Objectively measured occupational and leisure-time physical activity: cross-sectional associations with sleep problems

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to investigate (i) the associations between occupational physical activity (OPA) and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) with insomnia symptoms and non-restorative sleep and (ii) the joint associations between OPA and LTPA with insomnia symptoms and non-restorative sleep, respectively. Methods Data were drawn from a cross-sectional study including 650 workers in the Danish PHysical ACTivity cohort with Objective measurements (DPhacto). OPA and LTPA were measured with accelerometers on the thigh and upper back for up to six consecutive days and subsequently divided into quartiles of "very low", "low", "medium" and "high" activity. We used logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for insomnia symptoms and non-restorative sleep associated with OPA and LTPA. Results A 10% increase in OPA was associated with a higher prevalence of insomnia symptoms (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.03-1.89) but not with the prevalence of non-restorative sleep (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.71-1.21). On the other hand, a 10% increase in LTPA was associated with a lower prevalence of non-restorative sleep (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.28-0.92). Although no significant additive interaction was found, analyses of the joint association of OPA and LTPA showed that people with high OPA and low LTPA had an OR of 2.07 (95% CI 1.01-4.24) for insomnia symptoms, compared to those with low OPA and high LTPA, whereas people with high levels of both OPA and LTPA had an OR of 1.47 (95% CI 0.73-2.96). Conclusions While LTPA was associated with lower prevalence of sleep problems, OPA was associated with higher prevalence of insomnia symptoms. A combination of high OPA and low LTPA were more strongly associated with insomnia symptoms compared to a combination of low OPA and high LTPA.

Effects of Occupational and Leisure-Time Physical Activities on Insomnia in Korean Firefighters

“…In addition, the insomnia risk was significantly increased in the case of feeling much of physical burden during firefighting work (high subjective OPA) and if the frequency of occupational activities was ≥5 times a week. These results are consistent with previous studies according to which a high level of OPA and working long hours significantly increased the sleep disturbance risk [ 11 , 21 , 32 ].…”

“…Therefore, in this study, reflecting this point, the FoJL and PSUR during work through the survey responses were also considered OPA and included in the analysis. In previous studies on PA and insomnia, PA was measured objectively using an accelerometer [ 11 , 13 ]. However, since the previous studies were conducted on general population groups, and this study was conducted on firefighters who were already known to have high OPA, it was considered appropriate to apply the above operational definitions.…”

“…However, the PA mentioned in these studies is restricted to leisure time PA (LTPA). In addition to LTPA, another important category of PA that must be considered is occupational PA (OPA) [ 11 ]. OPA refers to all work-related demands exerted on workers, not only mechanical loads, such as long working hours, but also metabolic loads and feelings of burden [ 12 , 13 ].…”

“…Unlike LTPA, OPA is strongly associated with negative health conditions [ 14 ]. Regarding sleep, Skarpsno et al measured the OPA and LTPA of individuals, using an accelerometer, and reported that LTPA was associated with a low prevalence of sleep problems, while OPA was associated with a high prevalence [ 11 ]. Thus, because OPA and LTPA may have contrasting effects on individual’s sleep, it is necessary to examine them separately.…”

Physical activity measured with wrist and ankle accelerometers: Age, gender, and BMI effects

“…Circadian rhythms influence PA-related biological processes [ 10 ] and behavioral factors [ 11 ] and research has started to recognize the importance of sleep-awake cycles when exploring gender-related [ 12 ], obesity-related [ 13 ] and age-related [ 14 ] differences of PA. Irregular patterns of sleep-wake cycles are associated with poor mental health [ 15 ], lower PA trends [ 16 ], and higher engagement in occupational than in leisure PA [ 17 ]. Scarce consideration has been given to how PA measures of upper and lower extremities between day and night periods could vary by gender, BMI, and age in healthy individuals, despite the evidence that these demographics factors impact PA mean levels [ 18 ] and PA variability [ 17 ]. In addition to sleep-wake cyclic rhythms [ 10 ], circadian changes in neurobiological systems [ 19 ] also influence patterns of activity and PA performance [ 20 ], highlighting the importance of studying effects of diurnal patterns of PA.…”