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

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

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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.

The researchers identified three distinct categories of sleepers: healthy sleepers with consistent sleep patterns, “catch-up” sleepers who rely on naps and weekend recovery, and insomnia-prone sleepers who struggle with consistent sleep.

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Sedentary workers showed a 37 percent increase in insomnia-like symptoms. Workers on nontraditional schedules, including night shifts, were 66 percent more likely to need catch-up sleep, defined as frequent napping or sleeping longer on weekends.

Workers classified with insomnia-like symptoms reported difficulty falling asleep, interrupted sleep, and excessive daytime fatigue. Currently, 80 percent of today’s workforce holds sedentary jobs.

Computer-based jobs often require spending hours looking at a screen. This can disrupt sleep, as blue light from screens can interfere with the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle by reducing production of melatonin, a hormone essential for sleep.

The survey showed that 90 percent of participants with insomnia-like symptoms still reported problems a decade later.

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“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,” Smith stated in the press release.

Improving sleep health could involve more than just managing work hours, Smith said. The findings suggest that moving our bodies during the workday and limiting after-hours work may not just help us sleep well that night, but also protect against ongoing sleep problems a decade later, she said.

“Healthy sleep involves more than just getting your eight hours,” she said. “It’s also falling asleep easily, sleeping through the night and having a consistent sleep schedule.”

Companies “should be aware of the specific sleep risks of their workforce to improve detection and intervention,” Smith said.

Long-Term Consequences

The effects of poor sleep build up, according to Dr. Andrey Zinchuk, a pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine specialist at Yale School of Medicine.

“For example, if a 30-year-old is deprived of sleep for four to six hours a night for two weeks, reaction time, memory, and the ability to think critically all worsen,” he said in a press release. “After seven days of four-hour sleep deprivation, it’s the equivalent of not sleeping for two days in a row.”

Negative consequences of poor sleep can include impaired memory, focus, and judgment.