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Occupational Medicine Advance Access originally published online on January 22, 2008
Occupational Medicine 2008 58(2):138-140; doi:10.1093/occmed/kqm150
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Short Reports

Work-related factors, sleep debt and insomnia in IT professionals

Marketta Kivistö1, Mikko Härmä2, Mikael Sallinen2 and Raija Kalimo3

1 Centre of Expertise for Health and Work Ability, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland
2 Centre of Expertise for Human Factors at Work, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland
3 Professor (emerita) of Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (retired)

Background Reduced sleep can be associated with a risk of health problems. Information technologies (IT) professionals often work long hours and this could have an effect on their sleep quality.

Aims To examine the prevalence of sleep debt, insomnia and long working hours among Finnish IT professionals and to analyse which specific work-related factors are associated with shortened sleep.

Methods Cross-sectional, representative data from a questionnaire survey of IT professionals. Hierarchical regression analyses were applied to investigate relationships of sleep debt and insomnia.

Results A total of 2334 IT professionals responded to the survey. Thirty-seven per cent reported sleep debt of at least 1 h and 6% of at least 2 h, while 16% reported insomnia. Twenty-seven per cent worked for a minimum of 50 h a week, while 31% spent at least 50 h a week on work. The most important factors associated with both sleep debt and insomnia were work-related demands requiring long hours, mental stamina and problem solving and positive perceptions of work, such as job control and importance of the respondents' own work in their life.

Conclusions Even though long working hours were common among IT professionals in Finland, sleep debt and insomnia were not. Work-related factors were associated with insufficient sleep.

Keywords      Insomnia; IT professionals; sleep debt; work; working hours

Correspondence to: Marketta Kivistö, Centre of Expertise for Health and Work Ability, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland. Tel: +358 304741; fax: +358 304742651; e-mail: marketta.kivisto{at}ttl.fi


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