title: Is sleep really for sissies? Understanding the role of work in insomnia in the US.
abstract: This study explores the role of work in patient narratives about their experiences with insomnia. "Work" includes such facets as the nature of one's occupation, the associated volume or amount of work required, mental demands related to work, work schedules and work-related stress. Interviews conducted with 24 patients aged between 22 and 74 receiving treatment for insomnia at one of two sleep medicine clinics in Oregon and Texas, USA, suggest that work is a pivotal influence in shaping interpretations of the nature of insomnia, its causes, and the efficacy of medical treatment. Results suggest correlations between sleeplessness and modern working lifestyles in American culture, in which labor seems to transcend the physical workplace, manifesting itself in the form of cognitive labor or continued problems into retirement. Patients often cite work as the primary causal agent in the development of their insomnia, their primary reason for needing "good" sleep, their impetus for seeking medical attention, and behavioral compliance with a medically prescribed regimen. Insomnia as an illness experience thus serves as a mechanism through which respondents consciously or unconsciously comment on the nature of work in their lives. The medical and social implications of these results are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA. dhenry@pacs.unt.edu
authors.forename: Doug
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McClellen
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dedrick
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gosdin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012890:Sleep; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014481:United States; D014937:Work