Remote work increases sleep and reduces physical activity—sedentary behavior can increase by 45 minutes

Many office workers work at least partly from home, but relatively little is still known about the effects of remote work on how people spend their time over the course of a workday. The WORKDAY study conducted at the University of Turku in Finland examined with accelerometers how sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity differ between remote and office workdays in hybrid workers.

The study found that people slept on average 15 minutes longer on remote days than on office days. In addition, people spent 45 minutes longer sitting and/or lying down on remote workdays. At the same time, standing, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity decreased.

“The increase in sedentary behaviour during remote workdays was mostly caused by spending less time standing. One possible explanation is that, unlike in offices generally, standing workstations are not always available in a home setting,” says Dr. Kristin Suorsa from the University of Turku, Finland.

The study also showed that walking and cycling that occurred during office days was at least partly replaced by sitting, lying down, and sleeping during remote workdays. According to Dr. Suorsa, this is probably due to the lack of commute when people work from home.

Increasing physical activity on remote workdays

Prolonged sedentary behaviour is linked to a number of health risks, such as musculoskeletal problems and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is therefore recommended to take breaks from sitting while working from home by standing up and moving around regularly. It is also advisable to replace the physical activity involved in commuting with small exercise breaks or leisure time physical activity when working from home.

The researchers give five tips for more active remote workdays:

• Vary your working positions throughout your workday.
• Take a break from sitting by doing an activity you find meaningful.
• Take longer (active) breaks on days when you’re working from home.
• Discuss the practices of taking breaks when working from home with your work community.
• Incorporate more leisure physical activity into your remote workdays.

WORKDAY is a study conducted at the University of Turku, Finland, which examines how remote work that increased after the COVID pandemic influences physical activity and sedentary behaviour during workdays. In the study, 99 hybrid workers wore an accelerometer on their thigh for both the office and remote workdays. The accelerometer identified posture-based acceleration and enabled the measurement of sleep, sedentary time, and physical activity throughout the day.

The research results were published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.