Sleep disturbances and sleep duration as predictors of working life expectancy among adults aged 50 years and older in Finland

Objectives To examine the associations of sleep disturbances and sleep duration with working life expectancy (WLE; the estimated number of years an individual is expected to be in the workforce) from age 50 to 68. Methods Data of individuals ≥50 years were drawn from two cohort studies: the Finnish Public Sector (FPS) study involving public sector employees in 2000–2016 (n=70 339, 80% women) and the Health and Social Support (HeSSup) study in 1998–2013 initially representing the general working age population in Finland (n=6071, 54% women). Participants reported sleep disturbances (none, moderate, severe, only in FPS) and usual sleep duration (short: <7 hours, mid-range: 7–8.5 hours, long: ≥9 hours). WLE from age 50 to 68 was estimated using multistate life table models. Results Reporting no sleep disturbances predicted a WLE of 13.4 years (95% CI 13.4 to 13.5), moderate sleep disturbances a WLE of 13.0 years (95% CI 13.0 to 13.1) and severe sleep disturbances a WLE of 12.8 years (95% CI 12.7 to 12.8) at 50 years of age. Short sleep duration predicted a WLE of 13.2 years (95% CI 13.1 to 13.2), mid-range sleep duration a WLE of 13.2 years (95% CI 13.1 to 13.2) and long sleep duration a WLE of 12.4 years (95% CI 12.3 to 12.6). The findings on sleep duration were more pronounced in HeSSup. Conclusions Severe sleep disturbances and long sleep duration were associated with a reduction of approximately 8–9 months in WLE compared with no disturbances or mid-range sleep duration. To promote older adults’ participation in working life, supporting sleep of recommended length and good quality may be required.