THURSDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Common job-related
problems such as conflicts with bosses or co-workers are more
likely than long hours, night shifts or job insecurity to cause
poor sleep.
That's the conclusion of a study by University of Michigan
researchers who analyzed data from two surveys of about 2,300 U.S.
adults who were followed for up to a decade. During that time,
about half of the participants said they had trouble sleeping.
"Together, work and sleep take up about two-thirds of every
weekday. But until now, very little research has focused on the
connections between work and sleep for the average U.S. worker,"
Sarah Burgard, an assistant professor of sociology and an assistant
professor of epidemiology, said in a prepared statement.
In their analysis of the survey data, Burgard and graduate
student Jennifer Ailshire found that work conditions affected sleep
patterns, instead of the other way around. Respondents who
frequently felt upset or bothered at work, or had ongoing conflicts
with bosses or co-workers, were about 1.7 times more likely than
others to experience sleep problems.
"Massive changes over the past half-century have reshaped the
workplace, with major implications for sleep. For many workers,
psychological stress has replaced physical hazards," Burgard said.
"Physical strain at work tends to create physical fatigue and leads
to restorative sleep, but psychological strain has the opposite
effect, making it more difficult for people to sleep."
There was no evidence that long hours or working nights or
weekends led to poor sleep quality.
The researchers did find that work-family conflicts and having
children under the age of 3 were significant predictors of sleep
problems. People with children under the age of 3 were about 2.2
times more likely to report poor sleep quality.
The study was presented April 17 at the annual meeting of the
Population Association of America, in New Orleans.
Burgard said she plans to examine how to protect workers from
negative working conditions and how to prevent work problems from
affecting sleep.
More information
The National Sleep Foundation offers advice on
getting a good night's sleep.
