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Published on: October 2, 2019
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One-year changes in self-reported napping behaviors across the retirement transition
Christine M Harden1, Paul E Peppard2, Mari Palta3
1Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 610 Walnut St, Madison, WI 53726; Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
Sleep Health
|November 16, 2019
Summary
Full retirement is linked to increased napping, specifically a rise in nap frequency, not duration. This finding highlights how retirement transitions impact daily sleep patterns.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sleep Science
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Retirement is a significant life transition impacting daily routines and health.
- Napping is a common behavior, but its relationship with retirement is not well-understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between retirement transitions and changes in napping frequency and duration.
- To quantify the impact of full retirement versus continued employment on weekly napping patterns.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study of 1359 Wisconsin state employees (aged 54-69) was conducted.
- Four annual surveys collected data on employment status and nap characteristics over a 1-year period.
- General linear mixed models analyzed changes in minutes napped per week (MNPW), nap frequency, and nap duration, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Full retirement predicted a statistically significant increase in MNPW (+48 minutes/week) compared to stable employment.
- This increase in MNPW was primarily driven by a higher nap frequency (+0.4 days/week).
- Staged retirement transitions (full-time to part-time, or part-time to full retirement) did not show significant associations with MNPW changes.
Conclusions:
- Full retirement is associated with a notable increase in weekly napping, mainly due to more frequent naps.
- Nap duration did not significantly change with retirement transitions.
- These findings suggest that retirement significantly alters napping behavior, primarily by increasing the frequency of naps.
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