What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to characterize the sleep-wake cycle of high school teachers based on varying work schedules.

June 19, 2026Open Access

Effect of the Work Schedule on the Sleep-Wake Cycle of High School Teachers of Public Schools

JSJC SouzaUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte ABAS BelísioUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte ISIC SousaUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Key Points

This study aims to characterize the sleep-wake cycle of high school teachers based on varying work schedules.
Conducted in 3 public schools with 27 teachers aged 27-66 years.
Utilized the 'Health and Sleep' questionnaire and a 15-day sleep diary.
Teachers divided into 4 groups based on work start and end times.
Teachers showed later bedtimes and reduced time in bed (±57min, p <0.05).
Significant differences in bedtime and wake-up times between groups (G1 ≠ G2, G1 ≠ G4, etc.).
G2 and G4 had later bedtimes while G3 reported longer sleep duration (±1h43min).

Abstract

*Corresponding author e-mail: ianebrip@hotmail.com.br Introduction: The sleep-wake cycle is influenced by the interaction of several environmental stimuli. Among the social stimuli a factor that influences the sleep-wake cycle is work schedule. The teacher’s work schedule is differentiated from the majority of workers because they have work inside and outside the classroom. Thus the excess of extra-class tasks can promote partial sleep deprivation which can compromise the health and damage the personal and professional life. Therefore the aim of this study is characterize the sleep-wake cycle of high school teachers of public schools in Natal-RN comparing them regarding the work schedule. Methods: The research was conducted in 3 public schools with 27 high school teachers aged between 27 and 66 years. The study was performed in two stages: I. Meeting with teachers to explain the research and deliver the consent forms. At this meeting, the teachers received the “Health and Sleep” questionnaire to assess the general habits of sleep. This questionnaire was collected about 3 days after this meeting. II. They filled the sleep diary by 15 days. Teachers were divided by the time of starting and ending of work in 4 groups (n): G1 (7) - Start= 7:00h-8:30h/End= before 19:00h; G2 (5) - Start= 7:00h-8:30h/End= after 21:00h; G3 (4) — Start= after 10:00h/End= before 19:00h and G4 (6) — Start= after 10:00h/End= after 21:00h. Results: The teachers showed later bedtime and wake-up time and a decrease in time in bed (±57min) in the week (t test, p <0.05). There was a difference between groups in bedtime (G1 ≠ G2, G1 ≠ G4, G2 ≠ G3, G3 ≠ G4), wake-up time (G1 ≠ G3, G1 ≠ G4, G2 ≠ G3, G3 ≠ G4) and time in bed (G1 ≠ G2, G1 ≠ G3, G2 ≠ G3, G3 ≠ G4) according to the time of starting and ending of work. The G2 and G4 have later bedtime than G1 and G3 (±55min). The groups G1, G2 and G4 have earlier wake-up time than G3 (±1h09min) and G3 have higher time in bed duration than the groups G1, G2 and G4 (±1h43min) (Kruskal-Wallis, p <0.05). Conclusion: From the preliminary results, we suggest that the sleep-wake cycle is influenced by the work schedule of high school teachers and there is an extension in bedtime duration on the weekend probably due to a partial deprivation of sleep during the week. However, is necessary to extend this sample to confirm this hypothesis. Publication History Article published online: 16 June 2026 © 2009. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda. Rua Rego Freitas, 175, loja 1, República, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01220-010, Brazil

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