Elsevier

Sleep Medicine Reviews

Volume 18, Issue 1, February 2014, Pages 61-73
Sleep Medicine Reviews

Clinical review
Sleep problems and work injuries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2013.01.004Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Summary

Objectives

Sleep problems are a potential risk factor for work injuries but the extent of the risk is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the effect of sleep problems on work injuries.

Methods

A systematic literature search using several databases was performed. Sleep problems of any duration or frequency as well as work injuries of any severity were of interest. The effect estimates of the individual studies were pooled and relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated through random effects models. Additionally, the population attributable risk was estimated.

Results

In total, 27 observational studies (n = 268,332 participants) that provided 54 relative risk estimates were included. The findings of the meta-analysis suggested that workers with sleep problems had a 1.62 times higher risk of being injured than workers without sleep problems (RR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.43–1.84). Approximately 13% of work injuries could be attributed to sleep problems.

Conclusion

This systematic review confirmed the association between sleep problems and work injuries and, for the first time, quantified its magnitude. As sleep problems are of growing concern in the population, these findings are of interest for both sleep researchers and occupational physicians.

Keywords

Sleep
Sleepiness
Fatigue
Sleep disorders
Workplace
Industry
Occupational accidents
Industrial accidents
Accident prevention
Occupational safety

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