People working shifts or unusual hours should be paid more as they have significantly worse quality and quantity of sleep compared to those with a regular 40-hour work schedule, a study has found.
Researchers from three UK universities analysed the work and sleep patterns of more than 25,000 men and women between 2012 and 2017 using data taken from the UK Household Longitudinal Study.
People working 55 hours a week or more were found to have the poorest sleep – including short sleep (fewer than seven hours a night) and sleep disturbances such as waking up in the middle of the night or early in the morning.
Those who worked most or all weekends and nonstandard patterns like shifts also experienced sleep disturbance, and either short sleep or long sleep (more than eight hours a night).
Compared to weekday workers, men were more likely to experience short sleep if they frequently worked weekends, whereas women were more likely to experience short sleep if they worked any weekends.
Poor sleep has been linked to long-term health damage including an increased risk of diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack and stroke. Scientists say that adults should get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night.
The study’s lead author Gillian Weston, at UCL’s department of Epidemiology and Public Health, told the Standard: “The repercussions of poor sleep extend beyond mere fatigue. Research demonstrates both long and short sleep durations are associated with poor health, emphasising the critical role of balanced sleep in overall well-being.
“Insufficient sleep and sleep problems are linked with mental and cognitive health issues, chronic diseases, and even work-related injuries. The economic toll of poor sleep is staggering, with productivity losses estimated at over £40 billion annually in the UK alone.”
Participants in the study were asked a series of questions about their jobs, hours of work, health and sleep.
They also looked at whether there were any gender differences in the associations between atypical work patterns and sleep – and found that the link between long work hours and short sleep was stronger for women.
Dr Weston said: “Women who work weekends tend to be concentrated in low-paid service sector jobs, with the poorest work conditions, such as low work autonomy and job satisfaction. This might explain why women are more likely to experience short sleep if they work weekends.”
The researchers, from UCL, the University of Southampton and Queen Mary University of London, urged employers to create a “sleep-friendly” work environment by minimising overtime culture, providing sufficient breaks and allowing workers to disengage from work outside their normal working hours.
Employers should also consider aligning schedules with workers’ chronotypes, the circadian rhythm that controls sleep and cognitive function. People who naturally rise early are defined as “larks” while those who stay up late are “owls”.
The team also suggest that employees who must work long and irregular hours should be compensated for the negative consequences of these work through additional paid leave or financial reward.
Dr Weston said: “By acknowledging the impact of atypical temporal work patterns on sleep and taking proactive measures, employers and policymakers can contribute to a healthier, more productive workforce.
“After all, a good night’s sleep is an investment in both individual and collective success.”
