Understanding the process for developing sleep disorders among Japanese workers: a qualitative study

Background: Sleep disorders have an enormous impact on occupational health and are
counterproductive from an economic perspective. However, the processes of causing sleep
disorders from psychosocial aspects have not yet been known. The purpose of this study was
to describe how sleep disorders develop among workers with respect to different psychosocial
conditions.
Methods: A conventional qualitative content analysis was conducted with a semi-structured
interview among twenty-seven workers (14 males and 13 females) who were diagnosed with
sleep disorders or had a self-reported history of sleep difficulties. Study participants were
recruited from a specialized clinic and communities using snowball sampling. This paper
adhered to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist.
Results: The results showed that there were four steps involved in the sleep disorders
development process. Firstly, participants with sleep disorders developed ‘early warning signs’
with 11 categories of triggers; secondly, ‘aggravating factors’ on top of these early warning
signs; thirdly, workers tried to ‘cope with’ their sleep disorders in the ways they thought would
be effective. Finally, when coping failed to improve the quality of sleep, it led to the onset of
sleep disorders.
Conclusion: The development of sleep disorders and triggers of psychosocial factors were
revealed. An occupational health nurse can bring these findings in practice for preventing
worker’s sleep disorders.