Sleep timing and duration for working adults in the United States before and since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Study objectives: Diverse studies have reported longer sleep durations and later circadian timing during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period. Little is known about whether effects persisted after 2020. This analysis addresses three questions: (1) How did sleep timing and duration change from 2017 to 2023? (2) Did working from home explain trends? (3) Did effects differ by education, income, or race/ethnicity groups?

Methods: The American Time Use Survey is a nationally representative survey conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics that collects 24-hour time diaries. These data are used to identify respondents who worked on the sampled day, their work location (home or not), and three sleep variables: wake-up time, bedtime, and 24-hour sleep total. Ordinary least squares regression is used to answer the study questions, comparing the COVID time period (May 2020 to December 2023) to PRECOVID (January 2017 to March 2020).

Results: Sleep duration was longer in the COVID time period compared to PRECOVID, by 0.23 hours (95% confidence interval = 0.17, 0.29), with earlier average bedtimes and later average waking times. There were no significant secular trends in sleep outcomes within the COVID time period, suggesting that these changes have continued through 2023. Controlling for working from home modestly attenuated, but did not eliminate, the COVID effects. Effects were generally similar across sociodemographic groups.

Conclusions: COVID-related changes in sleep for working adults in the United States, specifically later circadian timing and increased duration, seem to be sustained through 2023.