gay and lesbian issues was a very uncomfortable topic for 13% of them.  This queries whether mental health nurses are well equipped to promote sexual health, (Lomas 2009),

Through this, mental health nurses must  learn to appreciate the clause from the National Midwifery Council (2004) stating that health care professionals are expected to continuously update knowledge and skills throughout our working life and regularly take part in learning activities that develop our competence and performance.  In support to this, Higgins et al (2006)suggested that individuals with `severe’ mental health problems will most likely end up engaging in high-risk sexual activities creating the susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections.  In Higgins et al (2006)literature review from 1980 to 2005 focusing on sexual health education and sexual dysfunction emanating from prescribed medication, it was confirmed that sexual health education programmes were beneficial.   Education proved to produce a reduction in sexual risk activities compared to complete cessation. This undoubtedly highlights the issue that mental health professionals should make an effort to deliver holistic care that includes sexual health promotion (Higgins et al 2006)

In a similar study conducted but this time it included Glove-wearing Hughes and Gray (2009) states that only 61% of the participants reported wearing gloves whilst administering an injection.  Hughes and Gray (2009) continue to say that the nurses are also risking infection by not wearing gloves.

Bahrick and Harris (2009) emphasises that antidepressants are a popular cause for sexual dysfunction.   This suggests that reassurance and advice from nurses becomes a necessity.  Having an understanding of sexual health would make it easier for nurses to offer appropriate advice because sometimes this becomes debilitating for the mental health clients and therefore requires intervention Bahrick and Harris (2009).  Hughes and Gray (2009) mentioned that the lack of awareness and knowledge of sexual health does not only leave the clients disadvantaged by not having reasonable access to sexual health services or relevant information on sexual health.  Hughes and Gray (2009)   goes on to say that by this level of lack of knowledge, the mental health nurses continue to place themselves at risk.

In a study conducted by Cochran and Mays (2000), evidence was transparent that there was an escalated risk of suicide symptoms among homosexually experienced men.  Cochran and Mays (2000), further explains that some gay men also reported the risk of recurrent depression as slightly increased.  This again makes it a necessity for mental health nurses to be aware and well equipped w ith sexual health knowledge in order to be able to holistically assist their clients in a non judgmental manner. (Cochran and Mays 2000)

Interestingly MIND (2008) highlighted another good reason for mental health nurses to be aware of sexual health issues.  MIND (2008) explained that the distress experienced by some lesbians, gay men as well as bisexual’s mental distress is not due to their sexuality instead it is seen as the impact of heterosexism and homophobia,  MIND (2008).  As a result of this, many lesbians, gay men as well as bisexual’s find it a daunting task for fear of being seen as abnormal as well as not being understood.  MIND (2008) confirms that there is evidence that these concerns or worries are not baseless as homosexuality used to be seen as a psychiatric diagnosis in 1993.  Although nowadays there is an improvement in the awareness in the mental health field, it would be more beneficial for mental health nurses to be well equipped to deliver sexual health to clients with serious mental health problems (Mind 2008)

 

Implications for practice

This exercise has made it possible to identify gaps in service provision.  From my own experience, I have witnessed situations were mental health clients bring contraceptive pills on the ward and the nurses role is to administer them.  This questions whether these clients suffering from severe mental illness are aware of other sexual health issues other than pregnancy.  In support to this, The Royal College of Nursing (2001) has highlighted that contraception alongside teenage pregnancies and sexual infections are some of the significant issues that have a great impact on health care practice. The Royal College of Nursing (2001) has highlighted that “sexual health is about the holistic care of patients and clients”, it was also brought to attention that Clinical practice, Clinical education practice and Clinical policy development are essential in ensuring holistic care in sexual health. This has proved that evidence based practice is essential in delivering successful holistic care.  This includes sexual health for mental health patients facilitated by mental health nurses.  In support to this, Dawes et al (2005) emphasises that evidence based-practice ensures that individual health professionals practice based on sound research and successful outcome.  Every registered nurse needs to consider the evidence-based for practice in a multitude of areas as this is a requirement of Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2004).

Having a good knowledge base on sexual health promotion will not only help to educate mental health clients on sexual health but when health promotion is carried out by mental health nurses, it could become cost effective.  This will also be supporting the Government in fulfilling its pledge in the NHS Plan to make progress in the amelioration of ill health.  The Royal College of Nursing (2001).

Through undertaking a literature review, this has also provided guidance that will enable us as mental health nurses to be keen on development and evaluation of sexual health education programmes that will be beneficial for our service users.  However, this also enlightens us to the fact that mental health nurses need to prioritise sexual health training and practice development or make an effort to make it part of their personal development plan in order to bridge the theory and practice gap. It should also be noted that they are also some hindrances. It is obviously a rather daunting task after considering the financial issues faced by the government as a result of the recession.   The Royal College of Nursing (2001) has highlighted that a lack of interest to develop knowledge in sexual health has been one of the hindrances.  On the other hand, another advantage brought about by continuing professional development is that resources are utilised more effectively. This is confirmed by the Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD 2010), continuing professional development makes staff become more productive and work with efficiency by focusing on their own learning through reflection, (CIPD 2010).

The health care delivery system is plagued by lack of resources. Updating knowledge and skills ensures that the best use of these resources is put into practice. A continuing professional development allows the individual to work out what area of practice requires development in this case sexual health promotion by mental health nurses, This will be made possible through highlighting gaps in their knowledge and experience.therefore giving the individual a chance to compare what knowledge and skills they possess, and what is expected at their level of professional practice, (CIPD 2010).

Sexual health skills are required or desirable to meet the demands of the promotion of sexual health.  It also serves as a way of improving one’s competences to ensure satisfactory performance during sexual health promotion.  Enhancing knowledge and skills for mental health nurses allows the individual to engage in evidence based practice. Simpson and Dodds (2004).  This promotes conventionality minimising ambiguity and rendering information shared between health professionals and clients.  Improving teamwork this way reflects a climate that best supports a therapeutic environment (Simpson and Dodds, 2004).  Another vital point to make is that this form of practice could be useful to bridge the theory – practice gap as research evidence have proved that mental health nurses certainly need to be better equipped to promote sexual health.  Hughes and Gray (2009) argue that it is essential for policies to improve in order to extend on the achievements of the National Service Framework for Mental Health. The New Horizons programme is a programme that was launched by the Department of Health in 2009; this is a 10-year