An Epidemiologic Review on Occupational Sleep Research among Japanese Workers

Abstract

Epidemiologic sleep research on Japanese workers has been increasing in recent years. It is timely to give an overview of the sleep issues facing the Japanese working population by reviewing the accumulated epidemiological evidence, which will contribute to the promotion of a sound occupational health policy and the development of occupational sleep research in epidemiology. This paper reviews 24 studies, 13 for non-shift and 11 for shift Japanese workers, identified by using MEDLINE and Japan Cetra Revuo Medicina. The results reviewed are as follows: 1) the prevalence of insomnia and other sleep problems is substantially varied, 5 to 45% for non-shift and 29 to 38% for shift workers, 2) poor sleep quality is related to health, occupational activities and personal relations, 3) the risk or associated factors are identified in pathophysiology (e.g., hypertension), lifestyle behaviors (e.g., diet, alcohol, tobacco), job-related conditions (e.g., job stress, social support, job dissatisfaction, workload, shift schedules) and psychopathology (e.g., depressed mood). The methodological limitations found in the studies and the strategies of future epidemiologic sleep research in workers are discussed.

Shift work and work- related stress symptoms in health care workers in a tertiary hospital in Medellin, Colombia: A cross-sectional study

“…A number of studies have looked into the association between sleep quality and quantity and shift work, and some of them have found altered patterns in shift workers (Doi, 2005), while in this study there was no a significant difference in the selfreported hours of sleep between shift workers and day workers. When hours of sleep and other factors were controlled for in the multivariate model, the relationship between shift work and overall stress is not significant.…”

Job stress and poor sleep quality: Data from an American sample of full-time workers

“…Numerous studies have been conducted in Japan (Doi, 2005;Doi et al, 1999;Nakata et al, 2004;Nakata et al, 2000;Ota et al, 2005;Sekine et al, 2006;Utsugi et al, 2005), Finland (Urponen, Vuori, Hasan, & Partinen, 1988), Sweden (Linton, 2004), Germany (Frese & Harwich, 1984), Belgium (Pelfrene et al, 2002), and France (Ribet & Derrienic, 1999). There may be international differences in the significance and magnitude of associations due to variations in cultural contexts.…”

Changes in back pain, sleep quality, and perceived stress after introduction of new bedding systems

“…Lack of sleep can intensify the degree of stress, 17 and shortened or disturbed sleep causes increases in levels of traditional stress markers 6 and may exacerbate the effects of stress. [18][19][20] Both mental and physical processes decline with inadequate sleep. Poor sleep quality is associated with anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.…”