The psychological and social dynamics of a stressful job can lead to prolonged sleep problems, according to the Business Insider.
A team of scientists from the National Institute of Occupational Health in Norway analyzed more than 5,000 workers from 63 different companies.
They determined that four key factors — heavy workload, lack of decision control, role conflict and little support from superiors — can cause a person to have difficulty falling, or staying, asleep.
Those same sleep problems were still evident two years later, indicating long-term consequences, the scientists wrote in the journal SLEEP.
Over time, sleep issues can lead to serious health problems, such as headaches, impaired speech, and even heart disease.
The study set out to determine if specific workplace factors could play a role in workers’ sleep.
Participants completed web-based questionnaires, with questions about 13 psychological and social work factors, including predictability during the next month, empowering leadership, positive challenges, control of work pacing and more.
