5 Min
In Sponsored Education
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This module focuses on understanding the link between stress and sleep and being able to offer lifestyle advice and recommendations to help manage them.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
On completion, you will:
- Understand the physical and mental impacts of sleep and stress
- Learn about the link between poor sleep and stress and the role ‘sleep’ and ‘awake’ hormones play in the ‘24-hour balanced mind cycle’
- Be able to offer customers lifestyle and sleep hygiene advice to help manage sleep and stress
- Understand and address your customer’s needs, by recognising what may be holding them back.
STRESS & SLEEP
Stress and poor sleep can lead to serious health complications. 1,2 Pharmacy assistants have an important role to play in educating customers about the causes and implications of these issues, as well as providing simple lifestyle advice, sleep hygiene and OTC product recommendations, in order to aid sleep health and stress relief and therefore reduce the associated long-term risks.
A small amount of stress can help people complete tasks and feel more energised; 3 however, if stress lasts for a long time or is very intense it can lead to serious health conditions. 2
Identifying the cause can sometimes make it easier to manage it.
Click through the carousel to find out which types of stress can impact sleep 1,3
LIFESTYLE
- Financial problems
- Busy schedule
- Demanding job
SOCIETAL
- Caring for someone
e.g. elderly parents - Major life events
e.g. grief or divorce
MEDICAL/ILLNESS
- Long term conditions
- Pain or injury
- Use of certain medicines
- Mental health disorders
HORMONAL CHANGES
- Pregnancy
- Perimenopause
- Menopause
It is important to recognise that some stress factors are non-modifiable.
For example, people older than 65 often have more trouble sleeping because of ageing, medication they may be taking or medical problems. 4
GOOD SLEEP vs POOR SLEEP
Sleep is about balance and is as vital to life as eating and drinking. Research shows that poor sleep has detrimental effects on many aspects of health – both physical and mental – so we neglect it at our peril.
DR NEIL STANLEY, INDEPENDENT SLEEP EXPERT 5
While sleeping, the body performs a number of repairing and maintenance processes that affect nearly every part of the body. As a result, the quality of sleep can impact the body both mentally and physically. 1,2,6
Click the headings below for more information
PHYSICAL BENEFITS
- Restores energy levels
- Aids tissue repair
- Helps muscle growth
- Supports the immune system
MENTAL BENEFITS
- Improves mood
- Protects memories
- Supports learning
- Better problem-solving and decision making skills
PHYSICAL IMPACT
- Reduces immunity
- Impacts blood pressure
- Increases risk of:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Cancer
MENTAL IMPACT
- Negatively impacts mood, leading to anxiety, depression and irritability
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Forgetfulness
- Reduced ability to learn
- Lowers concentration
- Increases feelings of stress
Content developed by Perrigo in association with CIG Healthcare Partnership.
© 2024 CIG Healthcare Partnership
UK/2023-369 January 2024