Sitting All Day at Work is Wrecking Your Sleep, Finds New Study
Work is the biggest source of stress for UK employees, according to Ciphr. Another survey, by Eve Sleep, found nearly 80 per cent of people struggle to switch off at bedtime.
These two stats are probably linked, which you'll know if you've ever woken up at 3 am worrying about the meeting you have coming up, or the project you have no idea how to execute.
But it's not just the big work worries that keep us up at night. A new study has found that smaller habits in our workday have a massive impact on our sleep.
Given sleep is one of the most important elements of our health, how we work could hold the key to better overall wellness.
The Study
Sleep is central to work, productivity and health, but most workers don't get enough of it, noted researchers from the University of Florida.
They also found that, as reliance on technology and non-traditional work hours grows, so do our sleep issues. They wanted to see if these changing patterns were linked.
They surveyed 1,297 workers over a decade, looking at sleep duration and regularity, how easily they fell asleep, insomnia symptoms, napping and daytime tiredness, as well as their work schedules.
The Results
The researchers found there were three types of sleepers: good sleepers, catch-up sleepers and insomnia-like sleepers.
Sedentary work was linked with a 37 per cent increase in insomnia symptoms, with participants having difficulty falling asleep, interrupted sleep and frequent daytime tiredness.
Those with nontraditional work schedules, such as working night shifts or long hours, were 66 per cent more likely to fall into the catch-up sleeper group, defined as frequent napping or sleeping in on weekends.
The study also found that workers who fall into a pattern of poor sleep due to their job design can end up stuck in such unhealthy patterns for years, with 90 per cent of insomnia-like sleepers having their symptoms persist 10 years later.
What This Means For Us
Researchers said that moving your body during the workday and limiting after-hours work can help you sleep better, both now and in the future. 'This is particularly important for both employers and employees, since research shows that poor sleep health is known to impact productivity, wellbeing and overall health,' said psychologist Claire Smith who led the study.
'The way we are designing work poses serious, long-term threats to healthy sleep,' Smith said. 'Healthy sleep involves more than just getting your eight hours. It's also falling asleep easily, sleeping through the night and having a consistent sleep schedule.'
That's easier said than done – not everyone can demand movement breaks or standing breaks during their work hours. Smith agrees, saying: 'Companies should be aware of the specific sleep risks of their workforce to improve detection and intervention.'
The Bottom Line
Try to move more and not answer your emails outside of work hours, if possible. If it's not, prioritise sleep hygiene in other ways, such as keeping technology out of the bedroom, limiting caffeine and prioritising mindful activities before bed.
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