The Pennsylvania Psychological Association has designed a series of FREE Mind-Body Health workshops for the public, June 20-21, in the William Penn Room of the Hilton Harrisburg.

Topics will include: 

• De-stressing, 
• Sleep problems in children, 
• Building closeness in relationships, 
• Mindfulness meditation, 
• Food choices for children, 
• Help for families dealing with addiction, 
• Wellness at work, and more...

For additional information about mind-body health, please visit:

The APA Help Center 

The PPA Website

Psychology Can Help

We hope to see you in Harrisburg!

Sue Ei, Ph.D.

We need sleep to rest and repair our bodies, keep our immune systems healthy, consolidate memories, and balance hormones that regulate hunger and weight loss. Problems with sleep can impact mental and physical well-being, but sleep disorders are often not recognized or diagnosed.

How do you know if your sleep is actually problematic? Should you be trying to get more sleep, or just better sleep? 

First, some reassurances. The way you sleep might be just fine. Think back to your last "bad" night. Did you make it through the next day? Chances are you did, though it might not have been very fun. There is good news: humans typically sleep better the following night (a phenomenon known as "building up sleep need"). 

An occasional bad night, or even several in a row, are rarely harmful. Also, don't worry too much about whether you are getting exactly 8 hours; not everybody needs that much (though some people need more). It's okay if you sleep just enough to feel rested the next day. 

So, we've all had a bad night here and there. It's when sleep problems become chronic that we need to start asking questions.

     Continued...  

Continued...

Psychological News You Can Use

Written by PPA psychologists for everyone interested in 

how psychology impacts their everyday life.

Topics include issues related to business, parenting, education, mental health treatments, forensic information, addictions, prison concerns, legislative events, and much more!

Something wrong with Sleep, continued... 

Do I have sleep apnea?

• Questions: Does anyone say that you snore, stop breathing during sleep, or wake up gasping for breath? Do you seem to sleep "hard" and all night, but the next day can barely stay awake? Is it hard to keep from nodding off while driving or sitting quietly (for example, in a waiting area, church, or class)? Are you overweight? Do you wake up with a headache most days? If you're nodding right now, you may suffer from sleep apnea.
• Why it's important: Sleep apnea has been found to be linked to heart disease, stroke, weight gain, fatal accidents, and (very recently) major depression.
• What to do: Talk to your doctor about your symptoms. You may be referred to a sleep specialist who can help determine the right diagnosis and treatment options.

Could I have Insomnia?

• Questions: Is it hard to keep your eyes open, but once you go to bed you're suddenly wide awake? Do you have a hard time falling asleep and/or staying asleep? Do you try to go to bed early, or sleep in, to make up for "lost" sleep? Do you lie awake worrying about not sleeping? If you answered "yes" to some of these questions, you are likely suffering from insomnia.
• Why it's important: Insomnia can cause daytime fatigue, sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, headaches, irritability and poor work performance.
• What to do: Go to bed only when you get very sleepy, and if you don't fall asleep within about 20 minutes, get up again. Regardless of how well you've slept, get up at the same time every day. Practice good sleep hygiene (check out the websites below for tips). Consider seeing a psychologist who is trained in cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia (CBT-I) if your symptoms are especially stubborn.

Could my symptoms be restless leg syndrome?

• Questions: When you go to bed, or try to relax in the evening, do you get restless or uncomfortable feelings in your legs? Is that discomfort relieved by moving your legs or walking? Do some medications seem to make your symptoms worse (e.g. antihistamines, anti-nausea, or anti-depressants?) Do any of your blood relatives complain of the same problem? If so, you might be experiencing restless leg syndrome (RLS).
• Why it's important: RLS affects as many as 1 in 10 Americans and can disrupt sleep and quality of life.
• What to do: A regular sleep schedule, mild to moderate physical activity before bedtime, hot or cold baths, and engrossing mental activity can help reduce symptoms. Avoid over-the-counter medications that might make symptoms worse. Your physician can rule out vitamin deficiencies and, if needed, prescribe medical interventions. The RLS Foundation website (see below) has information about providers and support groups in your area.

