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Sleep behavior and unemployment conditions
Marina Antillón1, Diane S Lauderdale2, John Mullahy3
1Yale University, 60 College Street, P.O. Box 208034, New Haven, CT 06520, United States.
Economics and Human Biology
|June 25, 2014
Summary
Economic downturns, indicated by higher unemployment rates, are linked to increased sleep duration. Contrary to public perception, periods of high unemployment correlate with less reported sleeplessness.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Economics
- Sociology
Background:
- Short sleep duration is a known risk factor for adverse health outcomes, including obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart disease.
- Understanding factors influencing sleep duration is crucial for public health initiatives.
- Macroeconomic conditions may impact population-level sleep patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between macroeconomic conditions and mean sleep duration in the United States.
- To determine if this association is procyclical or countercyclical.
- To examine the relationship between unemployment and reported sleeplessness.
Main Methods:
- Merging state unemployment rates (2003-2012) with data from the American Time Use Survey.
- Utilizing a nationally representative sample of adults with 24-hour time diaries.
- Employing statistical analysis to adjust for secular trends in sleep duration.
Main Results:
- Higher aggregate unemployment rates were significantly associated with longer mean sleep duration (0.83 min per additional point of unemployment).
- This association persisted after adjusting for a secular trend of increasing sleep.
- Higher state unemployment was linked to less frequent self-reported "sleeplessness," contrary to public perception.
Conclusions:
- Macroeconomic conditions, specifically unemployment, appear to influence population-level sleep duration.
- Economic downturns are associated with increased sleep, not decreased sleep or more sleeplessness.
- Findings challenge the notion that economic hardship universally leads to sleep deprivation.
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