Return to office initiatives have sparked conversations about work-life balance and productivity. While some have argued that workers are less productive at home, others suggest that in-person work leads to more stress.
To gain an understanding of how work impacts sleep, if career-stressors are keeping workers up at night, and how common napping during the workday is, in March, Sleep Doctor surveyed 1,250 full-time workers.
Notable findings:
- 1 in 3 workers nap every week during work hours
- 1 in 3 miss meetings, deadlines because they are napping
- 1 in 4 remote workers have fallen asleep during a meeting
- 3 in 4 workers lose sleep over job stressors; hybrid and high-level employees are more likely to lose sleep
- Most common workplace stressors are work-life balance, long hours, and demanding projects
Thirty-Three Percent of Workers Nap Every Week During Work Hours
Overall, 46% of workers say they nap during the workday at least a few times a year. However, many are napping much more often than several times a year. In fact, 33% report that they nap weekly; 6% say daily, 18% say several times per week, and 9% say once per week.
Remote and hybrid workers are more likely to take naps during the workday than in-person workers. On a weekly basis, 34% of remote workers take naps compared to 45% of hybrid workers and 27% of in-person workers.
Younger workers and men are more likely to nap. Fifty-two percent of men report that they nap at least a few times a year during the workday versus 38% of women. Additionally, 54% of workers aged 18 to 34 nap during the workday, while 46% of workers ages 35-54 and only 25% of workers over 55 do.
The most common location for in-person workers to nap is their car (50%). Additionally, 33% nap at their desk, 20% in a company designated napping place, 14% return home, and 9% in the bathroom.
“I never recommend napping for people with insomnia,” explains Dr. Michael Breus, clinical psychologist and sleep medicine expert at Sleep Doctor. “If people have difficulty either falling asleep or staying asleep at night, napping is about the worst thing. The only time that I like to encourage napping would be when somebody has gotten less than six hours of sleep the night before.”
Remote workers take the longest naps
Of those who nap during the workday, 27% nap for 15 to 29 minutes, 24% for 30 to 59 minutes, and 26% for less than 15 minutes. Additionally, 12% nap for 1 hour, 9% for 2 hours, and 3% for 3 hours or more.
Those who work remotely were found to nap the longest among full-time employees. Of those who nap, about one-third (34%) of remote workers and 31% of hybrid workers nap for more than an hour on average. In comparison, only 15% of in-person workers who nap do so for more than an hour.
“The optimal nap time is 25 minutes or less,” says Dr. Breus. “If you nap longer than 25 minutes, you start to get into stage 3 and 4 sleep, where it’s much more difficult to wake up. If you sleep less than 25 minutes, it’s much easier to wake up and feel more refreshed.”
Only 20% have faced consequences for sleeping on the job. Of those who suffered consequences, 62% say they had to check in with their supervisor more often, 56% had their workload changed, 49% needed to sit down with their manager, 24% were suspended, and 17% were fired.
1 in 10 nap because they are bored
The reasons workers nap include to re-energize (62%), recover from poor sleep at night (44%), handle long working hours (32%), stress (32%), boredom (11%), and to avoid work (6%).
“Napping can absolutely help you recover from poor sleep the previous night,” explains Dr. Breus. “There’s actually data to show even a seven minute nap can make a difference, and a NASA study showed that napping increased alertness.”
1 in 4 remote workers have fallen asleep during a meeting
Napping also has performance consequences for employees. Sixteen percent of nappers miss meetings at least once a month due to sleeping during the workday, while 17% miss deadlines at this same frequency.
Workers also admit to falling asleep during meetings they attend. In fact, 17% of employees say they’ve fallen asleep during an in-person meeting in the past year, and 27% of employees who say they’ve fallen asleep during a remote meeting in the past year. Of those who nap during remote meetings, 70% turn both their camera and sound off.
More than half of workers say they’ve called in sick because they were tired in the past year at least once, while 5% say they did 5 or more times.
Three in Four Workers Lose Sleep Nightly Over Job Stressors
Career stressors frequently cause employees to lose nightly sleep. In fact, 77% of full-time workers say they lose sleep on an average night over job stressors.
Ten percent say they lose 3 hours of sleep or more nightly due to career-related stressors. Additionally, 22% say they lose 2 hours, 25% lose 1 hour, 9% lose between 30 to 59 minutes, 7% lose 15 to 29 minutes, and 4% lose less than 15 minutes.
Hybrid workers were the most likely to report sleep difficulties due to work stressors; 88% of hybrid workers say they lose sleep on a nightly basis, while 71% of remote workers and 73% of in-person workers do.
High-level employees, such as senior managers and CEOs, were more likely to say they lose sleep over career stress compared to lower level employees (84% vs. 71% respectively).
Younger workers also report losing sleep more often than older workers. Seventy-nine percent of workers ages 18 to 24 say they lose sleep over job stressors, as do 81% of 25 to 24 year olds, and 79% of 35 to 44 year olds. Conversely, 73% of workers ages 45 to 54 say they lose sleep over career stress, and 63% of workers 55 or older.
“You should really understand your chronotype,” says Breus. “You can also stop caffeine by 2 p.m, exercise daily (but probably not within four hours of bed), and eliminate alcohol within three hours of sleep. These guidelines are helpful for managing stress and improving sleep when done at the appropriate time.”
Work-life balance is the most common job stressor
The most common reason workers are losing sleep over their job is work-life balance (56%).
Additionally, 39% lose sleep due to long hours, 39% because of demanding projects, 37% due to upcoming deadlines, 30% because they are struggling to get to work on time, and 22% because of issues with their boss. Further, 20% say they lose sleep because of interpersonal conflict in the workplace, and 19% due to fears of being laid off or fired.
Methodology
This survey was commissioned by Sleep Doctor and conducted online by the survey platform Pollfish. It was launched on March 13, 2024. Overall 1,250 full-time US workers completed the full survey.
About The Author
Certified Sleep Science Coach, Director of Product Testing
David is a Certified Sleep Science Coach with a lifelong passion for well-being and health optimization. His interest in sleep developed with the arrival of his son, when sleep suddenly became a precious commodity.
- POSITION: Side Sleeper
- TEMPERATURE: Hot Sleeper
- CHRONOTYPE: Lion
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