Irregular work schedule and sleep disturbance in occupational drivers—A nationwide cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between irregular work schedules and sleep disturbance and compare the impacts of work schedule on sleep disturbance between occupational drivers and office workers. METHODS: Using data from the 3(rd) and 4(th) Korean Working Conditions Survey, 3,070 occupational drivers and 9,898 office workers were included in this study. The subjects’ days of night work, evening work, and subjective complaints of sleep disturbance were investigated along with other covariates. RESULTS: In the multivariate logistic regression analyses, occupational drivers (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51, 1.11–2.05), workers who were engaged in more night work (2.49, 1.84–3.38 for 1–15 days, and 3.80, 2.67–5.41 for 16–30 days) and evening work (2.22, 1.66–2.97 for 1–15 days, and 1.76, 1.26–2.45) were more likely to report sleep disturbance. Moreover, occupational driving showed significant interaction effects with both night and evening work on sleep disturbance, and therefore, showed higher ORs for sleep disturbance in the 16–30 days night (5.38, 3.40–8.52) and evening (3.13, 1.97–4.98) compared to no night and evening working office workers. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational drivers who are exposed to night work and evening work are at higher risks for sleep disturbance. Therefore, for the public and drivers’ safety, optimal work schedules for minimising sleep disturbance should be developed.