Exploring the Lived Experience of Difficult Sleep and Good Sleep Among Psychiatric Inpatients

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore psychiatric inpatients’ reflections on their experiences with sleep throughout their lives. Fourteen patients in an acute care behavioral health unit agreed to participate in this study. Participants met individually with a researcher to reflect on times in their lives when they experienced good sleep; times when they had difficulty sleeping; and times when difficult sleep was resolved. The major findings of the study indicated that feeling alone with life problems triggered difficult sleep; while feelings of belonging and purpose were associated with good sleep.

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Jolene Laurence for her assistance in recruiting participants for the study.

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

FUNDING

The authors thank the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation for funding the study.