The Behavior to be changed
Several individuals suffer from sleep disorder. The disorder may result from sleeplessness, or the inability to sleep for long periods. Consequently, several individuals have resorted to sleeping pills to help them to sleep. Lately, I have been sleeping late and the condition has developed to the point that it feels normal, this has resulted in sleeplessness in the early hours of the night.
Behavior Assessment
Sleeping does not come easily to me, unless induced by the use of some medication. For example, I have to go to bed, twist and turn several times, until late into the night. Mostly, I sleep at around 2 o’clock in the morning, regardless of what day it is, or work that I have to do during the day. I had started to sleep late because I worked late (school assignments, as well as late night working shifts), speaking on the phone with friends, and at times, watching movies late into the night. Initially, the next day after sleeping late and waking early, my eyes would feel heavy and my head and body ached from exhaustion. However, after some time, my body adapted to the changes and there were no pains or aches anymore.
Behavior Intervention and Research Based Journal Article
According to an article in the Advanced Practice Nursing Journal, a normal human being should sleep for at least 7-8 hours daily (Fogel, 2003). This is a lot of time, compared to the 4 hours in which I sleep each day. The behavioral technique that best suits my condition was the stimulus control treatment. Stimulus control treatment focuses on restraining a person from activities that do not induce sleep, or are cues for staying awake (Fogel, 2003).
Implementation of the Behavioral Intervention Technique
In implementing the behavioral intervention technique, I used to switch off my phone at exactly 9:00 pm. However,the urge to switch it on increased whenever I thought about the day’s happenings and needed to stay informed, or call someone. Besides, I also reduced watching movies, despite the fact that on the first day I still slept at 2 am and made sure I had no movies in my house for that entire week. I limited friends who visited me past 8 pm and tried to sleep by ten o’clock. My supervisor rescheduled most of my late night working shifts after I informed him of my problem. Furthermore, I ensured that my bed was strictly used for sleeping and that I had a strict time of getting out of bed in the morning .
Chart monitoring sleep progress.
The table illustrates how I monitored my late-sleeping behavior.
Keeping Track of the progress
The behavioral technique I used dictated a number of things that I required to do in order to recover fully from sleeping late. These things included:
- The bed and bedroom being used for sleep only
- If I stayed 15-20 min in bed and did not get sleepy, the technique dictates I leave the bedroom.
- I had a fixed time of getting out of bed, regardless of the amount of sleep I had the for entire night
- Only go to bed when I am sleepy and not take naps during the daytime
In addition to strictly following the rules of the behavioral intervention technique, I had a clock and a reminder to alert me of what to do, at what time and where. I also had sticky notes for every place I frequently visited in my house. On several days, I left all electronics, including my mobile phone, in the living room. Additionally, I would switch off the stereo before going to sleep, leaving the room silent throughout the night. I also found that using earmuffs can block out any unwanted night noises that comes from outdoors. I try not to ingest sleep aids, because of a fear of lasting implications, so I have to do it as naturally as I can.
The behavior that I was trying to change was sleep disorder, which is the inability to sleep when I want to. Operational definition is sleeping late, insomnia, sleeplessness that causes sleeping late, and the activities that induce the behavior. The goal was to increase the time spent sleeping and in turn reduce the repercussions that I felt because of a lack of sleep. This I hoped to achieve by making minor changes to my schedule and activities. At times, it was difficult to following through with all of the rules. But in practicing on a daily basis, I was able to do it sometimes. I revised my techniques from time to time and what was not working, I exchanged for another. At times, I was still not able to get the rest that I needed, so many times, I was still tired, instead of feeling refreshed. I also read that it could be a sign of another problem I may have.
Anxiety, undiagnosed health condition and stress are all contributors of insomnia. Lifestyle choices such as medication, a lack of exercise, or coffee consumption are also a factor. Changing my sleep habits or learning exercise techniques should help me to get more sleep at nights. Also, eliminating unnecessary tasks that I routinely perform instead of going to sleep should help in the process.
Challenges in Implementing the Behavior Intervention Technique
Adhering to strict deadlines and going to bed at the fixed time was hectic and I constantly looked at the watch. The urge to switch on my phone became unbearable to the point of giving it out for several nights to a friend. The desire to watch a movie on TV was unimaginable and so was restricting my friends from visiting after 8 pm. It was difficult adjust my active schedules to the restrictive Monday to Friday schedules. I also noticed that when I am at home, I find many other things that I could be doing, instead of sleeping, so I tend to take on tasks randomly before bed. I also tried to eliminate that and ignore whatever chores I have pending. If you have a sleep disorder, then you would almost think of yourself as nocturnal, because you spring into action at nights. When sleep intervenes, you get lethargic and everything seems monotonous all of a sudden, but you are still unable to commit to lying down to sleep. Given a chance to do the whole exercise again, I would introduce heavy physical activities such as aerobics, walking, cycling or even jogging during the day. In my assumption, the more tired a person is, the faster and more soundly an individual is likely to sleep at night. So the more physical activity I incorporate when I am not working, the better off I will be.
Lessons from the Experience
Trying to change a particular behavior is almost similar to trying to stop an addiction. For individuals who are trying to change particular behaviors, they should know that the task is not an easy one. However, with self-driven determination, the person is likely to achieve the required result. The individual ought to understand that changing is something that occurs gradually over time and never drastically. For sleep disorders it is no different. Techniques and methods should be thought of to promote the change.
It is not a normal occurrence to be sleepy in the daytime, or sleeping at nights, or even feeling tired upon waking in the morning. People who struggle with sleep disorders can continue to do so for years, but it does not mean it will not get better. By tracking my patterns of sleep and adding healthy changes to my habits and routines, I hope to be able to do so more easily. Even though I am not particularly interested in seeking professional help as that would be a last resort. If this does not work, then I can always get the assistance of a specialist who is trained in that area. Along with a professional, we should be able to see what the underlying cause is, and find other ways to solve my problem and improve my health and life.
Reference
Fogel, J. (2003).”Behavioral treatment for insomnia in primary care.”Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing eJournal,3(4)
