Practice Question
The night nurse reports that the client, who is hospitalized with major depressive disorder, has been unable to sleep until late at night. The client gets up, paces the hallway, wrings their hands, and appears teary. Which interventions should the nurse advocate to add to the care plan? Select all that apply.
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Arrange for the client to receive 20 minutes of natural sunlight each day.
Rationale:
Arrange for the client to receive 20 minutes of natural sunlight each day
✍️ Exposure to natural light helps regulate the circadian rhythm, improving sleep-wake cycles, especially in clients with major depressive disorder.
✍️ Sunlight boosts serotonin production, which can enhance mood during the day and promote better melatonin release at night for restful sleep.
✍️ Bright light therapy is an established intervention for depression-related insomnia, especially seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
✍️ It also encourages natural activity during daylight hours, helping the client maintain a structured routine.
✍️ Daily sunlight exposure supports mental health and vitamin D synthesis, both important for mood stabilization.
Serve the client a glass of warm milk in the evening
✍️ Warm milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that aids in the natural production of serotonin and melatonin, promoting sleep.
✍️A calming, warm beverage also has a comforting, ritualistic effect, helping ease anxiety and agitation before bed.
✍️ Nutritionally safe and non-pharmacological, this intervention is especially helpful for clients avoiding sleep medications.
✍️ It can become part of a healthy sleep hygiene routine, reinforcing bedtime cues for the brain.
✍️ Clients with depression often have disturbed eating and sleeping habits—gentle interventions like this re-establish normal patterns.
Tell the client to take a warm bath before going to bed
✍️ A warm bath before bedtime helps promote muscle relaxation and body temperature regulation, signaling the body to transition into sleep mode.
✍️ The drop in core body temperature after the bath mimics the body’s natural pre-sleep process, improving sleep onset.
✍️ This practice also reduces tension and emotional distress, which are common in depressive episodes, especially when clients are pacing or wringing hands at night.
✍️ Adding this intervention supports nonpharmacologic comfort techniques, giving clients control over their nightly routine.
✍️ It's also helpful in reducing hyperarousal, which contributes to insomnia in clients with mood disorders.
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This question is from LPN ATI Mental Health Psychosocial which contains 52 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: LPN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: LPN ATI Exams
- Domain: Mental Health
- Answer Choices: 5