‘I never thought exercise could help improve my sleep’: experiences of people with rheumatoid arthritis on the impact of an 8-week walking-based exercise intervention in improving their sleep
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Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of people with RA of participating in an exercise intervention to improve their sleep. Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive design, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 12 people with RA who had completed an 8-week walking-based exercise intervention to improve their total sleep time, sleep quality and sleep disturbance. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were generated: positive impact of exercise on participants’ sleep (‘I really didn’t think any type of exercise would help me sleep better, if I’m honest’); positive experiences of the exercise intervention (‘I learnt so much regarding walking that I didn’t even think about’); clear mental health benefits (‘If you don’t sleep well then it will have a knock-on effect to your mental health’); and achieving empowerment and ownership when exercising (‘I feel empowered now and confident that I’m not doing harm to myself’). Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that participants had not expected exercise to improve their sleep. Although there is a growing consensus that exercise will benefit sleep and mitigate some disease symptoms, research is severely lacking in people with RA.
Original language | English |
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Article number | rkae008 |
Journal | Rheumatology Advances in Practice |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 1 |
Number of pages | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
- inflammatory arthritis, mental health, physical activity, physiotherapy, qualitative, sleep
Research areas
ID: 387272815