Associations Between Weekly Commute Time, Weekday Sleep Duration, and Driving Fatigue Among Working Adults in Israel

Long commutes are recognized as an occupational health risk and road safety risk. In high-traffic countries, prolonged commuting may represent a potentially significant yet underexplored public health concern, particularly with respect to gender-specific vulnerability patterns. This study thus examines the association between weekly commute time, weekday sleep duration, and driving fatigue via a gender-based analysis.

Data relating to 3,387 employed adults were drawn from the 2023 Israel Social Survey. Long commuting was defined as ≥15 hours/week; 20.2% of the survey respondents were long commuters, 54.7% were women, and 45.3% were men. Outcomes measured included insufficient sleep duration (<6.5 hours) and self-reported driving fatigue. Multivariable logistic regression models were stratified by gender and adjusted for demographic and work-related variables.

Long commuting was linked to insufficient sleep duration [odds ratio (OR) = 1.56] and increased driving fatigue (OR = 1.71) among women and with driving fatigue (OR = 2.13) but not significantly with sleep duration among men. Health behaviors differed according to gender, with women with long commutes engaging in more physical activity (46.2% vs. 40.3%) and exhibiting lower obesity rates (18.1% vs. 19.3%) and men being less active, more obese, and smoking more frequently.

Extended weekly commuting appears to be an independent gender-specific occupational health risk factor, exerting effects on sleep, fatigue, and health behaviors. Women report more sleep disruption, while men experience higher fatigue and adverse health behaviors. These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive health interventions, flexible work policies, improved transportation infrastructure, and recognition of commuting as an important modifiable determinant of worker health.