Professions with high work rhythms: managing sleep, nutrition and sports practice 

 

The influence of work on private life is already well known and widely studied (Schaufeli and Bakker, 2004; Voydanoff, 2004; Greenhaus and Powell, 2006). Starting from a broader project, a sociological study was carried out with individuals with professions with high pressure for performance - nurses, journalists and police, to whom a questionnaire was applied (n=523) and interviews were carried out (n=42). The investigation allowed us to identify the association between the number of hours of sleep per day, the work schedule and work rhythms, to measure the quality of sleep on days off and on working days and to understand to what extent the respondents use medicines or supplements/natural products to help them sleep or stay awake. The classification of their diet, between very or not healthy at all, on days off and on working days was also analysed. It was also sought to know the existence of sport practices, with what frequency and for what purpose(s). The results allow us to conclude that the accelerated work rhythms and shift work are factors of strong impact in the personal sphere, namely in terms of sleep, food and managing leisure time, also contributing to a greater consumption of medicines and of supplements/natural products for performance management purposes in these professional groups. This work is based on the ConPerLit Project (PTDC/SOC/30734/2017), funded by FCT, whose host institution is ISCTE-IUL in partnership with Egas Moniz/CiiEM and UP/IS-UP.