Reference no: EM133192049

Write a response giving feedback to the following posts.

Sara Proctor 

Long-Term Consequences

You mentioned that you are having some difficulty with your sleep Alex, and there are many reasons why we should look into your sleeping patterns. We spend approximately one-third of our lives sleeping, as we advanced in our human-race we have changed our sleeping habits and moved to sleeping in comfortable beds, which would have put us at risk being vulnerable if we didn't have a large secure home to protect us (Borel, 2013). With this comfortable bed, we are able to achieve more stages of sleep and reach deeper more healing levels (Sinacola et. al., 2020). However, just 10% of the population struggles with insomnia long-term, but like you Alex, they are frustrated with their condition also (Sinacola et. al., 2020). The long-term consequences can impact your overall development because you are 14, and at the spike of so many growth changes. The risk of developing medical conditions related to heart and weight disorders increase without sleep, as well as digestive and breathing concerns, mood disorders and overall life satisfaction (TED, 2018).

Assessment

It sounds like you are having a hard time with your sleep-wake disorder. Is it hard for you to get to sleep at night once you are in bed? How much time do you think you spend tossing and turning before falling asleep? Do you wake up frequently throughout the night or have nightmares that are waking you up some nights? When you wake up, do you have a sharp pain in your head or face, like a headache or jaw pain? Tell me, what you do two hours before you go to bed on a typical night? It sounds like your friends have some input about your mood, have you noticed a change in your mood since your sleep pattern has shifted?

Counseling

It is important to consider the routine and space prior to sleep, this can have profound impact on achievement of sound sleep stages (Sinacola et. al., 2020). Counseling assists clients develop coping skills and build relaxation techniques with sleep-wake disorders (Sinacola et. al., 2020). As a result of poor sleep patterns, the stress of not sleeping becomes an addition to the already mounting irritation of not sleeping (TED 2018). The thoughts about how much sleep you would get if you could just get to sleep at the present moment add to the daily stressors and to-do list already consuming your thoughts (TED 2018). Counseling can help untangle all of these factors and rebuild healthy routines to reduce the stress of getting to sleep and by being proactive throughout the day, to stay asleep. The support counseling offers allows the client the ability to hone in on what the underlying causes are and attributing factors that can be altered by situational adjustment, like light therapy or removing foods or drinks from their diet (Sinacola, et. al., 2020). In addition, sedative hyponotics like benzodiazepines help to restore temporary sleep disturbances, but should not be used for long-term treatment (Sinacola, et. al., 2020). A sleep study provides an inside look to what happens while the client is getting to sleep, during sleep, and at waking which is benecial to have prior to adding medication for treating sleep disturbances (Sinacola, et. al., 2020).

Feedback 2

Trinita Davis 

Hi Alex.  How many hours of sleep would you say that you have gotten each night over the last couple of weeks?  I heard you say that your sleep has affected your school performance and social life. Can you further explain how these aspects of your life have been impacted?  I also read that you have been experiencing thoughts that you have never felt. Can you describe these thoughts to me? What is it that you want to gain from choosing to attend counseling for your sleep problems?  Alex, can you walk me through your daily routine when getting ready for bed?

Role of Counseling

As your counselor, it is important that I follow up with you regarding how your sedative-hypnotics are working for you. The goal is to always improve emotional well-being and quality of life. Although your psychiatrist has prescribed your medications,  I will often ask you how your medications are working for you. Cognitive behavioral therapy is most commonly used to assist clients like yourself with sleep-wake disorders. The goal of counseling will be to identify self-defeating behavioral patterns and to replace these patterns with those that will improve relaxation skills. Often, stressors, health, and lifestyle habits can heighten the symptoms of sleep-wake disorders. Counseling will help you identify environmental things that can be affecting your sleep such as a TV in the bedroom, the temperature in your room, or the way your bedroom is set up. Counseling will help to improve your self-awareness of what can trigger sleep disturbances and then come up with ways to eliminate or lessen those triggers. Alex, this will help to improve your self-awareness to promote increased outcomes (Sinacola et al, 2020).

Long Term Consequences

As you might already know, sleep-wake disorders can become a chronic problem leading to affected overall health.  It plays a role in the diagnosis of chronic hypertension and heart disease. It can also lead to anxiety and depression. Decreased brain function due to sleep-wake disorders can interfere with your ability to be effective in your business and personal life and weaken your ability to fight off infections (Rosenberg, 2019). I do not want to scare you, Alex, instead I want to remind you that you have made a wise decision to seek counseling.

Alex, I am excited to work with you and looking forward to helping you achieve your highest sense of well-being. This is a safe space and a non-judgmental zone. My goal is to support you in any way that I can. I am optimistic about the growth that will take place in all aspects of your life.