Parasomnias? What are those?

• Questions: Do you engage in strange behaviors, such as walking, eating, or violent gestures while you are asleep? Does the frequency of these behaviors increase when you are stressed? Even if you sort-of remember what happened, was it beyond your ability to control? Did you take sleeping medications, only to find that your symptoms got worse? Do these episodes seem to run in your family? If any of this sounds familiar, you may suffer from a parasomnia or disorder of arousal (such as sleep walking, sleep eating, etc.)
• Why it's important: The danger is clear: people have walked out of second-story windows, eaten or drunk non-food items, or in other ways jeopardized their well-being during a sleep episode.
• What to do: Let your doctor know right away, especially if you are taking medications for sleep, as these can worsen your symptoms. Also, try to increase the amount of time that you sleep and reduce stress as much as possible.

These are some of the under-diagnosed sleep disorders, but there are other types sleep problems. If you want more information about sleep disorders and healthy sleeping, check out the resources below or talk with your psychologist or primary care physician. Best wishes for many restful nights to come!

Resources:

American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), YOURSLEEP resource. www.yoursleep.aasmnet.org

National Sleep Foundation (NSF), 1010 N. Glebe Road, STE 310, Arlington, VA 22201. Phone: 703-243-1697. www.sleepfoundation.org

Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, Inc. (RLS Foundation), 1530 Greenview Drive SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Phone: 507-287-6465. www.rls.org

Society for Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM), 2510 North Frontage Road, Darien, IL 60561. Phone: 630-737-9706. www.behavioralsleep.org

References:

Perlis, M.L., Jungquist, C., Smith, M.T., & Posner, D. (2008). Cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia: A session-by-session guide. New York: Springer (pp. 24-25).

Sue Ei, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with Bloomsburg Psychological Center in Bloomsburg, PA. She specializes in health behavior change, including sleep disorders interventions. 

Something wrong with Sleep, continued... 

Do I have sleep apnea?

• Questions: Does anyone say that you snore, stop breathing during sleep, or wake up gasping for breath? Do you seem to sleep "hard" and all night, but the next day can barely stay awake? Is it hard to keep from nodding off while driving or sitting quietly (for example, in a waiting area, church, or class)? Are you overweight? Do you wake up with a headache most days? If you're nodding right now, you may suffer from sleep apnea.
• Why it's important: Sleep apnea has been found to be linked to heart disease, stroke, weight gain, fatal accidents, and (very recently) major depression.
• What to do: Talk to your doctor about your symptoms. You may be referred to a sleep specialist who can help determine the right diagnosis and treatment options.

Could I have Insomnia?

• Questions: Is it hard to keep your eyes open, but once you go to bed you're suddenly wide awake? Do you have a hard time falling asleep and/or staying asleep? Do you try to go to bed early, or sleep in, to make up for "lost" sleep? Do you lie awake worrying about not sleeping? If you answered "yes" to some of these questions, you are likely suffering from insomnia.
• Why it's important: Insomnia can cause daytime fatigue, sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, headaches, irritability and poor work performance.
• What to do: Go to bed only when you get very sleepy, and if you don't fall asleep within about 20 minutes, get up again. Regardless of how well you've slept, get up at the same time every day. Practice good sleep hygiene (check out the websites below for tips). Consider seeing a psychologist who is trained in cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia (CBT-I) if your symptoms are especially stubborn.

Could my symptoms be restless leg syndrome?

• Questions: When you go to bed, or try to relax in the evening, do you get restless or uncomfortable feelings in your legs? Is that discomfort relieved by moving your legs or walking? Do some medications seem to make your symptoms worse (e.g. antihistamines, anti-nausea, or anti-depressants?) Do any of your blood relatives complain of the same problem? If so, you might be experiencing restless leg syndrome (RLS).
• Why it's important: RLS affects as many as 1 in 10 Americans and can disrupt sleep and quality of life.
• What to do: A regular sleep schedule, mild to moderate physical activity before bedtime, hot or cold baths, and engrossing mental activity can help reduce symptoms. Avoid over-the-counter medications that might make symptoms worse. Your physician can rule out vitamin deficiencies and, if needed, prescribe medical interventions. The RLS Foundation website (see below) has information about providers and support groups in your area.

