The Covid-19 pandemic has affected not only our health and well-being, but also changed the way we work. Instead of going to the office every day, many people began (by choice or necessity) to perform their professional duties from home.

This affected the rhythm of work, and - consequently - the rhythm of the entire day. Meanwhile, the circadian rhythm is the main regulator of almost all human physiological processes, and its disruption adversely affects both physical and mental health.

A study conducted by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards at the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Łódź sheds new light on how remote and hybrid work can affect our sleep and general well-being by changing the circadian rhythm.

The study was conducted as part of an agreement with the Ministry of Health to implement a task in the field of public health of the National Health Programme for the years 2021-2025.

Scientists invited over 1,000 employees and students from three universities in Łódź to join the study. They were divided into three groups: those working and studying exclusively remotely, partially remotely (i.e. hybrid scenario) and on-site.

'We decided to analyse the ergonomics of their workstations in the new conditions and compared them to the conditions they had before the pandemic. We asked about ailments of various origins that they complained about and the level of physical activity. We also analysed exposure to blue light and what the participants were doing before going to sleep', says Dr. Magdalena Janc from the Łódź institute.

The authors were particularly interested in sleep disorders and ailments of the musculoskeletal system, the most common complication of prolonged sitting.

The results showed that remote and hybrid work led to changes in sleep patterns much more often than in-office work, in particular towards later bedtime. Meanwhile, the later the bedtime, the more often sleep disorders occur. The frequency of their occurrence is also significantly influenced by using a mobile phone just before falling asleep and working for many hours at a computer, i.e. behaviours very often accompanying working from home.

This was confirmed by the scientists' observations. In the groups they studied, people who worked remotely or partially remotely more often reported difficulties falling asleep, waking up at night and waking up too early in the morning.

'This is an issue that I think we all know from our own lives: you go to bed, but you still want to check your email, read a few messages. If your screen is not set to night mode, you are exposed to blue light. Studies suggest that such light in the evening can disrupt the secretion of melatonin, which makes it harder to fall asleep, because the brain is constantly in a state of arousal', Dr. Janc says.

The researcher also found that, in the context of sleep, hybrid work also turned out to be the least beneficial form of work as sleep is a process that likes regularity. Remote work can disrupt the body's natural circadian rhythm, especially if there is no set schedule. In this context, it was found that people doing hybrid work often experience the greatest difficulties with sleeping.

'In our study, people working remotely often shifted their functioning to a later time: they went to bed later and got up later', Dr. Janc says. 'Because it lasted for some time, the body got used to it and reset its circadian rhythm. The health consequences were therefore not that great. However, in the group that sometimes worked remotely and sometimes in an office, i.e. in the hybrid model, the body had no chance to adjust to the lifestyle. And this is where the most severe sleep disorders occurred'.

The researcher compares this to weekends. 'On these two days off, we also often go to bed a few hours later, and then we suffer on Monday. This is the result of disrupting our circadian rhythm, which makes returning to routine difficult. It is similar in the case of hybrid work. This is its dark side', she explains.

However, sleep problems are not the only consequences of the greater share of remote work in our lives. In another study, the same author and her colleagues showed that people working from home had significantly more strain on their eyes and musculoskeletal system, which translated into their overall health and well-being. These problems result primarily from improper organization of the workstation outside the office (inconsistent with the principles of ergonomics) and an increase in the time spent at the computer during the day.

The scientists also noticed that remote time work was associated with fewer breaks, and therefore fewer movements. Also important is the increased exposure to blue light in people working from home, which translates into both poorer sleep quality and visual ailments.

'What alarmed us when we collected the results was the fact that the time spent using a computer increased during the pandemic. This applied to both university employees and students we studied, and the reasons for this were both professional and non-professional', says Dr. Janc.

The study shows that in the face of the growing popularity of remote and hybrid work models, it is important to be aware of the potential consequences for sleep and overall health. Dr. Janc believes that increasing the knowledge and awareness of employees, employers and public health professionals about the proper preparation of a home office, proper time management and a conscious approach to using technology is crucial. (PAP)

PAP - Science in Poland, Katarzyna Czechowicz

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