User Experiences of Pre-Sleep Sensory Alpha Brainwave Entrainment for People with Chronic Pain and Sleep Disturbance

Abstract

Aim: To explore the user experiences of pre-sleep alpha entrainment via a smartphone-enabled audio or visual stimulation program for people with chronic pain and sleep disturbance. Materials & methods: Semi-structured interviews were held with 27 participants completing a feasibility study of pre-sleep entrainment use for 4 weeks. Transcriptions were subject to template analysis. Results: Five top-level themes generated from this analysis are presented. These report on participants’ impressions of the pain–sleep relationship, their previous experiences of strategies for these symptoms, their expectations and their experience of use and perceived impact on symptoms of audiovisual alpha entrainment. Conclusion: Pre-sleep audiovisual alpha entrainment was acceptable to individuals with chronic pain and sleep disturbance and perceived to have symptomatic benefits.

Plain language summary

In this study, people who had used an experimental treatment for chronic pain called alpha entrainment, which was delivered by audio (tones through headphones) or visual (flickering light) stimulation just before sleep each night for 4 weeks, were interviewed about their experiences. Analysis of the interview transcripts generated findings in five large areas: participants’ impressions of the relationship between pain and sleep, previous strategies they had tried, expectations of using this intervention and their experiences of using it and how it affected their symptoms. Overall, participants found using this type of sensory stimulation last thing at night to be acceptable in a real-life setting, consistent with prior understanding, and many felt it to have benefits for sleep and pain symptoms with few side effects. Comfort of the equipment and having the choice of different types of stimulation were important. Further development should be guided by these user experiences.

Keywords::

• alpha entrainment
• brainwave entrainment
• neuromodulation
• pain
• qualitative
• sleep
• template analysis

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper, please visit the journal website at www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/pmt-2022-0083

Author contributions

SJ Halpin prepared the study, conducted data collection and analysis and drafted the manuscript. NKY Tang contributed to methodology and analysis techniques and edited the manuscript. AJ Casson contributed to devising the study, oversaw development of the intervention, supervised the project and edited the manuscript. AKP Jones conceptualized the study, supervised the project and edited the manuscript. RJ O’Connor supervised the project and edited the manuscript. M Sivan conceived of the study, developed the methodology, supervised the project and edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final draft.

Acknowledgments

NK Jacob performed the technical development and testing of the audiovisual stimulation in the smartphone application described in this article.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

A joint Rosetrees Trust/Royal College of Physicians Research Fellowship awarded to SJ Halpin supported the completion of this study. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

Additional information

Funding

A joint Rosetrees Trust/Royal College of Physicians Research Fellowship awarded to SJ Halpin supported the completion of this study. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.