A Snooze-worthy Subject

Happy World OT Day!!
October 27th, in case you're like me and can't keep track of what day we're on.

And, today we also return to the world of occupations! As promised, this week is Rest & Sleep. Two beautiful words. Beautiful, but often elusive.

Most people have, at some point, experienced difficulties with sleeping. Whether that be problems with falling asleep, problems with not waking up on time, problems with sleep quality--the list goes on and on. And, many people don't think about the ways they can change their sleep patterns or prevent/eliminate some of these issues. Lots of healthcare professionals can help with this. As OT's, we aren't able to prescribe medications or sleep devices. But, we can empower our clients by helping them pinpoint the problem and think of functional and accessible ways to improve their sleep quality. And, of course, as OT's, these strategies often involve occupations.

You're having problems falling asleep? An OT might go through your nightly routine step-by-step. (This is called activity analysis, and OT's do it all. the. time. Sounds simple, but it's actually quite complex. More about that another day!) As a result of this activity analysis, your OT might recommend you stop using your phone an hour before going to bed. Or do some deep breathing and stretching exercises.

Maybe you have a lot of aches and pains when you wake up. An OT might show you alternative sleeping positions that will put the least amount of stress on your body.

What if you're an elderly person with low vision and poor balance and you get up at night to use the bathroom? An OT might do an environmental assessment of your home and recommend you rearrange your furniture to make your nighttime adventures safe. (Yes, this falls under the home mobility section of ADL's, but it flows into this area of occupation as well.)

And, what if you're in a Nightmare on Elm Street movie and Freddie Krueger is terrorizing your dreams? An OT would definitely fight Freddie for you. 100%.
(Sorry, what with the proximity to Halloween, and my love of horror films, I couldn't help myself.)

What about rest? Don't worry, I hadn't forgotten about it. Also, it's not the same as sleep, although the two words are often used interchangeably. In OT world, rest is composed of two things. The first part is recognizing the need for withdrawal from activities in order to recharge your batteries (both mentally and physically), so to speak. The second part is the occupation that you choose in order to recharge. And, like all things, it's different for everybody! Reading, watching Netflix, listening to music, exercising, coloring--the list is infinite!

Here's a cool thing. The role of OT in rest activities is also extensive. We might help a client find restful activities in order to improve their mental health. We might help someone participate in their favorite restful activities after something has happened that makes it difficult for them to do so. For example, take someone who has experienced a spinal cord injury and is unable to hold a paintbrush, and painting is their favorite restful activity. An OT could figure out alternative ways for them to hold the paintbrush. Pretty cool, right?

Happy resting (and snoozing)!!

All Rest & Sleep occupation areas information borrowed & adapted from: Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (3rd Edition). American Journal of Occupational Therapy 2014;68(Supplement_1):S1-S48. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2014.682006.