Work stress fuelling Australians' poor sleep, new Sleep Health Foundation data reveals

MELBOURNE, Australia - Rezul -- New data from the Sleep Health Foundation's (SHF) Aussie Sleep Snapshot Survey 2026 has revealed work-related stress and job pressures are taking a toll on the sleep of Australian workers, with more than one in three workers (36.9%) reporting that work-related factors affect their sleep on nights they do not sleep well.

Released to mark Sleep Health Week 2026 (3-7 August), the findings show younger workers are particularly affected. Work-related factors were endorsed as contributors to poor sleep by 44.2% of workers aged 18-24 and 46.6% of workers aged 25-34.

The most common work-related factors contributing to poor sleep include feeling stressed about work, the demands of the job, and shift work.

Dr Moira Junge, Chief Health Officer of SHF and Health Psychologist, says, "Poor sleep does not stop at the bedroom door. When work stress, job demands or shift work are disrupting sleep, the impacts can flow into mental wellbeing, safety, performance, long term health risks and quality of life."

Key findings:

• Australians report sleeping an average of 6.9 hours per night.
• 54.2% report that they do not sleep well three or more nights per week.
• 38.1% report that poor sleep impacts their productivity three or more days per week.
• 36.9% of workers say work-related factors affect their sleep on nights they do not sleep well.
• Younger workers are more likely to report work-related sleep disruption: 44.2% of workers aged 18-24 and 46.6% of workers aged 25-34 endorsed at least one work-related factor.
• Workers who identified work-related factors affecting their sleep were more likely to report poor sleep three or more times per week than other workers (62.2% compared with 48.5%).
• They were also more likely to report underperforming at work four or more days a month due to poor sleep (46.8% compared with 28.9%).
• Across the community, the most common general/lifestyle factors reported to affect sleep were: a busy mind (41.1%), worry or anxiety (35.5%), restlessness (29.8%) and financial stress (25.4%).
• 79.9% of people have their phone/device in bed or in reach, however technology-related factors were not highly reported to have an impact on sleep (social media was highest, reported by 11.5% of people).
• Nearly one in three adults aged 18-24 (32.2%) report getting health information from TikTok.

For a summary of the survey's key findings, see here (https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64b4b7e38dda973fdbb7faf2/6a6995eef0ba6a14af6a5036_Aussie%20Sleep%20Snapshot%20Survey%202026%20-%20Key%20Findings.pdf).

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Sleep Health Week 2026: Explore your sleep. Transform your days.

Sleep Health Week is a national awareness campaign led by the Sleep Health Foundation to help Australians understand the importance of sleep.

Louisa Smith (https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/team-members/louisa-smith), Executive Director of SHF, says, "This Sleep Health Week, we are encouraging Australians to explore their sleep and how it affects their days – including how they work, think, connect and cope. Small changes can help, but employers also have an important role to play."