Last month we were immensely fortunate to have Dr David Lee, Chartered Psychologist and Chartered Scientist and Clinical Director of Sleep Unlimited Ltd, join us on our NeuroHealth External Speaker Webinar Series. As experts in sleep psychology and physiology, Sleep Unlimited’s goal is to ensure good sleep for all, including those living with complex conditions such as TBI, by providing effective solutions through assessment, education and treatment.
Dr Lee provided the science behind sleep, including how much, when and the outcomes of inadequate sleep (mentally and physically), and how brain injury impacts upon sleep and, consequently, rehabilitation.
We also looked at actigraphs with Dr Lee demonstrating, through reference to case studies, how these identify and evidence disturbed activity, sleep patterns and routine, providing multidisciplinary teams with invaluable information to guide their work and interventions with a brain-injured client.
Understanding the impact of our clients’ injuries on their sleep, introducing good sleep practices (with consideration given to routine, environment and time outdoors) to promote better sleep, considering fatigue levels and adjusting activity levels and their timing to suit, and looking at dosage and timing of medication also, all help better equip us towards improving engagement and maximising the rehabilitation outcomes of our clients.
A big thank you to Dr Lee for providing such an excellent, engaging, animated and passionate talk and for giving us so much to think about on sleep and its relevance to our clients – as well as being very useful for us all too!
