0411 INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS AND TIME-USE IN THE WORKING POPULATION: AN EXPLORATIVE STUDY USING DIARY DATA

Abstract

Insomnia symptoms in the working population might be related to insufficient time for recovery between workdays. The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in time-use pattern during a workweek between employees with insomnia symptoms and employees considered to be good sleepers. Participants (N=579; 76% women) were full-time workers within the public sector in Sweden. Data were collected during one week through questionnaires and diaries. Time-use was reported through 13 different activity categories every half hour daily between 06:00 am and 01:00 am the next night. Differences in the amount of paid work (including overtime), non-paid work (including domestic work, care for children and care for others) and free-time/recovery activities were explored on workdays and days off separately. Among participants, 22% were classified as suffering from insomnia according to the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire. During workdays, employees suffering from insomnia spent on average 7:59 hours (h) on paid work, 1:46 h on non-paid work and 5:58 h on free-time/recovery activities. For good sleepers the corresponding time-use was 8:03 h for paid work, 1:34 h on non-paid work and 6:02 h on free-time/recovery activities. Analyses of variance showed that time-use patterns did not differ significantly between the groups, even when adjusting for gender and age. On days off, there were similarly no significant differences between the groups. Insomnia symptoms do not seem to be related to time-use among full-time workers in the public sector in Sweden.