THESE work habits are putting your sleep at risk, says study

Do you work in odd shifts? Does your work involve sitting at the desk all the time? Well, then you should probably ask your people manager to pay for all the chamomile tea, dark circle treatments, and melatonin gummies you are buying. Wondering why? Well, some workplace habits might be the villain that causes insomnia.
According to a recent research led by University of South Florida psychologist Claire Smith, your work habits may be threatening your sleep. People, who are working non-traditional hours, and have sedentary jobs are more likely to have sleep issues.

The research found that an estimated 80% of the modern workforce is highly sedentary. For the study, the researchers surveyed more than 10,000 employees over a decade. The findings are published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

The study suggests that sedentary work and non-standard work times pose significant threats to sleep health. Sedentary workers, especially people with increased computer usage have a 37% higher likelihood of experiencing

insomnia symptoms

. Individuals doing

non-traditional work hours

have a 66% greater risk of needing ‘catch-up sleep,’ which is defined as frequent napping or sleeping in on weekends.
“The way we are designing work poses serious, long-term threats to healthy sleep. 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. Companies should be aware of the specific sleep risks of their workforce to improve detection and intervention,” Smith said.
The research was based on data from the National Midlife in the United States. The study classified the workers over 10 years into three categories – good sleepers, catch-up sleepers, and insomnia-like sleepers.

The sedentary workers belong to the insomnia sleepers, which is characterized by symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep, interrupted sleep, and frequent daytime tiredness. The employees on non-traditional shifts such as the working night shift, fall in the catch-up sleeper category.
Smith also added that moving your body during the workday and restricting after-hours work could not only promote better sleep that night but also protect from existing sleep problems over the next decade. The study further said that these two kinds of employees often end up stuck in unhealthy patterns for years. 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,” Smith adds.
She further added that the findings suggest redesigning jobs and prioritizing sleep health could be key to employee well-being.