A study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology examined how financial stress influences bedtime behaviour and sleep quality. Researchers followed full-time Army and Air National Guard service members over nine months as part of a Department of Defense funded project. Participants reported financial stress at baseline, their bedtime stress behaviours four months later, and sleep health five months after that. Sleep was measured both by self-report and by wrist-worn actigraph devices, allowing comparison of subjective and objective data.
The team identified a clear temporal pathway: higher economic stress predicted more cognitive and emotional activation at bedtime—lying awake tense, replaying work problems, or mentally planning the next day. These elevated bedtime stress behaviours in turn predicted more insomnia symptoms, lower sleep satisfaction, and greater daytime impairment related to sleep. Rebecca Brossoit notes that this activation prevents people from unwinding and obtaining good-quality sleep.
The researchers emphasise that financial stress can affect people across income levels; worries about affording basic needs, fear of job loss, or heavy reliance on a paycheck can disrupt sleep. Poor sleep is linked to problems with attention, memory, and mood, which may reduce workplace performance.
Authors recommend organisational and policy actions and suggest practical supports:
- competitive pay and benefits, supervisor support, and career development
- financial planning resources and schedule flexibility
- paid leave, access to affordable food and health care, and stable housing
At the individual level, consistent sleep schedules, limiting screen time before bed, keeping phones out of reach, and a relaxing wind-down routine may help. Graduate student Destiny Castro led major data analysis; additional coauthors are from Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University. The research was supported by the DoD and the content reflects the authors' views.
Difficult words
- behaviour — ways a person acts in a situationbehaviours
- insomnia — difficulty falling or staying asleep
- activation — increase in mental or emotional activity
- actigraph — device that measures movement during sleep
- impairment — reduced ability to function during the day
- unwind — to relax after stress or activityunwinding
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How can financial stress affect sleep and job performance? Give examples from the study.
- Which individual sleep strategies in the study seem most practical for busy workers? Explain why.
- Which organisational policy would you prioritise to reduce financial stress for employees? Give reasons based on the study.
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