A Women's Guide To Getting A Good Night Sleep. With Dr. Shelby Harris.
Nov 12, 2024
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Dr. Shelby Harris, a Clinical Psychologist and an expert in behavioral sleep medicine, discusses the intricacies of women's sleep challenges, especially around menopause. She offers insights into how hormonal changes impact sleep quality. Practical strategies are highlighted, like the importance of a consistent sleep routine and creating a calming environment. Shelby also champions cognitive behavioral therapy over medication for managing insomnia, emphasizing holistic approaches to achieve restful nights.
Behavioral sleep medicine offers innovative, non-medication treatments for insomnia, emphasizing the importance of addressing cognitive and behavioral factors in women's sleep health.
Dr. Shelby Harris highlights the need for tailored approaches to women's health during menopause, particularly in managing hormonal influences on sleep quality.
Deep dives
The Prevalence of Menopause and the Need for Specialized Care
An estimated 1 billion women will be in menopause by 2025, highlighting an urgent need for innovative approaches to women's health as they age. Traditional healthcare often overlooks the unique challenges faced by women over 40, necessitating specialized care from professionals trained specifically in menopause management. Alloy addresses these gaps by providing tailored solutions, including specialized doctors and educational resources, to help women navigate menopause effectively. With a high rate of symptom relief reported within two weeks, Alloy's approach exemplifies the demand for focused healthcare strategies aimed at this demographic.
Understanding Behavioral Sleep Medicine
Behavioral sleep medicine focuses on the cognitive and behavioral factors leading to sleep disorders, offering insights beyond just medication-based treatments. It acknowledges the significant impact of stress, lifestyle, and hormonal changes, especially among women, on sleep quality, and provides strategies for managing insomnia. Dr. Shelby Harris emphasizes that her book, 'The Women's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia,' specifically addresses the misconceptions that women have about their sleep being solely tied to hormonal changes. By offering practical solutions and evidence-based treatments, behavioral sleep medicine empowers individuals to take control of their sleep health.
Impact of Lifestyle on Sleep Quality
The podcast discusses the detrimental effects of modern lifestyles on sleep patterns, particularly how relentless busyness and screen exposure during evening hours can disrupt natural sleep cycles. Engaging with screens before bed suppresses melatonin production, the hormone responsible for inducing sleep, leading to delayed sleep onset and poorer quality of rest. Additionally, establishing a calming bedtime routine is vital, as treating sleep as an on-off switch rather than a gradual process can hinder relaxation and the ability to fall asleep. Practical strategies like limiting screen time and incorporating wind-down activities are recommended to facilitate better sleep.
The Interrelation of Sleep, Mood Disorders, and Treatment Approaches
Distinguishing between insomnia, anxiety, and depression is crucial, as each can contribute to the others in complex ways. Many individuals may assume that treating their anxiety or depression will automatically improve their sleep quality, but often, insomnia requires specific interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The effectiveness of CBT is recognized as a first-line treatment for insomnia, promoting long-term changes in sleep behavior unrelated to medication. Therefore, addressing insomnia as a standalone issue can lead to more comprehensive and effective treatment outcomes, especially when combined with lifestyle modifications and mindful practices.
It's Sleep Week on Untangle and I’m thrilled to encore this episode with Dr. Shelby Harris.
Shelby is a Clinical Psychologist, Board Certified in Behavioural Sleep Disorders, and is a leading expert in the field of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (BSM). Behavioral Sleep Medicine (BSM) is a branch of clinical sleep medicine and health psychology that focuses on identifying the cognitive and behavioral factors that contribute to sleep disorders. Behavioral sleep medicine is a fairly new area of practice and has been recognized as a sub-specialty since 2003. Although commonly thought of for only insomnia, these treatments encompass many different areas of sleep disorders.
The book we discussed in this episode is called The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia — Get a Good Night Sleep Without Relying on Medication. Shelby covers the nuts and bolts of a good night's sleep, how our hormones affect our sleep, and how we can change certain habits, thoughts, and behaviors so we can stomp out insomnia for good.
As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential AND Meditation Studio the five star app.