Sleep, Mental Health, and OT

Earn 1 hour of continuing education by joining OT Potential after taking this course.

Nearly one third of people experience sleep disturbances. 

And, about 23% of adults experience mental health illness. 

These high percentages mean that both sleep and mental health are global, public health challenges in their own right. 

However, emerging research suggests we should not think of these challenges separately. They are more intertwined than we realize. Sleep difficulties aren’t just a sign of mental health challenges, sleep problems can contribute to mental health problems. But, then the inverse is also true: when we improve a person’s sleep, we can improve their mental health.  

What this means for OT is profound:

This means sleep interventions are one of the most powerful tools we have to impact mental health. 

Today, we will zoom in on one diagnosis: anxiety. 

We’ll get deep into the biology of how sleep and anxiety are intertwined. And, the interventions (that are in your OT-wheel house) to improve both. 

To help us make sense of how profound the impact of sleep is on health—and, how potentially profound it would be for OT to tackle this essential ADL— we will welcome to the podcast Dr. Amanda Carroll, an OT sleep researcher, who also runs a sleep private practice in Montana. 

Primary Journal Article Explored

• Sleep and anxiety: From mechanisms to interventions

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• A scoping review of sleep management as an occupational therapy intervention: Expanding a niche area of practice in mental health
• Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Learning Objectives

• You will recognize occupation-based assessments OT can perform related to sleep. 
• You will be able to identify occupation-based interventions to improve sleep.

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (5 minutes)

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (55 minutes)

• How did you get interested in OT and sleep? 
• Can you tell me about your private practice and some of the research/other programs you’ve done?
• What were your impressions of this article?
• Do you have any stories of how OT has helped people with sleep?
• The science is a little overwhelming? When you talk about sleep to clients how do you talk about sleep? 
• What assessments can OTs leverage for sleep health?
• What can the generalist OT do to address sleep?
• Can you tell me more about the CBT-I training and how OTs can be involved? 
• What health tech devices have you seen being most helpful for sleep? (The article mentioned pink noise machines. And, I was curious about trackers.)
• How could OTs grow our role in sleep?

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about AI and Clinical Decision Support.  The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic. 

Speakers

Amanda Carroll, MS, PhD, OTR/L

Amanda L. Carroll, PhD, OTR/L, is an experienced occupational therapist, educator, and PhD trained occupational scientist dedicated to advancing the field of occupational therapy through teaching, research, and community engagement. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Montana’s inaugural Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program.

She earned her Master of Science degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012, and her PhD in Occupational Science also from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021. She has practiced in both geriatrics, pediatrics, and mental health for over a decade in a variety of settings including travel therapy, skilled nursing, home health, and private practice. She is currently a member of AOTA and serves on the Research Committee for the Society for the Study of Occupation. She is also the co-owner and co-founder of Well-Rested Therapy, LLC a private community-based OT practice that provides occupational therapy services focused on helping people get a better night’s sleep so they feel well-rested and can participate in the activities they love. ​ ​

Amanda’s research focuses on the intersection of occupation, mental health, and social determinants of health, with a particular interest in veteran populations, sleep interventions, and rural health disparities. Her work has explored topics such as resilience in older veterans, the role of sleep in shaping veterans’ mental well-being, and the impact of military service on long-term health outcomes. She has been awarded multiple research grants to investigate sleep interventions for veterans, contributing to the development of population-level occupational therapy solutions. Through her leadership, teaching, and research, Amanda is committed to shaping the future of occupational therapy by addressing real-world challenges and promoting occupational justice.

She is originally from North Carolina, and is a proud Tarheel. Growing up in North Carolina, she has always been surrounded by military culture and many of her family members are veterans. Her favorite occupations are spending time with her cats, trying out new recipes, reading historical and fantasy novels, cycling on her Peloton, and spending time in nature with her husband Philip, who is also and OT and professor.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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