Psychology, Sleep, and Treatment – Michelle Mullaley, PhD, Child Psychology Expert – Modern Psychology, and Why We Sometimes Suffer from Sleep Problems

In this podcast, Michelle Mullaley, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, discusses sleep issues, psychology, child psychology, and the techniques and tools she utilizes to help people at her clinic.

Podcast Points:

• Do kids have different sleep problems than adults?
• Can ADHD impact sleep?
• Which cognitive tools can help with calming, relaxation, and anxiety relief?

Dr. Mullaley is a seasoned clinical psychology expert. She specializes in child and family psychology. She earned her doctorate at Catholic University in Washington, DC. Dr. Mullaley discusses her background and current focus. As an active researcher, Dr. Mullaley does a lot of testing in addition to her regular schedule of therapy.

Dr. Mullaley talks in detail about sleep problems, specifically sleep deprivation that kids and teens struggle with. As she states, falling asleep can be difficult for some, especially in kids who have ADHD. She provides a wealth of information on circadian rhythms and how they can shift through our lives. As a result of this shifting, some teens tend to feel very awake even late at night, but when they have to get up early to get to school, their bodies feel sleep deprived because they are craving that full nine hours of relaxing sleep but aren't getting it.

Dr. Mullaley discusses cases she deals with, in regard to sleep problems and issues. The clinical psychologist discusses multiple techniques and treatments—including cognitive challenging, which is a cognitive behavior technique used to bring on calming and relief from anxiety. Continuing, Dr. Mullaley discusses breathing, yoga, various imagery techniques, and even some apps that can help kids, and adults, to relax and calm themselves, which can assist with falling asleep, and getting better sleep. Expanding her discussion on sleep issues, Dr. Mullaley talks about melatonin and how it can play a role in sleep and why we have different issues as we get older. Wrapping up, she talks about the impact of technology, and how smartphones are one thing we should detach ourselves from when we want to fall asleep, and get quality sleep.