Work-related rumination and worry at bedtime are associated with worse sleep indicators in schoolteachers: a study based on actigraphy and sleep diaries.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Work-related rumination and worry are indicators of occupational stress which can impact sleep when they occur close to bedtime. This study examined the relationship between these repetitive thoughts before sleep with objective and subjective sleep parameters.

METHODS

A microlongitudinal study was carried out with schoolteachers who answered questions on rumination and worry before sleep, wore a wrist actigraph, and completed a sleep diary for 5 to 7 consecutive days. Analysis used mixed-effects repeated measures linear models adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health status.

RESULTS

Among the 134 schoolteachers studied, 64.9% were women and were aged 41.9 ± 9.5 years. In the fully adjusted analysis, actigraphy indicated that a wake-up time <6:30 a.m. was associated with both rumination (relative risk (RR) = 1.67; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.21-2.31) and worry (RR = 2.44; 95%CI = 1.63-3.64). Moreover, actigraphy-measured nighttime sleep duration <7 h (RR = 1.23; 95%CI = 1.03-1.47) and self-reported sleep latency >15 min (RR = 1.43; 95%CI = 1.02-2.02) were associated with work-related worry.

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of work-related repetitive thoughts before sleep, particularly worry about next-day issues, is associated with an increased risk of impaired objective and subjective sleep indicators. These findings suggest that these cognitive processes related to work should be addressed in strategies aimed at preventing and treating sleep disturbances and their individual and occupational consequences.