Healthy sleeping habits ‘linked to reduced workplace absence rates’

People who sleep the recommended seven or eight hours a night are less likely to have to take time off work due to illness.

This is according to a new study published in the medical journal Sleep, which assessed a nationally representative survey of 3,760 men and women in Finland who had been working at any time in the prior year.

The risk of an extended absence from work due to sickness was shown to rise sharply among those who reported sleeping less than six hours or more than nine hours per night, whereas those with optimal sleep duration took the least time off.

Insomnia-related symptoms, early morning awakenings, feeling more tired and using sleeping pills were consistently associated with a significant increase in workdays lost to illness.

Principal investigator Dr Tea Lallukka, specialised researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, said: "Successful prevention of insomnia not only promotes health and work ability among employees, but it can also lead to notable savings in reduced sickness absence costs."

Previous research has suggested people with poor sleeping habits are also at a greater risk of obesity and chronic pain.