Do you have a good quality of sleep?

Sleep is a central element of life; it contributes to the general well-being and helps you to achieve your daily activities, helps in the regulation of emotions, promotes social relations and expresses personal fulfillment. However, do you give it enough attention? Is the duration sufficient? Do you put in place everything that you can do to feel the adequate energy to be able to do all the activities of the day? With that saying, it is possible to start questioning your sleep experience to improve your quality of life.

Sleep disorders are however very frequent. They can result in difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings or waking up too early. This problem is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon; the medication alone is only one way among others to regulate sleep disorders.

The occupational therapist can be an interesting ally. His role is to make a unique and multifactorial picture of the person to understand what influences the quality of sleep. Indeed, the evaluation of your sleeping environment, your positioning, your lifestyle and the way how you manage emotions and stress help to put in place a personalized plan for each person.

For example, physical and social environments can positively or negatively influence sleep. Some people need a very dark room and no noise while others will prefer a slight ambient noise. Also, sharing the bed with someone can be a source of appeasement or disturbance of sleep depending on the routine, sleep patterns and sleep quality of each. It is also noted that sharing the bed can have an impact on the reduction of sleep hours and the increase of awakenings while it can also increase the satisfaction of sleep by the feeling of security that it provides. These elements are specific to each one.

Another example that influences sleep is the routine of life. What a person does during the day and/or consume can have a positive or harmful impact on sleep. For example, a worker with a very stressful job, where he has little time to eat, relax and exercise, can get to sleep, but still feel significant fatigue. Just as a mother, who gives herself time to have fun, can sleep less than average and be full of energy. The quantity, quality and satisfaction of sleep are influenced by different elements where only an individualized evaluation can identify them.

In short, this introduction to sleep is just a glimpse to initiate introspection in relation to the quality and satisfaction of your sleep. Remember that adequate and restful sleep remains beyond doubt a motor for health and well-being.

Don’t hesitate to communicate with our occupational therapists for more informations!

By Geneviève Dion, occupational therapist for the clinic of Physiothérapie Universelle at St-Hubert

With the collaboration of Frédérique Buote, student in occupational therapy for her stage project

Buote, F. (2016) Perspective multifactorielle de la qualité du sommeil ; Projet de stage – Physiothérapie Universelle St-Hubert

Références :

• American Occupational Therapy Association (2008). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process

• Baglioni, C., Spiegelhalder, K., Lombardo, C., & Riemann, D. (2010). Sleep and emotion: A focus on insomnia

• Beattie, L., Kyle, S.D., Espie, C.A., Biello, S.M. (2015) Social interactions, emotion and sleep: A systematic review and research agenda

• Leland, N.E. al al. (2014). What is OT’s role in addressing sleep problems among older adults. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health

• Leland, N.E. et al. (2016) Napping and nighttime sleep : findings from an occupation-based intervention. American Journal of Occupational Therapy

• Hsu, C. (2012) Surprising Reasons Why Sleeping with Someone is Better than Sleeping Alone, Medical Daily.

• McGowan, , S. K.,Behar, K., Luhmann, M. (2016) Examining the Relationship Between Worry and Sleep: A Daily Process Approach. Behavior Therapy. 

• Shear, S. (2016) The role of occupational therapy in sleep and wellness

• Tavernier, R., Willoughby, T. (2015) A longitudinal examination of the bidirectional association between sleep problems and social ties at University : The mediating role of emotion regulation.

• Troxel, W.M. (2010) It’s More than Sex: Exploring the Dyadic Nature of Sleep and Implications for Health. Psychosom Med. 

• Watson, M. Garden, J., Swedlove, F., Brown, C.A. (2012) Revenir à l’essentiel : Le sommeil et l’occupation