Sleep issues
This is actually pretty common issues that I see with my patients. And if I can usually motivate the patients to improve their sleep, I do notice that their mental health also improves. And with us having our phones with us all the time and phones being so addictive, I see that a lot of patients especially adolescents are struggling with this issue.
Sleep Diary/ tracker
I usually talk about how there might be reasons that we might be having a hard time sleeping because of the unwitting hidden benefits that we get from not sleeping (scrolling on our phone, think of all the thoughts that we avoid during the day, catch up to work that we procrastinated, sleep in during weekends, long naps during the day, or enjoy the morning sleep). So, I ask my patient to keep a sleep diary so that they can recognize the pattern and hidden benefits that we choose not to see.
Tips and tools to fall asleep faster and stay asleep
I then have them make a list of reasons behind making changes to their environment, habits, and routine. And have them make a small goal/ commitment to change some parts of their life to improve their sleep. I have them choose the things that they are already doing and what one thing they can choose from the list to change that week.
Make sure to check out the video below that me and my friend made about this topic and we go into more details on tools and tips for sleep improvement. This video is from our podcast Millennial Ama. Most of our videos are in Nepali language. But this one we recorded in English so that everyone can learn about it.
