The health problems tied to office work have been widely circulated, with studies citing weight gain, carpal tunnel and cardiovascular issues as reasons to not sit for eight hours every day.
In addition to these issues, a sedentary lifestyle can also negatively affect your sleep, according to a new study.
Titled “Designing work for healthy sleep: A multidimensional, latent transition approach to employee sleep health,” this Journal of Occupational Health Psychology study found that people with sedentary jobs face a significantly heightened risk of insomnia.
Analyzing data from more than 1,000 workers over a 10-year period, according to CNN, the study grouped participants by their job design. The study describes job design as anything that “includes elements such as the amount of technology used at work, levels of physical activity and work schedules, specifically the time of day when employees work.”
Using six sleep health indicators — regularity, insomnia symptoms, duration, napping habits, daytime fatigue and time to sleep — the study tracked changes in people’s sleep patterns. With this information, sleepers were split into three categories: good sleepers, catch-up sleepers and insomnia sleepers. According to CNN, insomnia sleepers include those experiencing short sleep cycles and higher levels of daytime fatigue.
“We already know sleep is as close as a magic bullet that we have for employee productivity and well-being, yet the way job design has changed work endangers sleep health,” lead study author Dr. Claire Smith said, according to CNN.
The study found that workers who operate on nontraditional schedules often fall into the catch-up sleeper box, while white-collar employees tend to be either good sleepers or insomnia sleepers.
Even more notably, these sleep shifts from job design tend to stick, with the study finding that 90% of insomnia sleepers saw continuous symptoms for up to 10 years, according to CNN.
How to fix your sleep
With this new information, it is unlikely you can just quit your sedentary job. You can, however, make small and incremental changes to your sleep pattern today.
Avoid heavy meals near bedtime and try not to sleep “stuffed,” the Mayo Clinic recommends, saying the discomfort can keep you up.
The Mayo Clinic also suggests including some kind of physical activity in your daily routine, with a warning to avoid being active close to bedtime. CNN says workers should set timers on their phone to introduce movement throughout the day.
The Sleep Foundation recommends consistency in the times you are going to sleep and waking up each day. They also recommend you be “mindful of light,” saying “exposure to natural light in the morning can promote better synchronization.”
Find more stories like this one on our Pulse Facebook page.
About the Author
