User experiences of pre-sleep sensory alpha brainwave entrainment for people with chronic pain and sleep disturbance.

In this study, people who had used an experimental treatment for chronic pain called alpha entrainment, which was delivered by audio (tones through headphones) or visual (flickering light) stimulation just before sleep each night for 4 weeks, were interviewed about their experiences. Analysis of the interview transcripts generated findings in five large areas: participants' impressions of the relationship between pain and sleep, previous strategies they had tried, expectations of using this intervention and their experiences of using it and how it affected their symptoms. Overall, participants found using this type of sensory stimulation last thing at night to be acceptable in a real-life setting, consistent with prior understanding, and many felt it to have benefits for sleep and pain symptoms with few side effects. Comfort of the equipment and having the choice of different types of stimulation were important. Further development should be guided by these user experiences.