Summary: A survey of over 1, 000 people found that passive work and nontraditional work schedule substantially increase the risk of disturbed sleep patterns and depression signs. Sedentary workers saw a 37 % increase in insomnia symptoms, while those with irregular schedules were 66 % more likely to require” catch-up sleep,” such as frequent naps or weekend oversleeping.
These sleep health problems often persisted for a century, affecting well-being, performance, and general health. Researchers stress the value of job redesign to include movement and steady schedules, which may improve both sleep quality and work performance.
Important Information:
- Sedentary workers were 37 % more likely to experience depression symptoms, including trouble falling asleep and interrupted sleep.
- Nontraditional work schedules increased the likelihood of needing” catch-up sleep” by 66 %.
- 90 % of workers categorized as insomnia-like sleep maintained poor sleeping health over a decade.
Origin: USF
According to a new study led by University of South Florida psychologist , Claire Smith, an estimated 80 % of the modern workplace is very sedentary people are much more likely to experience depression signs.
The findings, recently published in the , Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, show that among more than 1, 000 employees surveyed over a century, sedentary work and nontraditional work times are major threats to rest health.
These two factors, which have been accelerated by technological advancements like computer work, are linked to a 37 % rise in depression symptoms among inactive staff and a 66 % higher risk of needing” catch-up sleep,” which is defined as frequent sitting or sleeping in on vacation, for those who adhere to unconventional work schedule.
” The way we are designing work poses serious, long-term threats to healthy sleep”, Smith said.
More than just getting your eight hours of sleep, “healthy sleep” means. It’s also falling asleep easily, sleeping through the night and having a consistent sleep schedule. To improve detection and intervention, companies should be aware of the specific sleep risks of their workforce.
The research, based on data from the national , Midlife in the United States study, identified three sleep health categories among workers over a 10-year period: good sleepers, catch-up sleepers and insomnia-like sleepers.
The study found that sedentary work has a strong correlation with the category of insomnia sleepers, which are those who experience trouble falling asleep, interrupted sleep, and frequent daytime tiredness.
Meanwhile, employees with nontraditional schedules, such as working night shifts, were more likely to fall into the catch-up sleeper group.
Smith said the research suggests that moving your body during the workday and limiting after-hours work may not just help you , sleep well that night but protect against ongoing , sleep , problems a decade later.
Additionally, the study concludes that employees who experience poor sleep as a result of their job design, such as long, sedentary hours or erratic schedules, could spend years stuck in unhealthy patterns. For example, 90 % of insomnia-like sleepers saw their symptoms persist 10 years later.
” This is particularly important for both employers and employees, since research shows that poor sleep health is known to impact productivity, well-being and overall health”, said Smith, who led the project in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of experts in psychology, psychiatry, aging and medicine.
She added that the findings suggested that reorganizing workplaces to take into account sleep health might be the answer to improving worker well-being, which would support the need for workplace interventions that view sleep health as a dynamic, multifaceted issue rather than a one-size-fits-all issue.
Funding: The study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging and included researchers from Penn State University, University of Pittsburgh, Arizona State University and St. Anne’s University ( Czech Republic ).
About this news from sleep research
Author: John Dudley
Source: USF
Contact: John Dudley – USF
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access.
” Designing work for healthy sleep: A multidimensional, latent transition approach to employee sleep health” by Claire Smith et al. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
Abstract
Designing work for healthy sleep: A multidimensional, latent transition approach to employee sleep health
Healthy sleep is essential to employee well-being and productivity, but many modern workers do not obtain adequate sleep. Are technology-related changes to job design ( i. e., computer use, sedentary work, nontraditional work schedules ) related to long-term worsening of employee sleep health?
The present study seeks to address this question using nationally representative data from the Midlife in the United States study, which includes detailed information on sleep duration, regularity, sleep onset latency, insomnia symptoms, napping, and daytime tiredness from full-time workers ( N = 1, 297 ) at two time points separated by approximately 10 years.
Using latent transition analysis to consider how these sleep health dimensions co-occur, we identify three multidimensional sleep health phenotypes at both time points: good sleepers, catch-up sleepers, and insomnia sleepers.
Sedentary employment is associated with the phenotype of the insomnia sleeper. Nontraditional work schedules are linked to the catch-up sleeper phenotype.
These findings challenge the assumptions of contemporary models of job design regarding the impact of technology on employee sleep health and advance measurement of sleep health in the organizational sciences to be multidimensional and dynamic.
Further, results identify potential points of intervention through job design and provide insight into specific sleep requirements in the working adult population.
