Learning About Insomnia and Sleeping Disorders

The Science Behind Insomnia And Sleeping Disorders

Page written by: Karina Espinoza

Modern Medicine Advancement

We live in such a progressive time where we see advancements in modern medicine, science, and technology take place each year. With such progressive advancements, we continue to learn more about health conditions, diseases, and disorders at great rates. Understanding the role of science and studies of sleep disorders, like insomnia, helps us better understand the role that these diseases play in the lives of individuals and their everyday responsibilities. In this health blog, we analyze the results of a cross-sectional study published in 2019, and explore the intricacies of health literacy and clinical communication that we learned about during unit three of this class

Participant Study

This study had a total of 123 participants who all had different experiences with medicine and were between the ages of 30 and 63 years old. There was no age restriction on the study. 164 people were contacted to participate in this study but only 123 responded. The sample of people all had a variety of shifts and worked either mornings, evenings, or nights. Each participant got a questionnaire to fill out and it consisted of questions like age, sex, physical activity, smoker/non-smoker, and average working hours to have some background information on our sample. The measurement of sleep this study used was the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) which is a self-assessment test that records your dysfunction during the day and how you sleep at night. Then based on the cumulative score of all factors, an individual's sleep outcome is recorded. If people scored between 0-3 then they had no to little sleep difficulties. If they scored between 3-6 then they had insomnia. All participants were given the option to remain confidential and the researchers received verbal consent from everyone in the study.

Continued Progress:

Within the article there were two specific findings that stood out, the first being that no matter if the patient or doctor showed signs of a sleep disorder , most likely being sleep insomnia, there was a track record of similar consequential actions being portrayed , and secondly the specific things that the individuals could do that would build up to their potential action. With the first finding between the patient and doctors it showed how if either one of them was showing signs of insomnia there was usually a report of irrationaton and as well as self destructive. This finding portrays sleep disorder well since if either one of them was showing signs it would make sense that they would be easily annoyed by one another especially if a doctor was showing lack of compassion since with the lack of sleep it could change an individual's mood. The second finding in the research was with the specific actions the individuals took that could be linked to their reactions. With these specific actions we are focusing on things such as working night shifts and increasing working hours in public sectors which both could have a direct effect in irritating someone causing conflict between a doctor patient relationship. Overall through both findings in the article you could see how someone's relationship between doctor and patient could be affected through different sleep disorders that have consequences on people’s actions/moods.

Conclusion

Recent scientific studies and advancements in the field of sleep have revealed more about insomnia and sleep disorders than ever before. The progressive nature of health and scientific discoveries have shown that insomnia affects even the very health professionals that aim to treat ill patients. The main discoveries of the cross-sectional study that we analyzed revealed that insomnia amongst health professionals causes a higher degree of irritation and shows a correlation between insomnia and self-destructive behavior. The findings of the study also reveal that insomnia directly affects the ability of health professionals to communicate with patients and others. Ultimately, it is important to acknowledge that science continues to progress which continually reveals important findings between the effects of sleep disorders and the ability to communicate effectively.