Effects of a workplace sedentary behavior intervention on sleep in office workers with sleep complaints: Results from the Stand and Move at Work Trial

Abstract

Background: Chronic inadequate sleep is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, immunosuppression and overall mortality. There is an abundance of research on the effects of exercise on sleep, but there is currently no data on the impact of sedentary interventions in the workplace on acute and long-term sleep quality/quantity. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine if increased standing and/or light-intensity physical activity (LPA) at work will improve sleep quality and duration in sedentary office-workers with mild to moderate sleep complaints. Methods: For this group randomized trial, 51 participants with mild-to-moderate sleep complaints were selected from the Stand and Move at Work Trial. Participants were randomized into two groups: MOVE+ (a multilevel individual, social, environmental, and organizational intervention targeting increases in LPA in the workplace) and STAND+ (MOVE+ intervention with the addition of the installation of sit-stand workstations). Sedentary behavior/LPA and sleep were measured objectively at baseline, 3 and 12 months with the activPAL3 micro accelerometer (PAL Technologies, Glasgow, United Kingdom) and the GeneActiv (GeneActiv, Activinsight, Wimbolton, UK) wrist-worn actigraphy sensor. Results: The sit-stand workstation intervention was effective, with the STAND+ participants sitting on average 70 minutes/day less than the MOVE+ participants at 12 months (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between intervention groups in objectively or subjectively measured time in bed, total sleep time, sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, or sleep efficiency at the 3 or 12-month timepoints. On the individual level, adjusting for group assignment, there was no correlation between change in sedentary behavior and sleep measures, objective or subjective. Conclusion: This study found no correlation between a decrease in sedentary behavior at work and changes in objective or subjective measures of sleep. Limitations of this study include underpowering due to small sample size, potential significance of difference in baseline demographics and sleep/sedentary behavior between in groups, and the nature of the intervention being low-dose.