Parasomnias? What are those?

• Questions: Do you engage in strange behaviors, such as walking, eating, or violent gestures while you are asleep? Does the frequency of these behaviors increase when you are stressed? Even if you sort-of remember what happened, was it beyond your ability to control? Did you take sleeping medications, only to find that your symptoms got worse? Do these episodes seem to run in your family? If any of this sounds familiar, you may suffer from a parasomnia or disorder of arousal (such as sleep walking, sleep eating, etc.)
• Why it's important: The danger is clear: people have walked out of second-story windows, eaten or drunk non-food items, or in other ways jeopardized their well-being during a sleep episode.
• What to do: Let your doctor know right away, especially if you are taking medications for sleep, as these can worsen your symptoms. Also, try to increase the amount of time that you sleep and reduce stress as much as possible.

These are some of the under-diagnosed sleep disorders, but there are other types sleep problems. If you want more information about sleep disorders and healthy sleeping, check out the resources below or talk with your psychologist or primary care physician. Best wishes for many restful nights to come!

Resources:

American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), YOURSLEEP resource. www.yoursleep.aasmnet.org

National Sleep Foundation (NSF), 1010 N. Glebe Road, STE 310, Arlington, VA 22201. Phone: 703-243-1697. www.sleepfoundation.org

Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, Inc. (RLS Foundation), 1530 Greenview Drive SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Phone: 507-287-6465. www.rls.org

Society for Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM), 2510 North Frontage Road, Darien, IL 60561. Phone: 630-737-9706. www.behavioralsleep.org

References:

Perlis, M.L., Jungquist, C., Smith, M.T., & Posner, D. (2008). Cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia: A session-by-session guide. New York: Springer (pp. 24-25).

Sue Ei, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with Bloomsburg Psychological Center in Bloomsburg, PA. She specializes in health behavior change, including sleep disorders interventions. 

You also want to make sure your child doesn't have two social networking accounts: the one you're connected to and the one on which he goes rogue.

#4. Find the middle ground in monitoring your progeny's online life. Over-monitoring a successful and responsible child dampens the development and unnecessarily taxes your relationship. Under-monitoring a child who is struggling, or who is putting herself into harmful situations, is obviously not a good idea either. This is where your world's leading expertise is essential to inform your steps. Programs that track your child's computer use can be very helpful if used wisely (e.g.,www.spector.com/spectorpro.html, www.webwatchernow.com.)

#5. Network with other parents. Whenever you're hanging out with other parents (e.g., on the sidelines of games, before a parent meeting starts) ask them what strategies they use. While you may hear from parents who seem misguided in their approach, others may have clever insights and ideas to share. There is also an abundance of online resources available for parents. (e.g. www.wiredkids.org, www.familyinternet.about.com, www.familysafemedia.com.)

#6. Set up rules. Here are some I'd suggest:

• No swearing.
• No discussions of sexual or illegal activity.
• No threatening others.
• No "friending" people above the age of       (i.e., your 11-year-old child's 19-year-old cousin may be super nice to her and a great person, but friending her on Facebook may afford your child access to inappropriate adult material, either on her cousin's page or on the page of someone in her cousin's network.)
• Under the "How You Connect" portion under "Privacy Settings," make sure they are all set to "Friends."
• Public searches should be disabled on Facebook. This means that people cannot find your child's page through Internet searches. Under "Privacy Settings" click on "Apps and Websites," then click on "Edit Settings" that is next to "Public Search." Then uncheck the "Enable Public Search" box.
• You must get others' permission before posting his or her picture online. Depending on the age and maturity of your child you may also decide that you must also approve all pictures before they are posted; this would also allow you to determine if your child's friend's parents' approval should be garnered.

