Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41565340›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Associations between shift work patterns and sleep disturbance: an analysis of cross-sectional data from UK Biobank.

Xianqi Li, David W Ray, Simon D Kyle, Karl Smith-Byrne, Leah Holmes, Annie Keane, Mahboubeh Parsaeian, Ruth C Travis, Rebecca Richmond

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Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Xianqi LiCancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0765-0749
David W RayOxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Simon D KyleNational Institute for Health and Care Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9581-5311
Karl Smith-ByrneCancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Leah HolmesNational Institute for Health and Care Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Annie KeaneNational Institute for Health and Care Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Mahboubeh ParsaeianCancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Ruth C TravisCancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Rebecca RichmondNational Institute for Health and Care Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK rebecca.richmond@bristol.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0574-5071

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate associations between shift work patterns and sleep disturbance, and to assess if the association is modified by demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, anthropometric and lifestyle factors, health conditions or sleep traits.

designAnalysis of cross-sectional data obtained from the UK Biobank baseline assessment.

settingUK Biobank, a large-scale prospective cohort study which recruited half a million participants aged 40-69 years between 2006 and 2010 from across the UK.

participantsA total of 285 175 employed or self-employed participants at baseline (2006-2010), including 148 296 (52.0%) females and 136 879 (48.0%) males. The sample comprised 94.0% White, 0.7% Mixed race, 0.36% East Asian, 2.0% South Asian, 1.8% Black and 0.89% from other ethnic backgrounds. OUTCOME MEASURES: Sleep disturbance was defined as the presence of both insomnia and excessive sleepiness symptoms.

resultsA total of 42 181 (14.8%) participants had sleep disturbance defined based on insomnia and excessive sleepiness. 236 200 (82.8%) were non-shift workers, while 48 975 (17.2%) were shift workers, which included 24 062 (49.1%) working day shifts only, 17 940 (36.6%) working night shifts sometimes or usually, and 6973 (14.2%) working night shifts always. Compared with non-shift workers, all shift workers had higher multivariable-adjusted odds of sleep disturbance: (non-night shifts: OR in model 3 (OR) 1.21 (95% CI 1.16 to 1.27); sometimes/usually night shifts: OR 1.37 (95% CI 1.30 to 1.44) and always night shifts: OR 1.50 (95% CI 1.38 to 1.63)). The association between shift work pattern and sleep disturbance was modified by age (p

conclusionsShift work is associated with a higher odds of sleep disturbance compared with non-shift work in all participants, with greatest odds observed among those always working night shifts. The association was stronger among individuals who were younger than 55 years old, from an ethnic minority background and never smokers. Future large-scale longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate these associations.

Indexed as

Disorders of Excessive SomnolenceShift Work ScheduleSleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersSleep Wake DisordersAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesRisk FactorsUK BiobankUnited KingdomCross-Sectional StudiesEPIDEMIOLOGYInsomniaOCCUPATIONAL & INDUSTRIAL MEDICINEPUBLIC HEALTHSLEEP MEDICINE

Identifiers

PMID41565340
PMCPMC12829381

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.