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Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
Enhancing sleep quality for adult patients: Interventions and insights
1Jacqueline S. Heffner is a double board-certified family NP at St. Luke's Primary Care and Dental, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Tamaqua, Pa. She is a member of the St. Luke's University Health Network institutional review board, a clinical nursing instructor for Lehigh Carbon Community College, and a member of the Schuylkill County Human Trafficking Response Team. Dr. Heffner has delivered conference presentations on preoperative physical examinations in primary care and recently presented her COPD action planning project at the 2024 AANP National Conference.
Abstract:
Sleep is critical to a person's physiological and psychological functioning. Approximately 30% to 40% of the general population experiences insomnia, and among patients with mental health conditions, the prevalence of insomnia and other sleep disturbances rises to about 70%. Insomnia is associated with many adverse health issues, including lower immunity, weight gain, elevated BP, and increased mortality, and it is often undiagnosed and either untreated or self-treated. Providers can work together with patients to enact measures-such as implementation of enhanced sleep hygiene, engagement in cognitive behavioral therapy, and treatment of any underlying causes-that can markedly improve patient sleep quality. This article provides an overview of evidence-based best practices and whole-person strategies that NPs can adopt to address poor sleep quality in adult patients, and it serves as a primer for primary care NPs on common presentations of several sleep disorders.
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