Sleep, stress, and the way we work: what the data tells us

Many of us know the feeling—a rough night’s sleep followed by a day that seems harder than it should. Results from the NUS1000 Staff Edition study confirm that this isn’t just intuition: daily sleep matters for next-day stress. Both how much we sleep and how well we sleep are linked to how stressed we feel the following day. Importantly, these links are not the same for everyone—they depend on the work we do and the conditions we experience.

Here’s what we found:

• Better sleep (both quantity and quality) is associated with lower stress the next day.

• This relationship is stronger for employees who face high job demands (tight deadlines, heavy workloads, frequent interruptions). For them, poor sleep makes the next day feel significantly more stressful, while good sleep provides a more noticeable buffer.

• The relationship is also stronger for employees with low job autonomy (limited control over tasks, timing, or methods). When autonomy is low, good sleep offers a bigger protective effect against stress; when sleep suffers, stress rises more sharply.

What this means in practice

• Sleep is a daily resource. Think of it as the fuel that helps you meet the challenges of work. If your role involves demanding tasks or limited control, sleep becomes even more critical.

• Work design matters. While individual habits help, the conditions in which we work can amplify or reduce how much sleep affects stress.

Tips for employees

• Protect sleep consistency: Aim for regular bed and wake times, even on weekends. Small improvements in routine often translate into noticeable differences in next-day resilience.

• Wind down effectively: Reduce bright screens late in the evening, dim lights, and try a short wind-down ritual (reading, light stretching, or deep breathing) to cue sleep.

• Manage the spillover: If you know a high-demand day is ahead, prioritise sleep the night before and plan short recovery breaks (a brief walk or breathing exercise) during the day.

• Use micro-autonomy: Where possible, batch similar tasks, set boundaries on notifications, and discuss task sequencing with your manager. Small increases in control add up.

Suggestions for managers and the organisation

• Design for sustainable demands: Monitor workload spikes, redistribute tasks during crunch periods, and protect focus time to reduce unnecessary interruptions.

• Increase autonomy where feasible: Offer flexibility in how and when tasks are completed, involve employees in setting goals, and encourage choice in methods. Even modest gains in autonomy strengthen the stress-buffering effect of good sleep.

• Normalise recovery: Encourage reasonable working hours, highlight that sleep supports performance and safety, and avoid late-night communications where possible.

• Make it easy to do the right thing: Consider meeting-free blocks, realistic deadlines, and access to resources on sleep health and stress management.

A note on interpretation, these findings are based on daily patterns within individuals, so they reflect how changes in sleep relate to changes in next-day stress. While sleep isn’t the only factor influencing stress, it’s a reliable and modifiable one—especially in demanding, low-autonomy contexts.

Bottom line, investing in sleep helps everyone—but it matters most when work is tough and control is limited. By pairing good sleep habits with thoughtful work design, we can build a healthier, more resilient workforce and a better day, every day.