Abstract
BackgroundThe objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between irregular work schedules and sleep disturbance and compare the impacts of work schedule on sleep disturbance between occupational drivers and office workers.MethodsUsing data from the 3rd and 4th Korean Working Conditions Survey, 3,070 occupational drivers and 9,898 office workers were included in this study. The subjects’ days of night work, evening work, and subjective complaints of sleep disturbance were investigated along with other covariates.ResultsIn the multivariate logistic regression analyses, occupational drivers (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51, 1.11–2.05), workers who were engaged in more night work (2.49, 1.84–3.38 for 1–15 days, and 3.80, 2.67–5.41 for 16–30 days) and evening work (2.22, 1.66–2.97 for 1–15 days, and 1.76, 1.26–2.45) were more likely to report sleep disturbance. Moreover, occupational driving showed significant interaction effects with both night and evening work on sleep disturbance, and therefore, showed higher ORs for sleep disturbance in the 16–30 days night (5.38, 3.40–8.52) and evening (3.13, 1.97–4.98) compared to no night and evening working office workers.ConclusionsOccupational drivers who are exposed to night work and evening work are at higher risks for sleep disturbance. Therefore, for the public and drivers’ safety, optimal work schedules for minimising sleep disturbance should be developed.
Highlights
Sleep problems are commonly reported work-related health outcomes,[1] and negatively affect workers in various ways
The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between irregular work schedules and sleep disturbance and compare the impacts of work schedule on sleep disturbance between occupational drivers and office workers
In the multivariate logistic regression analyses, occupational drivers, workers who were engaged in more night work (2.49, 1.84–3.38 for 1–15 days, and 3.80, 2.67–5.41 for 16–30 days) and evening work (2.22, 1.66–2.97 for 1–15 days, and 1.76, 1.26–2.45) were more likely to report sleep disturbance
Summary
Sleep problems are commonly reported work-related health outcomes,[1] and negatively affect workers in various ways. Sleepiness at the wheel or microsleeping during work, which are consequences of poor sleep at night,[4] have been frequently reported as important causes of road traffic accidents, since it impairs vigilance and performance while driving.[5,6,7,8,9] occupational drivers are required to maintain alertness during work, since their alertness is closely related to the public safety, as well as the safety of drivers themselves. It has been reported that sleep problems are prevalent among occupational drivers.[10, 11] it is important to investigate the factors related to sleep problems among occupational drivers. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between irregular work schedules and sleep disturbance and compare the impacts of work schedule on sleep disturbance between occupational drivers and office workers
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