Teaching the World to Sleep

The aim of this book is to empower healthcare professionals with new up-to-date knowledge on the assessment, treatment, and management of sleep problems (an area so often neglected in every health-related training course), and to assist them with their clients who do not sleep well. Sleep problems are ubiquitous in the modern world, significantly impacting on quality of life, mental health, and performance at work and at home. More significantly, sleep problems accompany almost every mental health condition and are a significant driver in the development and maintenance of poor mental health. This book describes the current state of knowledge on the science of sleep, covering the various forms of insomnia and parasomnia that abound, before discussing the variety of assessment and treatment options available to the healthcare practitioner. Further discussion of psychological and behavioural interventions is made with particular reference to a new, second-generation Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia, how this is an effective treatment modality, and how it can be applied with clients presenting with more complex physical and mental health conditions. The final chapter presents the range of theories as to the purpose and function of dreams and dreaming, and how 'dream-work' has been applied in the therapeutic setting. The aim of this book is to empower healthcare professionals with new up-to-date knowledge on the assessment, treatment, and management of sleep problems (an area so often neglected in every health-related training course), and to assist them with their clients who do not sleep well. The book is also written for the interested insomniac, to help them with their own sleep, or the sleep of their loved-ones. The purpose of this book is to spread the word about sleep and how it can be improved and optimised: to teach the world to sleep.

Teaching the World to Sleep provides a complete, science-based overview of sleep and sleep problems, from environmental, legal and technological factors to assessment and treatment options. David R. Lee introduces the basic scientific concepts involved in sleep and provides a clear description of insomnias and the parasomnias. Teaching the World to Sleep provides a complete, science-based overview of sleep and sleep problems, from environmental, legal, and technological factors to assessment and treatment options. David R. Lee introduces the basic scientific concepts involved in sleep and provides a clear description of insomnias and the parasomnias. Teaching the World to Sleep discusses NICE-recommended Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) and the REST programme® and outlines considerations for at-risk groups, sleep and the law, and the application of dreams and dreaming in psychotherapy. This second edition includes a full update on research conducted since the publication of the first edition and includes new information on sleep in the legal setting, the rise of sleep apps and trackers and their impact on our sleep. Lee also considers neurodiversity, sleep in long Covid, rare and unusual sleep disorders and the delivery of treatment using the NHS-recommended stepped-care approach. Teaching the World to Sleep will be essential reading for psychotherapists, occupational therapists, and other professionals working with clients with sleep problems. It will also provide an accessible introduction to the science of sleep to readers looking to understand their own sleep problems.