In Finland, psychological stressors are linked to sleep disorders in older workers
Sleep issues in older workers are correlated with mental stress elements from both the workplace and personal life.
Disturbances in sleep and recovery may have an impact on not only the enjoyment of life but also health, work, and overall functional ability, as sleep and sleep quality are crucial for recovery.
An understudied area, factors related to sleep among older workers, is now better understood thanks to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Turku. 2,771 Finnish municipal workers who were close to retiring were included in the study.
The study investigated the relationships between work-life balance, stressful life circumstances, mental and physical working conditions, and sleep issues in older employees.
Stress at work and at home is linked to sleep issues
According to a separate demographic study, nearly 70% of Finnish women and more than 50% of Finnish men aged 60 to 69 reported sleep problems in the previous month.
“We found four distinct factors in our study that are connected to mental stress. Marianna Virtanen, a psychology professor at the University of Eastern Finland, adds.
Loneliness and infrequent engagement with neighbors are examples of social and environmental non-work difficulties. Adversity that isn’t work-related but is caused by stressful life events or medical caregiving is referred to as this.
“The more stress an employee had at work and away from work, the more sleep issues they experienced as well.”
Flexibility is a crucial area to develop
Work-related stress was linked to current sleep issues, whereas loneliness and stress related to one’s living situation predicted worsening sleep issues during the follow-up. Different stress factors were linked to sleep problems in various ways.The psychosocial aspects of the workplace were also linked to poor sleep.
As stated in the study, “competence growth and fair management were described by the contents and arrangements of work, such as possibilities for influence and working hours.”
The initiative offers details on potential targets for elderly employees’ development interventions and measures.
Flexible working hours are a key area for improvement, says Virtanen, “especially when there are stress factors in private life, such as serious illness or death in the family, or providing informal care for someone.
