To Örebro University

OBJECTIVES: Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in adults. About 10% of adults meet the diagnostic criteria, and about 30% suffer from subclinical symptoms. Seeking advice online is common when having health issues. There are no previous studies on Swedish Internet forums regarding types of advice and the logic behind the recommendations given for how to handle troubled sleep. The purpose of the study was to examine which treatment methods for insomnia symptoms were recommended by forum users on the Swedish Internet forum Flashback.

METHODS: A thematic analysis was conducted on 1174 posts.

RESULTS: The analysis resulted in four themes: (1) Advice on healthcare, (2) Bedtime and sleep environment strategies, (3) Implement long-term lifestyle changes, and (4) Advice on nonprescribed, legal, or illegal drugs. Notably, a large portion of the recommendations provided emphasized the utilization of pharmacological interventions, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, supplements, illegal substances, or combinations of these. This despite the fact that many advice givers attributed insomnia to psychological causes such as stress.

CONCLUSIONS: Insight into recommendations given on Internet forums is important for healthcare personnel; advice might shape patients' sleep habits as well as expectations on insomnia treatments.