Halpin, S.J. orcid.org/0000-0002-0417-8928, Tang, N.K.Y. orcid.org/0000-0001-7836-9965, Casson, A.J. orcid.org/0000-0003-1408-1190 et al. (3 more authors) (Cover date: May 2023) User experiences of pre-sleep sensory alpha brainwave entrainment for people with chronic pain and sleep disturbance. Pain Management, 13 (5). pp. 259-270. ISSN 1758-1869
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.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. This work is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0. |
Keywords: | alpha entrainment; brainwave entrainment; neuromodulation; pain; qualitative; sleep; template analysis |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Institute of Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine (LIRMM) (Leeds) > Rehabilitation Medicine (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 08 Aug 2023 13:00 |
Last Modified: | 08 Aug 2023 13:00 |
Published Version: | https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/pmt-202... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Future Medicine Group |
Identification Number: | 10.2217/pmt-2022-0083 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:202232 |