#7. Role-play scenarios. This is an excerpt from a 2008 national study of the online experiences of kids aged 10-15, authored by Drs. Michele Ybarra and Kimberly Mitchell, that appeared in Pediatrics: "Fifteen percent of all of the youth reported an unwanted sexual solicitation online in the last year; 4% reported an incident on a social networking site specifically. Thirty-three percent reported an online harassment in the last year; 9% reported an incident on a social networking site specifically. Among targeted youth, solicitations were more commonly reported via instant messaging (43%) and in chat rooms (32%), and harassment was more commonly reported in instant messaging (55%) than through social networking sites (27% and 28%, respectively.)" Given how common such experiences are, we do well to train our kids how to respond. "Hunter, what would you do if someone put on their Facebook page a hurtful lie about you?" "Aiden, what would you say if someone asked you for your address?"

#8. Set up parental controls on computers that your child uses. This includes using browsers that allow you to block inappropriate content (e.g., bumpercar, www.cybersitter.com,) not allowing your child to covertly install software (i.e., through settings within the system software), and making sure that there are sufficient parental controls on your child's other gear that can go online (e.g., cell phone, video game console, portable gaming unit.) After you set up your controls, offer a tech-savvy 20-something person a gift card if he can try to circumvent your controls; offer a higher value gift card if he is successful and can show you how to install effective countermeasures.

#9. Make sure your child understands the limits of privacy on the Internet. Colleges search Facebook pages for information, as do employers, volunteer organizations, and other people who might be a gatekeeper for some experience, membership, or standing that your child may desire in the future (e.g., I recently heard of a coach of a travel baseball team who rejected a kid's application to play on the team because of what he found at that kid's Facebook page.)

Off to Summer Camp , continued...    

two, your initial plan may be simply to talk to the camp director and to encourage your child to stay at camp.

A small percentage of kids develop more serious symptoms such as incessant crying and problems with eating and sleeping for several days in a row. If that should happen to your child, make a backup plan as to how you will handle it.

What about unforeseen circumstances?

You can't prepare for every possible situation at camp or elsewhere. Even with precautions, accidents do happen; some kids get seriously ill and weather-related disasters are possible. But knowing the facts can help put your worries in perspective. Just because something is possible, doesn't mean that it's probable.

For example, last summer two boys were attacked by a bear (though not seriously injured) at a state forest campsite. Is this likely to happen again? According to experts, no. Overall the number of bear sightings has actually decreased, with no other attacks.

Chronic Disease, continued...

For each person in your life, you must decide how much information you are going to give, and for what purpose. You have the right to choose how you are going to communicate about your illness, but this takes some thought and reasoning regarding your physical, emotional, logistical, and privacy needs. Think through these decisions and talk to trusted others about how to make these decisions.

Putting the Illness in its Place

When a chronic disease is first diagnosed, it comes into your life like a tornado, causing chaos and panic and impacting almost every facet of your life. This phase is overwhelming. You need to focus on what needs to happen and how to manage the illness, as stated above. As you move through the process of accepting and adjusting, you can learn to put the illness in its place. The illness demands some of your attention and time, but you can not give it ALL of your attention and time.   You must learn to give it the space it demands, but fill the rest of your life with those other things, people, and activities that give your life meaning and joy. This can be very challenging because you must figure out how to modify these important things to the demands of your illness or condition.

Fear is a paralyzing emotion. Fear makes you limit yourself and your decisions in a way that can make your whole life feel like it is about the illness, rather than about you. You must learn to move past the fear to get to a point where you are able to incorporate the illness into your life and live with it, or alongside it, and continue on. Life with a chronic disease can be just as happy, rewarding, meaningful, and joyous as life before the illness. But, in order for this to happen, you must be resilient and flexible in the face of a chronic or changing medical condition. You must learn to give the illness the attention and energy that it demands, but also not let it become the thing that governs every decision you make.

**********

Pamela J. Ginsberg, Ph.D., is a licensed Psychologist in Doylestown, Pa. She has been in practice for 19 years. She specializes in women's issues, women's health, women with cancer, grief and bereavement, and stress management. Dr. Ginsberg is on staff at Doylestown Hospital and on the Board of Directors of Gilda's Club of Delaware Valley. Website: www.pginsbergphd.com