Sleep quality and quantity among adults experiencing homelessness: An ecological systems approach

Sleep's impact on quality of life and health among the general population is well documented. Meanwhile, there is a growing number of policies across the United States that criminalize homelessness by outlawing sleeping or sheltering in public, but there is little research about sleep quality among people experiencing homelessness within the context of larger systems. Using data (N = 484) collected to explore public health implications of criminalization of homelessness, this study describes sleep among people experiencing homelessness in Denver, Colorado through an ecological systems perspective. Participants reported an average of 3.6 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period and participants, on average, slept 2.87 hours without being interrupted. Race, disability status, and military status have statistically significant correlations with interrupted sleep, suggesting the systems and structures associated with these demographics may be related to poor sleep. Furthermore, there is a statistically significant correlation between amount of sleep and uninterrupted sleep and feelings of depression, experiencing images or hallucinations, and feeling sick. In building upon previous research which shows that people experiencing homelessness typically get less than the recommended amount of sleep, this study illuminates both the systemic and self-reported health and well-being implications that poor sleep has among people experiencing homelessness.