Sedentary Work and Irregular Schedules Linked to Long-Term Sleep Problems

New research shows a 37 percent rise in insomnia among office workers.

Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

A decade-long study of nearly 1,300 full-time workers has found that sedentary, tech-heavy jobs significantly increase the risk of developing chronic sleep problems, with computer-bound employees 37 percent more likely to experience insomnia-like symptoms that can persist for years.

“The way we are designing work poses serious, long-term threats to healthy sleep,” lead study author Claire Smith, who has a doctorate in industrial and organizational psychology, said in a press release.

Impact of Workplace Design

The comprehensive study, newly published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, found concerning trends in sleep health among full-time workers. Researchers analyzed nationally representative data of almost 1,300 full-time workers over a decade.