Is your job costing you sleep?

From consumeraffairs.com

New research reveals how desk time and odd hours may quietly disrupt your rest

• Findings from a recent study found that sedentary jobs—where you sit most of the day—were tied to a 37% rise in insomnia-like symptoms over 10 years.

• Non-traditional work schedules (like evening or weekend shifts) led to a 66% higher risk of needing “catch-up sleep” such as naps or sleeping in.

• These sleep problems often persist: around 90% of people with insomnia-like issues stayed in that pattern a decade later.

Researchers from the University of South Florida set out to see how modern jobs—with lots of screen time, sitting still, or odd work hours—might quietly chip away at our sleep. 

They used data from the Midlife in the United States study, tracking over 1,000 full-time employees twice across roughly a 10‑year span. Instead of looking at just hours asleep, they explored different “sleeper types”—like good sleeper, insomnia sleeper, and catch‑up sleeper—considering how these patterns evolved over time. 

Findings from a recent study highlighted that non-traditional work schedules, as well as sedentary work, can lead to a higher risk of insomnia. Image (c) ConsumerAffairs

The study

Participants reported on a range of sleep dimensions: how long they slept, how regular their schedule was, how long it took to fall asleep, symptoms like night-time waking or daytime tiredness, and even napping habits. 

The research team used a technique called latent transition analysis, which groups people by patterns instead of single traits. That lets them track how someone might move from being a good sleeper to an insomnia or catch‑up sleeper over the decade—and see whether job traits predicted those shifts.

The results

The study found that most workers (around 80%) fall into sedentary jobs, and those folks were 37% more likely to end up in the “insomnia sleeper” group—struggling with falling asleep, waking at night, and still feeling drained the next day.

The researchers also found that people working nonstandard shifts—like evenings, nights or weekends—were 66% more likely to be “catch-up sleepers,” meaning they needed extra naps or slept in just to function. 

These weren’t temporary issues: nearly 90% of those in the insomnia group stayed there 10 years later—showing that work-related sleep problems can seriously stick. 

Why this matters 

This study shows that it’s not just stress keeping you up—it could be your job’s basic setup: sitting all day or working odd hours. These factors don’t just affect you temporarily—they can shape your sleep for years. 

The good news? Since job design matters, employees (and employers) might find ways to reshape work habits—stand more, move more, simplify schedules—to protect sleep long-term.

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/is-your-job-costing-you-sleep-080525.html