Predicting changes in sleep complaints from baseline values and changes in work demands, work control, and work...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sleep Science
• Psychology

Background:

• Stress is a commonly assumed cause of sleep disturbances, but robust longitudinal evidence is scarce.
• The prevalence of impaired sleep has been increasing, necessitating research into its contributing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the longitudinal relationship between changes in work demands, control, and preoccupation and the development of new cases of poor sleep.
• To provide empirical evidence on the impact of specific work-related stressors on sleep impairment over time.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study design was employed with data collected at two time points over a 5-year interval in Sweden.
• The study included 3637 individuals from the "WOLF Norrland" cohort, utilizing data from company health services.
• Logistic regression analyses were performed, adjusting for demographic and work environment factors.

Main Results:

• 16% of participants developed new cases of impaired sleep during the study period.
• High work demands and high work preoccupation were significantly associated with an increased risk of new sleep impairment.
• Changes in work preoccupation, particularly increases or consistently high levels, showed a stronger association with new sleep impairment than changes in work demands.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported work preoccupation is a significant predictor of subsequent sleep impairment.
• Increased work preoccupation is directly associated with the incidence of new sleep disturbances.
• Work demands also contribute to new sleep impairment, though to a lesser extent than work preoccupation.