Stroke Survivors' Experiences of Sleep: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

TL;DR

This study explores how stroke survivors experience changes in sleep, revealing the emotional and physical challenges they face.

Contribution

The study offers new qualitative insights into post-stroke sleep experiences using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach.

Findings

Participants described a fear of lying awake at night and a heavy body and mind.

Three themes emerged: disrupted mental states, lack of energy, and unexpected daytime sleepiness.

Sleep changes significantly impacted participants' daily lives.

Abstract

Aim: To gain new insights into the lived experience of poststroke sleep.

Design: Qualitative interview study.

Methods: The study was based on a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach inspired by the French Philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Fifteen participants were included between 2021 and 2022 and interviewed 3 months after stroke. Interviews were interpreted through naïve reading and structurally analyzed. Credibility was enhanced by investigator triangulation, and field notes were used for reflections during the interpretation process to challenge preconceptions.

Results: The participants experienced changes in sleep and described a fear of lying awake at night. They described a lack of energy and a heavy body and mind as well as an overwhelming sleepiness during daytime. Three themes were identified through the analyses: “Floating through the night—a mental state of mind being between awake and asleep,” “Left with a heavy and slow feeling—poor sleep leads to a lack of energy,” and “Sleeping during daytime may happen like lightning from a clear sky.”

Conclusions: The participants experienced frequent and substantial changes in sleep which affected their everyday lives in various ways.