Hun Millard, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Ben Yu, MD, a second-year resident in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, are the authors of a paper published in the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry News that offers strategies to improve sleep habits for adolescents in inpatient care.
“One Sheep, Two Sheep, When Teens Get No Sleep: Strategies for the Inpatient Adolescent Unit,” highlights the importance of sleep and its relationship to strong physical and emotional health and balance. The authors say sleep disorders are common in adolescent patients admitted to inpatient psychiatric units, and they offer several recommendations to assist the teens.
Among them:
- Sleep Hygiene: The incorporation of structured routines, such as evening “wind down” times, or the use of group discussion to promote understanding of the importance of sleep. The authors cite favorable results from a Sleep Bingo activity created by Andrew Wilbur, MD, a second-year resident in the Yale Department of Psychiatry.
- Stimulus Control: Patients are counseled that beds are for sleeping, not napping, and rooms are furnished with a window and dimmers to regulate light.
- Sleep Restriction: The authors acknowledge sleep restriction may be difficult to incorporate, but that the technique aims to achieve 85 percent or greater sleep efficiency.
- Relaxation: The use of yoga, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and deep breathing skills to relax the body.
- Cognitive Therapy: The process of identifying and then challenging negative thoughts and fears that occur at bedtime to promote a more positive outlook toward sleep.
Submitted by Christopher Gardner on January 25, 2019