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Survey shows that many Japanese business people’s sleep patterns have changed since teleworking

Dale Roll Sep 9, 2021
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More naps, more early bedtimes, and even more difficulty sleeping are some of the changes people experienced.

Teleworking has changed the game for a lot of Japanese households. Though it has its difficulties, many people seem to have liked the switch to remote work, as it offers more time with family and for non-work activities.

It has also, it seems, had an effect on people’s sleep patterns, both for better and worse. Japanese relaxation drink Chill Out, who also brought us the free night-time taxi service for a limited time, together with a startup by the Kyushu University School of Medicine, surveyed 1,000 businessmen and women between the ages of 20 and 59 to find out how their sleep has changed since beginning teleworking.

The survey asked a number of questions, including “Since starting remote work, has your bedtime changed?” The answers varied based on how busy respondents believed themselves to be. Respondents who said they were “Fairly busy” or “Very busy” with their remote work appear to sleep earlier, as 46.3 percent said that they go to bed “Much earlier” or “Somewhat earlier” than they did before.

▼ “Since starting remote work, has your bedtime changed?” answers from very/somewhat busy people
Dark green: much earlier, medium green: somewhat earlier, dark gray: hasn’t changed, medium gray: a little later, and light gray: a lot later

By contrast, only 23.2 percent of those who perceived themselves to be “Not busy at all” or “Not very busy” said that they go to sleep “Much earlier” or “Somewhat earlier” than before teleworking, while 54.7 percent said their bedtime hasn’t changed. Perhaps those who are busy grow tired faster, or value their sleep more than those who aren’t.

▼ “Since starting remote work, has your bedtime changed?” answers from people who felt “Not very busy” or “Not at all busy” (same legend as above)

Next, respondents were asked to rate how well the statement, “I take naps to refresh myself during my break” applies to them. They were given five options: “Very accurate”, “Somewhat accurate”, “Neutral”, “Not very accurate”, and “Not at all accurate.” Unsurprisingly, a good chunk of the respondents said that they did, indeed, take naps. Nearly 40 percent, in fact, selected either “Very accurate” or “Somewhat accurate” as their answer. It seems like napping is an important way to get ready for the next part of the day for many remote workers.

▼ “I take naps to refresh myself during my break.”
Dark green: very Accurate, light green: somewhat accurate, dark gray: neutral, medium gray: not very accurate, light gray: not at all accurate

The survey then wanted to know if people are sleeping late. Like the last question, respondents were asked to rate the accuracy of the statement, “I sleep until the very last minute before I have to clock in,” with the same five options to choose from. It seems that the younger the respondent, the more likely they were to sleep until the last minute.

▼ Percent of those who answered “Very accurate” or “Somewhat accurate” for the statement, “I sleep until the very last minute before I have to clock in” (columns from left to right: men in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s)

Young women in their 20s, in particular, tended to sleep as late as possible, with about 65 percent of respondents saying that the statement was “Very accurate” or “Somewhat accurate.” Nearly 60 percent of young men in their 20s agreed. Older men and women, however, tended to not take advantage of the opportunity to sleep in due to decreased travel time, as the percentage of men and women who said they did so decreased with each age group.

Lastly, the survey asked participants to rate the statement “There are many days when I have trouble falling asleep.” This seemed especially true for women, as more women than men in every age group said that this statement was “Very accurate” or “Somewhat accurate.” Women in their 20s, in particular, seemed to have a hard time falling asleep at night, with 45 percent agreeing with the statement.

▼ Percent of those who answered “Very accurate” or “Somewhat accurate” for the statement, “There are many days when I have trouble falling asleep,” (columns from left to right: men in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s)

Youth appears to play a factor as well. Nearly as many men in their 20s said that the statement was accurate to some degree. Additionally, the higher the age, the fewer respondents reported difficulty falling asleep. Whether this means that young people are more stressed, or aren’t taking the time to relax before bed, we couldn’t say, but the results are pretty interesting.

Whether or not you like working from home, you have to admit it has its advantages. Who doesn’t appreciate the ability to nap on your lunch break, without judgmental eyes on you? Or having more free time thanks to less commuting? Hopefully, remote work will continue to be an option for those who want it, even beyond the pandemic.

Source: PR Times
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