Physical and mental fullness as descriptors that influence sleep in women with HIV.

Abstract

Through individual interviews, this qualitative study examined the subjective experience of sleep quality in the lives of 6 women with HIV infection. Three major themes emerged: living differently, sleep patterns, and strategies to normalize sleep. The women in this study revealed that they were living differently than before their infection and their experience of sleep had similarly changed. Four adaptive mechanisms were used to normalize sleep: automaticized behaviors, processing alternatives, yielding to a lack of control, and vigilant self-monitoring. This article includes discussion and implications for future research.