Learning outcomes
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
• describe sleep and circadian rhythms and how they are measured
• describe the stages of sleep
• describe the consequences of inadequate sleep
• explain why sleep is so important in healthcare
• describe actions you can take to improve sleep quantity and quality.
Introduction
Trust no one, my prince. Not your chainless maester, not your false father, not the gallant Duck or the lovely Lemore nor these other fine friends who grew you up from a bean. Above all, trust not the cheese monger, nor the Spider, nor this little dragon queen you mean to marry. All this mistrust will sour your stomach and keep you awake at night, 'tis true, but better that than the long sleep that does not end.
(Tyrion VI, Chapter 22, A Dance with Dragons)We are designed to sleep for approximately one-third of our lives. We know that, as described in the quote above, when basic needs are not met, sleep is lost. Sleep deprivation is extremely common. Many groups, including those working long and irregular hours (Åkerstedt, 2003; Rajaratnam & Arendt, 2001), those who report high levels of stress and emotional disturbance (Hall et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2015), new parents (Doan et al., 2007; Gay, Lee & Lee, 2004), and, of course, students (Lack, 1986; Marhefka, 2011; Ming et al., 2011) get less sleep than they need.
A primary focus of health psychology is to look at behaviour patterns and try to encourage people to behave in ways that better equip them for positive health outcomes. In Australia, as in other developed countries today, the primary reasons for medical treatment and death are chronic illness and accidents. Current health priority areas in Australia include cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, obesity and injury prevention/control (AIHW, 2011). The risk factors for these health priorities are a complex interaction of physical, behavioural and social factors.