Gill WestonGill Weston, researcher and consultant on work-related wellbeing, shares research from her recent study on the differences between the sleep quality and quantity of people with atypical work patterns and people with typical 9-to-5 Monday-to-Friday type work patterns. The research was conducted as part of Gill’s PhD at the ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies within the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care.
How much sleep do working adults need?
Individual sleep needs vary, but generally, adults japan rcs data aged up to 64 years are recommended to sleep at least seven hours per night, fall asleep within about 30 minutes, wake for no more than five minutes once per night, and feel satisfied with their sleep. Yet poor sleep, such as sleeping for less than 7 hours per night, and difficulties with initiating and/or maintaining sleep is common, particularly on workdays.
Habitually poor sleep has been linked to chronic diseases, mental and cognitive health problems, and work-related injuries. It’s also been linked to productivity losses; indeed the economic toll of poor sleep in the UK is estimated at over £40 billion annually.