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Updated: Jul 25, 2025
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Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
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Onsite versus home-office: differences in sleep patterns according to workplace.
Naomi Staller1, Mirja Quante2, Helen Deutsch2
1Department of Biology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
Summary
Onsite workers had earlier wake times than remote workers during COVID-19. However, work environment had minimal impact on overall sleep patterns, efficiency, or duration for students and employees.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Science
- Chronobiology
- Occupational Health
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic altered work environments, impacting sleep patterns.
- Understanding sleep differences between onsite and remote work is crucial for public health.
- Actigraphy is a reliable method for objective sleep assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare sleep patterns of students and employees working onsite versus remotely.
- To evaluate the impact of work environment on sleep parameters during the pandemic.
- To investigate differences in sleep timing, efficiency, and duration.
Main Methods:
- 75 students/employees (40 onsite, 35 remote) participated.
- Data collected via actigraphy, sleep diary, and online questionnaire (Dec 2020-Jan 2022).
- Statistical analyses included t-tests and a general linear model.
Main Results:
- Onsite workers had significantly earlier rise times and midpoints of sleep on weekdays.
- No significant differences were found in sleep efficiency, duration, or variability.
- Remote workers experienced a delay in sleep timing without affecting other sleep parameters.
Conclusions:
- Work environment had a marginal impact on overall sleep patterns and health.
- Remote work was associated with delayed sleep timing but not reduced sleep quality or duration.
- Sleep timing variability remained consistent across both work environments.
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