Research reveals hidden sleep crisis among workers in mid-later life

Sleep disturbances are far more common among workers in mid-later life than previously believed, according to a study that links work-related stress to a range of wellbeing issues. 

Researchers found that nearly 70 per cent of participants experienced persistent, clinically significant sleep problems, despite having no known history of sleep disorders. Even more concerning, almost 92 per cent met the clinical threshold for a sleep disorder at least once during the study. 

Many of these sleep problems were closely linked to work-related stress, researchers say. Participants who reported better work-life balance and greater job satisfaction also tended to report better overall wellbeing, while feelings of gloom or irritability at work were associated with poorer wellbeing. 

Experts say the findings should encourage employers, policymakers and healthcare providers to place greater emphasis on sleep quality, workplace wellbeing and work-life balance to help workers over 50 remain healthy and economically active for longer. 

The year-long study from the University of Edinburgh followed 45 workers aged 50-66 years old from a range of employment sectors. Researchers collected more than 1,900 self-reported wellbeing and workplace assessments alongside over 5,200 days of wearable sensor data. 

They found that sleep problems, such as poor sleep quality and awakenings, were common across the participants. 

Experts say that sleep in healthy, working adults has been studied less extensively than in clinical populations, with many previous studies focusing on sleep duration or using less detailed monitoring methods, meaning sleep disturbances may have been overlooked. 

While participants often attributed poor sleep to not getting enough rest, data collected from wrist-worn devices demonstrates that frequent sleep disturbances and awakenings during the night were more often responsible. 

Data from the wearable devices showed that 90 per cent of participants experienced sleep disturbances throughout the study, despite most averaging between 6.5 and 8 hours of sleep a night. Researchers say the findings suggest that disrupted sleep, rather than insufficient sleep duration, may explain why many people reported feeling poorly rested. 

Researchers used artificial intelligence to identify the factors most strongly associated with sleep disruption and wellbeing from a wide range of potential influences. Workplace experiences consistently emerged as one of the most important factors, suggesting that work-related stress may be a key pathway through which work affects both sleep and overall wellbeing. 

The study also found that wellbeing was strongly associated with work-life balance and job satisfaction. Participants who reported feeling gloomy, irritated or tense at work consistently reported lower levels of wellbeing, with these associations observed across different employment sectors and regardless of gender. 

The findings come as the workforce ages rapidly. Around one in three UK workers is over 50, and the number of people aged over 65 is projected to reach 17.7 million by 2050. As ill health remains one of the leading reasons people leave work before retirement, supporting the health and wellbeing of older workers is increasingly important, experts say. 

The findings come from the Supporting Healthy Ageing at Work (SHAW) project – an interdisciplinary research programme led by the University of Edinburgh Business School. 

Study lead Athanasios Tsanas, Professor of Digital Health and Data Science at the University of Edinburgh's Usher Institute, said: "Having spent years analysing data from patients with clinical sleep and mental health disorders, I was genuinely surprised by the sheer scale of sleep problems we uncovered in this otherwise undiagnosed group. Our analysis clearly demonstrates that many of these sleep and wellbeing issues are work-related, with overall wellbeing heavily dependent on sustained work-life balance. By utilising longitudinal smartwatch data, we captured nuanced, previously unexplored patterns. Crucially, these findings point to actionable intervention strategies, offering a roadmap to help people build healthier, more sustainable lives as they get closer to the transition into retirement." 

While we knew from previous evidence that sleep can influence work, and work can influence sleep, we were surprised by the extent to which our non-clinical study population were struggling with their sleep. While there are certainly some age-related sleep disruptors, such as menopause and bodily ageing, there are also many wider factors such as care-related stress, financial stress and wider non-age-specific work-related stress. Our study highlights that sleep is a workplace health and wellbeing issue. Organisations and employers must consider the impact of work-related sleep problems on their workforce, focusing on workers over 50 in the context of our study, but relevant to all age groups." 

Dr. Belinda Steffan, Chancellor's Fellow at University of Edinburgh Business School