Sick and Tired: Understanding and Managing Sleep Difficulties in ...

observed in perceived overall sleep quality, sleep efficiency, pain and fatigue. Previous
research has utilised intensive mindfulness interventions that are delivered by a trained
professional and are carried out for a minimum of 30 minutes for eight to 10 weeks
alongside home practice for approximately 45 minutes each day (Grossman et al., 2007;
Lush et al., 2009). Accessing these interventions can be challenging for people with
FMS, as they often experience difficulties travelling long distances and maintaining
concentration for long periods of time, and these factors may have influenced the high
attrition rates reported in previous studies (Astin et al., 2003; Kaplan et al., 1993; Lush
et al., 2009). Therefore this brief intervention (which can be self-delivered at home),
offers increased accessibility and feasibility for people with FMS. As the mindfulness
experience is likely to become more effective with practice, the improvements in
perceived overall sleep quality, sleep efficiency, pain and fatigue as observed in this
study after completing the intervention for only one week, are likely to continue to
increase over the longer term. Therefore, studies employing a longer intervention period
and follow up are warranted.
Many studies exploring the effectiveness of interventions to improve sleep quality, also
explore the clinical significance of the findings. For example, observing how many
people fall within the parameters defining a „good sleeper‟ (e.g. sleep onset latency