Sleep Disturbances in Women With HIV or AIDS

Abstract

Poor sleep is a frequent complaint of persons with HIV infection. To pilot test a tailored sleep promotion intervention protocol based on principles of sleep hygiene in a convenience sample of 30 HIV seropositive women. At baseline and 1 week after implementing the intervention, sleep was assessed by self-report measures and wrist actigraphy. Objective sleep measures include total sleep time, number of awakenings, and sleep efficiency, as well as level of daytime activity, 24-hr activity rhythm, and amount of sleep during the day. Prior to the intervention, women averaged 6.4 hr (SD = 1.99) of sleep, and 67% (n = 20) of the sample napped more than 30 min per day. After allowing 1 week to implement sleep hygiene principles to promote healthy sleep behaviors, there was a significant improvement in their perception of sleep and a significant change in their 24-hr activity rhythm. This involved more activity and less napping during the day. Although there was minimal change in objective measures of nighttime sleep for the group as a whole, those with initiation insomnia and maintenance insomnia benefited most from the intervention. These findings support the utility of a tailored sleep promotion intervention for women who are HIV positive to address their unique form of sleep disturbance.