Impact of sleep disturbances on employment and work productivity among midlife women in the US SWAN database: a brief report

Abstract

Objective: Menopause is associated with an increased prevalence of sleep difficulties. We evaluated the economic burden of sleep disturbances among working midlife women. Methods: This retrospective, longitudinal cohort study collected data from the US Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) database of women age 42-52 years at enrollment. We assessed the association between sleep disturbances (trouble falling asleep, waking early, or nocturnal awakenings) and workplace productivity (employment [yes/no] and work hours/wk) for women who were employed at the baseline visit and had ≥1 follow-up visit. We estimated overall economic burden by multiplying changes in productivity by median age-specific hourly US wages. Each woman's data were compared from visit to visit and were excluded after the first observed unemployment. Regression analysis was used to estimate associations between changes in sleep and changes in workplace productivity while controlling for relevant characteristics that varied over time. Results: The analysis included 2,489 working women (19,707 visits); 31% became unemployed during follow-up. Risk of unemployment was 31% higher for women with versus without new-onset sleep disturbances ( P = 0.0474). Onset of sleep disturbances was associated with a 0.44-0.57 hours/wk reduction in work time (not significant). Using the more conservative reduction (0.44 h), sleep problems were associated with an annual loss of $517 to $524 per woman and $2.2 billion/yr in lost productivity among women age 42-64 nationwide. Conclusions: New-onset sleep problems in midlife women are associated with significant increases in risk of unemployment and ∼$2 billion/yr in lost productivity nationwide. Video Summary : .

Preliminary Cost Variance Modeling to Compare Autologous Intraovarian Platelet-Rich Plasma vs. Standard Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause Management

“…While sleep quality, daytime fatigue, and workplace productivity share connections, precise quantification of relevant factors is complex and surprisingly difficult to study. Detailed research (Kagan et al, 2021) reported unemployment risk to be >30% higher for women with vs. without new-onset sleep disturbances. For women age 42-64 in USA, annual lost productivity attributed to sleep disorders exceeded $2B (Kagan et al, 2021).…”

“…Detailed research (Kagan et al, 2021) reported unemployment risk to be >30% higher for women with vs. without new-onset sleep disturbances. For women age 42-64 in USA, annual lost productivity attributed to sleep disorders exceeded $2B (Kagan et al, 2021).…”

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“…Sleep problems are associated with increased risks for chronic physical conditions (e.g., type 2 diabetes [Yao et al, 2021]), poor mental health (e.g., depression [Li et al, 2016]), and higher mortality (Li et al, 2014). Some literature also shows that sleep problems are risk factors for unemployment and decreased work productivity (Kagan et al, 2021). The deleterious effects of sleep problems at the individual and population levels may be particularly pronounced in LMICs, where the treatment and management of sleep problems are frequently insufficient (Arag on-Arreola et al, 2016).…”

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