Make a Plan for Better Sleep 

Zoë Harrison had poor sleep quality when she was younger. She slept through her alarms each morning. Many of the things she wanted and needed to do were hard to accomplish because she was always tired.

“I needed a lot of naps just to get through the day,” Harrison recalls.

Harrison has a brain tumor called craniopharyngioma. This tumor is not cancerous, but it can harm brain structures.

Harrison also has narcolepsy. This brain disorder affects how she sleeps. It makes her feel tired during the day and have trouble staying awake. 

She has borderline sleep apnea, too. This disorder makes her stop breathing for short times while she sleeps. 

Harrison wanted to sleep better. She wanted more energy during the day. So, she met with Valerie Crabtree, PhD, vice president of Psychosocial Services and a faculty member in Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Crabtree specializes in sleep disruption and fatigue in children and youth with cancer.

Harrison talked with Crabtree about some things that were going on in her life and how they might affect her sleep. They talked about the medicines that Harrison takes to treat the problems caused by her tumor. They also talked about her daytime and bedtime routines.

Together, Harrison and Crabtree made a plan for getting better sleep. First, they talked about the best times for Harrison to take her daily medicines. Because some of her medicines kept her awake, it was better to take those earlier in the day rather than close to bedtime.

Crabtree also suggested that Harrison stop drinking fluids 1 hour before bed so that she would not wake up as much during the night. Harrison also makes sure she goes to the bathroom right before bedtime. 

Finally, Crabtree asked Harrison to go to bed at the same time every night and to get up at the same time every morning.

These small changes have helped Harrison in big ways. When she is following a routine and getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night, she wakes up on her own with the help of her alarm. She has more energy during the day, and she takes fewer naps.

Harrison says these changes are easy to make.

“You just have to commit yourself to them,” she says.