Enhancing sleep quality for adult patients: Interventions and insights.

Sleep is critical to a person's physiological and psychological functioning. Approximately 30% to 40% of the general population experiences insomnia, and among patients with mental health conditions, the prevalence of insomnia and other sleep disturbances rises to about 70%. Insomnia is associated with many adverse health issues, including lower immunity, weight gain, elevated BP, and increased mortality, and it is often undiagnosed and either untreated or self-treated. Providers can work together with patients to enact measures-such as implementation of enhanced sleep hygiene, engagement in cognitive behavioral therapy, and treatment of any underlying causes-that can markedly improve patient sleep quality. This article provides an overview of evidence-based best practices and whole-person strategies that NPs can adopt to address poor sleep quality in adult patients, and it serves as a primer for primary care NPs on common presentations of several sleep disorders.