Better Sleep After Spinal Cord Injury: New Co-Designed Resources Support the SCI Community

This Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week, The Hopkins Centre is highlighting new resources designed to help people with spinal cord injury better understand and manage sleep disturbances.

 

Sleep plays an important role in physical health, emotional wellbeing and quality of life. However, sleep disturbances are common following spinal cord injury (SCI), with people experiencing difficulties falling asleep, waking during the night, muscle spasms, pain, bladder routines and sleep-disordered breathing. Poor sleep can affect energy levels, participation in work and social activities, and overall wellbeing.   

 

The Hopkins Centre Seed Project, “Sleep disturbances following spinal cord injury: Understanding help-seeking behaviour and co-designing a sleep management resource,” explored the lived experiences of people with SCI and their experiences of seeking support for sleep difficulties. The project also brought together people with SCI, clinicians, researchers and community organisations to co-design practical resources that respond to the specific needs of the SCI community.   

 

Turning research into practical resources

Led by Dr Emily Bray, the project has produced a suite of accessible, co-designed resources to help people with SCI understand sleep disturbances and explore strategies for improving their sleep. The resources include:   

• Sleeping Better after SCI Information Sheet
• Sleeping Better after SCI Infographic
• Sleeping Better after SCI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Sleeping Better after SCI Worksheet
• Sleep Diary – Version 1
• Sleep Diary – Version 2
   

These resources are designed to support people with SCI to recognise sleep difficulties, consider factors that may be affecting their sleep and identify when additional support may be helpful. They can also assist clinicians and community organisations in starting conversations about sleep and supporting people to address sleep concerns.

 

Importantly, the resources were developed through collaboration with people with SCI, ensuring that lived experience was central to the research and the final resources. The project also highlighted the importance of increasing awareness among both people with SCI and health professionals about the potential impacts and causes of sleep disturbances, as well as the value of early and routine assessment and accessible education.

 

Raising awareness during Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week

Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week provides an important opportunity to shine a light on issues that can have a significant impact on everyday life after SCI but may not always receive enough attention. Sleep is one such issue.

By translating research into practical, accessible resources, this project demonstrates how research, clinical expertise and lived experience can come together to address real-world challenges for people with SCI. The resources provide a practical starting point for conversations about sleep and can help people with SCI and those supporting them recognise that persistent sleep difficulties do not simply have to be accepted as part of life after injury.

The Hopkins Centre is proud to share these resources as part of its commitment to research that responds to the priorities of people with disability and delivers practical solutions that can improve health, participation and quality of life.

 

Explore the Sleep Management Resources:
Sleep disturbances following spinal cord injury – The Hopkins Centre project page

Project team: Dr Emily Bray, Dr Jessie Mitchell, Professor Tamara Ownsworth, Dr Jayke Bennett, A/Professor Melissa Kendall, Dr Delena Amsters, Jennifer Campbell, Kathryn Marshall, Professor Timothy Geraghty, Ross Duncan, Frances Porter, Dr Marnie Graco and consumer researcher Sarah-Jane Staszak.