Remote work from home adds 15 minutes of daily sleep but increases sitting and lying down by 45 minutes.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Longer Sleep Duration: Hybrid employees slept an average of 15 minutes longer on remote workdays compared to office workdays, according to study findings.
- Increased Sedentary Behavior: Workers spent 45 minutes more sitting or lying down while working from home, alongside reductions in standing, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
- Loss of Active Commuting: The physical activity gained from walking and cycling during office days was largely replaced by sedentary time and sleep on remote days due to the absence of a daily commute.
Employees sleep slightly longer when working from home, but they also sit more and engage in less physical activity compared to days worked in an office setting, according to findings published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
The WORKDAY study, conducted by researchers at the University of Turku in Finland, tracked hybrid workers using accelerometers to examine how sleep, sedentary behavior, and physical activity differ between remote and in-office workdays, according to a university news release.
Study data revealed that participants slept an average of 15 minutes longer on remote workdays than on office days. However, employees also spent 45 minutes longer sitting, lying down, or both on days they worked from home. At the same time, standing, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity all declined during remote days.
“The increase in sedentary behaviour during remote workdays was mostly caused by spending less time standing. One possible explanation is that, unlike in offices generally, standing workstations are not always available in a home setting,” said Dr Kristin Suorsa, researcher at the University of Turku, in a news release.
The study also demonstrated that active travel occurring on office days, such as walking and cycling, was at least partly replaced by sitting, lying down, and sleeping during remote workdays. According to Dr Suorsa in the news release, this shift is likely driven by the absence of a commute when working from home.
