Insomnia is one of the long-term side effects of cancer treatment and a local researcher is doing what she can to help address that very real problem.

Dr. Sheila Garland is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology and oncology at Memorial University. Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest cancer rates per capita in the country.

Garland has conducted a sleep study, ACTION – Addressing Cancer Treatment-related Insomnia Online in Newfoundland and Labrador, to help cancer survivors.

Cancer patients and survivors have insomnia rates three to six times that of the general populace. Insomnia is a consequence of a combination of the psychological effects of a cancer diagnosis and the disruptions to your life brought by the disease and treatments. She says even years after treatment, the psychological impacts remain.

Cancer survivor Bob Wakeham says Dr. Garland’s work has helped him tremendously. He underwent numerous surgeries and while he got through the physical side of the diagnosis, the psychological effects were lasting.

He joked that a friend told him he was “tough as a two-dollar roast.” Wakeham says that may be how he came across on the surface, but inside his head, he was like a 10-year-old boy. The psychological impact was what he found very difficult to deal with, and the insomnia was debilitating at times.

View more information on the ACTION study at this link.