• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechDigital Health

Your Career Is Killing Your Good Night’s Sleep

Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 27, 2016, 12:13 PM ET
Tony Blair Attends EU Summit 2007
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - JUNE 23: A journalist sleeps at his desk as the negociations continue into the night at the European Council on June 23, 2007 in Brussels, Belgium. Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair is attending his last European Union Summit before stepping down next week. EU leaders will hold a series of bilateral talks today to try and reach agreement on proposals to replace a constitution plan rejected in 2005. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)Photograph by Peter Macdiarmid—Getty Images

It’s clear that lack of sleep hurts an employee’s performance at work. The flip side is that work anxieties feed into sleep deprivation. Chicken, meet egg.

In case you don’t believe what seems obvious to most humans, there is now some data to back this up.

According to recently released research out of Norway, people who stress about workloads, lack of time to get to their jobs, and/or who have conflicts with colleagues or bosses, may have trouble sleeping. Norway’s National Institute of Occupational Health surveyed 5,070 people across 62 companies for two years, to find out what most of us probably already knew. Still, validation is nice.

If you prefer tech-speak, here’s a recap from the Science Daily excerpt published last week:

Results show that quantitative job demands, decision control, role conflict and support from a superior in the workplace were the most consistent predictors of troubled sleep, which was characterized by difficulty initiating sleep or disturbed sleep.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The good news here could be that the researchers characterize all these work factors as “modifiable,” which means that changes in how the workplace operates could lead to better, deeper sleep for employees.

There are other facts and figures as well. A Careerbuilders-sponsored survey showed the bulk of 3,200 people responding said that work issues affect their sleep. Well over half (60%) said they dream about work and 13% said that such dreams happen often.

One in Three Americans Is Not Getting Enough Sleep

These self-reported dreams (nightmares?) take different forms. A tenth of those surveyed say they’ve dreamt about telling off their boss; the same percentage dreamed of fighting with a co-worker. Interestingly, 14% said they dreamed about “hooking up” with a colleague and 9% dreamed about going to the office in their PJs or without some or all of their clothing.

About the Author
Barb Darrow
By Barb Darrow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

The hidden menace behind Big Tech’s AI arms race: Meta, Amazon and others are spending billions on hardware that’s worthless in 3 years
AIFinance
The hidden menace behind Big Tech’s AI arms race: Meta, Amazon and others are spending billions on hardware that’s worthless in 3 years
By Shawn TullyApril 15, 2026
2 hours ago
The billionaire Anthropic cofounder who majored in literature says knowing how to ask the right questions beats knowing how to code
SuccessTech
The billionaire Anthropic cofounder who majored in literature says knowing how to ask the right questions beats knowing how to code
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 14, 2026
12 hours ago
TOKYO, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 3: Open AI CEO Sam Altman speaks during a talk session with SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son at an event titled "Transforming Business through AI" in Tokyo, Japan, on February 03, 2025. SoftBank and OpenAI announced that they have agreed a partnership to set up a joint venture for artificial intelligence services in Japan today. (Photo by Tomohiro Oh
CybersecuritySam Altman
From Molotov cocktails to data center shutdowns, the AI backlash is turning revolutionary
By Eva RoytburgApril 14, 2026
13 hours ago
Dow COO Karen Carter wearing a white lab coat and sitting while smiling
C-SuiteNext to Lead
Dow’s CEO pick elevates a seasoned insider at a pivotal moment for the chemical giant
By Ruth UmohApril 14, 2026
15 hours ago
Anthropic’s Mythos reveals a growing security gap: AI finds flaws far faster than companies can patch them
AIEye on AI
Anthropic’s Mythos reveals a growing security gap: AI finds flaws far faster than companies can patch them
By Sharon GoldmanApril 14, 2026
15 hours ago
Sam Altman’s attacker had a kill list of AI executives. Experts warn this is just the beginning
AIchief executive officer (CEO)
Sam Altman’s attacker had a kill list of AI executives. Experts warn this is just the beginning
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 14, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated again—a week after gifting millions to a college, she's just given $70 million to Meals on Wheels America
Success
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated again—a week after gifting millions to a college, she's just given $70 million to Meals on Wheels America
By Fortune EditorsApril 13, 2026
2 days ago
Retirees are facing a $345,000 bill they never saw coming — and most aren't prepared
Commentary
Retirees are facing a $345,000 bill they never saw coming — and most aren't prepared
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
23 hours ago
He was coding at 12 like Elon Musk and became one of Google’s youngest-ever CMOs—but now says Gen Z is better off ice skating than learning to code
Success
He was coding at 12 like Elon Musk and became one of Google’s youngest-ever CMOs—but now says Gen Z is better off ice skating than learning to code
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
1 day ago
Anthropic is facing a wave of user backlash over reports of performance issues with its Claude AI chatbot
AI
Anthropic is facing a wave of user backlash over reports of performance issues with its Claude AI chatbot
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of April 13, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of April 13, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 13, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 14, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 14, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
21 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.