Sitting down at work may be bad for your sleep and could cause insomnia, research suggests

Sedentary work and a sedentary lifestyle can negatively affect your sleep, and symptoms often persist, a study shows. How to fix the problem

The health problems tied to office work have been widely circulated, with studies citing weight gain, carpal tunnel syndrome 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.

The study - published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology in January - found that people with sedentary jobs face a significantly heightened risk of insomnia.

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Analysing data from more than 1,200 workers over a 10-year period, 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. 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," lead study author Dr Claire Smith of the University of South Florida, in the US, said.

But, she added, 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."

The study found that workers who operate on non-traditional schedules often fall into the catch-up sleeper box, while white-collar employees tend to be either good sleepers or insomnia sleepers.

Smith said the research suggests that moving your body during the workday and limiting after-hours work may not just help you sleep well that night, but protect against ongoing sleep problems a decade later.

The study shows that workers who fall into a pattern of poor sleep because of their job design, such as long hours of sedentary work or erratic schedules, may end up stuck in such unhealthy patterns for years.

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, in the US state of Minnesota, also suggests including some kind of physical activity in your daily routine, with a warning to avoid being active close to bedtime.

It also recommends you be "mindful of light", saying "exposure to natural light in the morning can promote better synchronisation", aligning your body's natural circadian rhythm - its sleep-wake cycle - with your daily routine.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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