Exploring sleep experiences in the general population using qualitative survey data

Abstract Sleep is a naturally recurring process bidirectionally related to psychology, physiology, and environment. Individuals’ experiences of sleep vary widely, yet research exploring sleep experiences tends to focus on clinical populations, and when conducted in the general population, heavily relies on quantitative measures. This exploratory study represents a novel approach by exploring how adults in the general population experience sleep via free-text survey. Responses ( n = 24) were analysed via reflexive thematic analysis. Three over-arching themes were co-constructed: (1) sleep as a dynamic phenomenon; (2) barriers to sleep and potential technological solutions; and (3) the strange machinations of sleep. Overall, sleep was experienced as heterogeneous and complex, with participants reporting changes in sleep, disruptions to sleep, and unusual experiential phenomena surrounding sleep. Coping strategies, wavering sleep-wake boundaries, and variations in dreaming were also explored. These findings contribute novel evidence from a non-clinical sample, foregrounding the experience of sleep, rather than its quantification or physiological correlates. Future investigations might utilise mixed methods to examine how subjective experiences interact with sleep physiology, or more deeply explore the emerging role of sleep technology in individuals’ experiences of sleep.