Job Strain Could Cause Sleepless Nights for Middle-Aged Adults

Learn more about why a stressful job can lead to poor sleep and what can be done about it.

By Monica Cull
Jan 8, 2025 4:45 PMJan 9, 2025 9:29 PM
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(Credit: fizkes/Shutterstock)

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Getting enough sleep is crucial to your physical and mental well-being. Yet, lack of sleep is something many of us experience. New findings published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine state that 1 in 7 adults have difficulty falling asleep, while 1 in 6 adults have trouble staying asleep. There can be several reasons for this, according to the Harvard Medical School. These include poor diet and lack of exercise, along with sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. 

However, one major issue is stress. According to experts from Johns Hopkins, about 44 percent of adults claimed that stress lead to one or more sleepless nights. While many factors can cause stress in our lives, such as money, health, and relationships, recent findings indicate that job stress is causing some U.S. adults to sleep poorly. 

How No Sleep Impacts Work

Having a stressful job is nothing new. Around 65 percent of working adults in the U.S. consider their jobs a form of stress in their lives, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This stress can be harmful to an employee's physical and mental health, especially if they aren’t getting enough sleep. 

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