{
  "id": 1819822,
  "title": "Poor sleep can cost over-50s nine months of career, study finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/poor-sleep-can-cost-over-50s-nine-months-of-career-study-finds",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-18T22:30:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Health",
    "slug": "guardian-health",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/aug/18/poor-sleep-cost-over-50s-nine-months-career"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study from the University of Turku in Finland has revealed that poor sleep can significantly shorten the working lives of individuals over the age of 50. The research, conducted using data from two Finnish studies, surveyed participants' sleeping habits and found that nine months could be lost from one's career after turning 50 due to extremely disrupted or prolonged sleep.\n\nThe study categorized sleep length into three categories: short (under seven hours), mid-range (between seven and 8.5 hours), and long (nine hours or more). Short and mid-range sleep durations resulted in a working life expectancy of 13 years and two months, while long sleep durations were linked to a working life expectancy of only 12 years and five months. Notably, professional women with no sleep disturbances had the longest working life expectancy of nearly 14 years, while men in routine jobs with severe sleep disturbances lived through an average of nearly 12 and a half years.\n\nInterestingly, the research found no significant difference in working life expectancy between those with short sleep duration (7-9 hours) and those with mid-range sleep duration. Dr. Saana Myllyntausta, the study's lead investigator, attributed this to the fact that short sleep duration has been linked in other studies to earlier retirement, while long sleep duration has been associated with poorer health outcomes, which may explain the shorter working careers.\n\nThe study underscores the importance of addressing sleep health and treating sleep problems, particularly among those with lower socioeconomic status, during middle age. The researchers suggest that interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and workplace health promotion interventions could be effective ways to support sleep among working-age adults, especially those in lower-income positions.",
  "summary": "Findings highlight importance of sleep health during middle age, particularly for those with lower socioeconomic status Sleep that is extremely disrupted or that goes on too long could mean a loss of nine months from working life after the age of 50, a study has found. It also found that women with no sleep disturbances had a longer working life from 50 to 68 than their male equivalents. Continue…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}