Please responding to the postings discussions Discussion #1 Sleep disorders or insufficient sleep is a major problem affecting more than one third of all Americans (Centers for Disease and Prevention, 2016)

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Please responding to the postings discussions

Discussion #1

Sleep disorders or insufficient sleep is a major problem affecting more than one third of all Americans (Centers for Disease and Prevention, 2016).  A study evaluating medical care between 199-2010 found a disturbing trend with a 13% increase in the number of office visits for primary complaints of insomnia (Ford et al., 2014).  Often, insomnia is treated with hypnotic prescription medications, which have serious potential adverse drug reactions in addition to the potential for developing dependency and tolerance (Woo & Wynne, 2012).  Insomnia medications commonly prescribed are classified as benzodiazepines, benzodiazepine receptor agonists, melatonin receptor agonists, and tricyclic antidepressants (Ford et al., 2014). As prescribers, nurse practitioners (NP) need to obtain a complete assessment on sleeping habits and explore non-medication treatment options with patients first, such as establishing good sleeping hygiene habits. 

To help improve sleep quality, patients may ask NP questions about non-pharmaceutical herbal and supplement remedies including melatonin, valerian, kava kava (Homsey, M. &O’Connell, 2010), and chamomile tea (Chang & Chen, 2016).  To evaluate the effects of chamomile tea on sleep quality, fatigue, and depression in postnatal women (who commonly experience disturbed and very poor sleep quality), Chang and Chen (2016) tested a group of 80 Taiwanese women six weeks after childbirth.  Participants were instructed to drink one cup of chamomile tea per day.  Each participant was provided with 14 teabags containing 2 grams of dried German chamomile flowers to be steeped in 400 mL of hot water for 10-15 minutes.  Outcome measures included self-reported sleep scale indexes at pretest, 2-weeks post-test, and 4-weeks post-test.  Participants reported significant improvements in sleep quality, emotional stability, and relaxation as compared with the control group.  There were  no treatment side effects reported in this short-term study.  Based on the Chang & Chen (2016) findings with postpartum women, chamomile tea is something I would advise patients to use as a nonpharmaceutical, safe herbal treatment for insomnia, in addition to improving other sleep related habits.