A qualitative study on the experience of sleep problems amongst people with intellectual disabilities.

People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to have sleep problems than people who do not have intellectual disabilities (Shanahan et al., 2023). However, there is limited research that directly explores the lived experience of people with intellectual disabilities who have sleep problems. A qualitatively driven multi-method research study explored the lived experience of six participants with intellectual disabilities with self-reported sleep problems. Serial semi-structured interviews using a Talking Mats Framework and a phenomenological interview schedule were video recorded, transcribed and analysed. The lived existentials of temporality, spatiality, relationality and corporeality are essential structures in everyday experience (van Manen, 2016). These interwoven aspects were seen to impact sleep and were impacted by sleep problems, providing insight and reframing what makes a sleep problem a problem for people with intellectual disabilities. A cyclical relationship exists between how the body feels and sleep, whereby pain and illness, racing thoughts, anxiety and stress can all impact sleep and be impacted by sleep. The research also illustrates the importance of the sensory environment where people sleep and the value of virtual, social and professional connections. Finally, the research supports previous literature that depicts the elusive nature of sleep and how a conscious awareness of time is lost.

References.

Shanahan, P. et al. (2023). The prevalence of sleep disorders in adults with learning disabilities: A systematic review. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 51(3), 344–367.

Van Manen, M. (2016) Phenomenology of practice : meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Oxon: Routledge.