Sleep disturbance in patients with advanced cancer

Sleep is a complex process, acknowledged to be essential for health and wellbeing. Sleep disturbance is reported to be a significant problem for patients across the cancer care trajectory, including those in the palliative phase of illness. This paper reviews the literature specific to sleep disturbance in patients with advanced cancer. The Human Response to Illness model, which is consistent with the central tenets of palliative care philosophy, provides a valuable framework to examine and organize the current knowledge related to sleep disturbance. The four perspectives of this biopsychosocial nursing model - physiology, pathophysiology, behavioural and experiential, as well as the personal and environmental factors - offer a broad perspective to better understand this multidimensional symptom and create a strong foundation for nursing care and future research directions.