Utility of Staff Training on Correcting Sleep Problems in People With Intellectual Disabilities Living in Residential Settings

While sleep problems in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in residential settings are very common, scant attention is paid to them. This study examined how to improve the knowledge and understanding of sleep quality and sleep problems in people with ID among care staff at a residential facility and, consequently, to reduce extrinsic sleep problems. Using a variation on a crossover design with two groups, sleep efficiency and sleep latency in people with ID (not suspected of having sleep problems) were measured four times. One group (Group A) of staff was offered a lecture after the first measurement and a workshop after the second one. A second group (Group B) of staff was only offered a lecture, between the second and third measurements. In both groups, sleep efficiency rose significantly. The time spent in bed by residents overseen by Group A was reduced significantly, and there was a significant reduction of daily napping time among group A's residents. In Group B, there was a significant increase of daily napping time and in the number of naps. The application of educational techniques, such as lectures and workshops, provided to staff can lead to significant improvements in residents' sleep efficiency.