Working multiple jobs over a day or a week: Short-term effects on sleep duration

Abstract

Approximately 10% of the employed population in the United States works in multiple jobs. They are more likely to work long hours and in nonstandard work schedules, factors known to impact sleep duration and quality, and increase the risk of injury. In this study we used multivariate regression models to compare the duration of sleep in a 24-hour period between workers working in multiple jobs (MJHs) with single job holders (SJHs) controlling for other work schedule and demographic factors. We used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics US American Time Use Survey (ATUS) pooled over a 9-year period (2003–2011). We found that MJHs had significantly reduced sleep duration compared with SJHs due to a number of independent factors, such as working longer hours and more often late at night. Male MJHs, working in their primary job or more than one job on the diary day, also had significantly shorter sleep durations (up to 40 minutes less on a weekend day) than male SJHs, even after controlling for all other factors. Therefore, duration of work hours, time of day working and duration of travel for work may not be the only factors to consider when understanding if male MJHs are able to fit in enough recuperative rest from their busy schedule. Work at night had the greatest impact on sleep duration for females, reducing sleep time by almost an hour compared with females who did not work at night. We also hypothesize that the high frequency or fragmentation of non-leisure activities (e.g. work and travel for work) throughout the day and between jobs may have an additional impact on the duration and quality of sleep for MJHs.

0158 Chronotypes in the Us - Influence of Age and Sex

“…The response rate in the ATUS was only fair (50-58%) with no information about nonresponders and may indicate there could be time use bias as we might expect that those who are busier may not have as much time available to participate. However, we note that the distribution of hours worked and hours slept in the ATUS is overall representative of the national population, as reported elsewhere [53], and therefore we believe that any non-response bias would have little effect on our analyses. Furthermore, because we excluded respondents not in the labor force due to disabilities, the study sample is not nationally representative of the general population but representative of employed, retired and non-disabled unemployed respondents.…”

Joint effect of paid working hours and multiple job holding on work absence due to health problems among basic education teachers in Brazil: the Educatel Study

“…As already suggested for working hours, the choice (voluntary or forced) may be a relevant factor shaping the relationship between multiple job holding and health 6,34,35 . Several studies have observed that long working hours could not fully explain the higher risk of injuries and less sleep of workers with multiple job holding 8,9 . Another study assessing the relationship between multiple job holding and long-term sickness absence only Table 3 Distribution of outcome and explicative variables according to the number of schools and weekly hours worked.…”

“…In contrast, the effect of multiple job holding on health status has been scarcely studied. Studies in the United States have observed a higher risk of injuries and less sleep among multiple job-holders 8,9 , while a study conducted in Denmark found no associations of multiple job holding with long-term sickness absence 10 . Also, although the effect of working hours in this association has been discussed, its joint effect with multiple job holding has not been thoroughly assessed.…”

The Transition into Young Adulthood: a Critical Period for Weight Control

“…Inconsistent routines due to holding multiple jobs [37], working while attending school [15], and nontraditional work schedules [38] contribute to poor sleep quality and short sleep duration in this age group [39]. Though much remains to be discovered regarding the relation between sleep and weight, extant evidence supports a significant link between inadequate sleep and poor weight-related and cardiometabolic outcomes [40–42].…”