Young working adults sleep less, do not workout: Study

When young adults begin their professional life, their amount of daily physical activity as well as sleep—essential for healthy well-being—falls steeply, according to a study on Tuesday.

The study led by scientists at the University of Cambridge found that physical activity increases initially and later drops down significantly.

Young adults who increased their physical activity were those doing semi-routine occupations such as bus driving or hairdressing, and routine occupations such as cleaning or waiting, or technical jobs.

Conversely, people entering managerial or professional occupations did not engage in physical activity.

The largest drop in levels of physical activity was seen among people who work from home—though their sleep levels did not change when they started work.

“If we want to stay healthy throughout our lives, we need to remember that keeping active is an important way of helping us achieve this goal,” said Alena Oxenham, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the varsity.

Oxenham advised people working from home “to consider incorporating physical activity into their day”. She suggested “going for a walk before or after work, or during a lunch break”.

For the study, the team examined repeated data taken over time from more than 3,000 participants in the UK. All the participants were aged 16-30 years and started work for the first time between 2015 and 2023.

The results, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, showed that when people started work, their physical activity increased by an amount equivalent to around 28 minutes of moderate activity (such as cycling) per day on average.

However, this each year after starting work by around seven minutes per day.

The biggest increase was seen among males—up by an equivalent of around 45 minutes of moderate activity per day compared to an increase of around 16 minutes for females.

The young adults’ sleep per night also dropped immediately by almost 10 minutes, the researchers said.

The researchers urged workplaces to promote healthy interventions like healthier diets, physical activity, and sleep in young adults to boost “healthier employees and fewer sick days”.