People whose jobs are highly sedentary – about 80% of the modern workforce – are at a much higher risk of sleep problems.
The study analyzed more than a thousand employees over a decade and concluded that the sedentary work and the non-traditional work schedules are significant threats to sleep health.
Both factors, accelerated by technological changes – namely the increase in work with computers – are linked to a 37% increase in insomnia symptoms between sedentary workers and a 66% higher risk workers with less common schedules need “recovery sleep“, that is, frequent naps, or sleeping in on weekends.
“Healthy sleep involves more than sleeping eight hours”, began by highlighting psychologist Claire Smith, cited by . “It is also fall asleep easily, sleep through the night, and have a consistent sleep schedule. Companies must be aware of the specific sleep risks of their workforce to improve detection and intervention.”
The investigation, carried out based on data from the study Midlife in the United Statesidentified three categories of sleep health among workers: good “sleepers”, “recovery sleepers” and sleepers with insomnia-like patterns.
Sedentary work is strongly linked to this last category, characterized by symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep, interrupted sleep and frequent daytime tiredness. Employees with non-traditional schedules are more likely to fall into the “recovery sleepers” group.
The study suggests that move the body during the day and limit work after hours it can contribute to a good night’s sleep and, importantly, protect against sleep problems a decade later.
The was recently published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
