MEDIA RELEASE
New data from the Sleep Health Foundation’s Aussie Sleep Snapshot Survey 2026 has revealed work-related stress and job pressures are taking a toll on the sleep of Australian workers, with more than one in three workers (36.9%) reporting that work-related factors affect their sleep on nights they do not sleep well.
Released to mark Sleep Health Week 2026 (3-7 August), the findings show younger workers are particularly affected. Work-related factors were endorsed as contributors to poor sleep by 44.2% of workers aged 18-24 and 46.6% of workers aged 25-34.
The most common work-related factors contributing to poor sleep include feeling stressed about work, the demands of the job, and shift work, with other pressures including limited control over job roles, challenging workplace interactions, and poor support.
Dr Moira Junge, Chief Health Officer of the Sleep Health Foundation’s and Health Psychologist, says, “Poor sleep does not stop at the bedroom door. When work stress, job demands or shiftwork are disrupting sleep, the impacts can flow into mental wellbeing, safety, performance, long term health risks and quality of life.”
“Better sleep can improve how we feel, think, work, learn, care and connect with others. For workplaces, supporting sleep health is not just important for employees – it’s important for our overall health, safety, productivity and performance,” Dr Junge says.
Key findings
The Aussie Sleep Snapshot Survey 2026 found:
- Australians reported sleeping an average of 6.9 hours per night.
- 54.2% of Aussies report that they do not sleep well three or more nights per week
- 38.1% of Aussies report that poor sleep impacts their productivity three or more days per week
- 36.9% of workers say work-related factors affect their sleep on nights they do not sleep well.
- Younger workers are more likely to report work-related sleep disruption: 44.2% of workers aged 18-24 and 46.6% of workers aged 25-34 endorsed at least one work-related factor.
- Workers who identified work-related factors affecting their sleep were more likely to report poor sleep three or more times per week than other workers (62.2% compared with 48.5%).
- They were also more likely to report underperforming at work four or more days a month due to poor sleep (46.8% compared with 28.9%).
- Across the community, the most common general/lifestyle factors reported to affect sleep were: a busy mind (41.1%), worry or anxiety (35.5%), restlessness (29.8%) and financial stress (25.4%).
- 79.9% of people have their phone/device in bed or in reach, however technology-related factors were not highly reported to have an impact on sleep (social media was highest, reported by 11.5% of people)
- 23.2% of Australians sleep in a separate bed from their live-in partner
- 63.9% of respondents experiencing perimenopause or menopause reported their sleep had worsened in some way during this life stage, while 28.4% reported their sleep had been unchanged.
- Nearly one in three young adults aged 18-24 (32.2%) report getting health information from TikTok.
For a summary of the survey’s key findings, see here.
Sleep Health Week 2026: Explore your sleep. Transform your days.
Sleep Health Week is a national awareness campaign led by the Sleep Health Foundation to help Australians understand the importance of sleep and how it affects daily life. The 2026 theme, “Explore your sleep. Transform your days.”, asks people to reflect more closely on their sleep habits and take practical steps to improve their wellbeing.
Louisa Smith, Executive Director of the Sleep Health Foundation, says, “This Sleep Health Week, we are encouraging Australians to explore their sleep and how it affects their days – including how they work, think, connect and cope. Small changes can help, but employers also have an important role to play in creating work environments that support healthy sleep.”
The Sleep Health Foundation’s Lived Experience Advisory Partners (LEAP) want to encourage people to check in on their sleep, prioritise rest, and seek support from their GP or other trusted health professional if needed.
"I implore people who are struggling with their sleep or a loved one’s sleep to reach out and get help, it is most definitely out there," says LEAP member, Michael, who lives with co-morbid insomnia and sleep apnoea (COMISA).
“Diagnosis helped me to accept the reality of my symptoms and be kinder to myself,” says LEAP member, Connor, who lives with narcolepsy type 1.
“Access to appropriate treatment has transformed what is possible. It has enabled my child to study, work, live independently and drive safely,” says LEAP member, Pamela, whose daughter lives with narcolepsy.
Australians can get involved in Sleep Health Week 2026 by exploring their own sleep patterns, sharing evidence-based sleep health information, attending Sleep Health Foundation events, and encouraging workplaces to recognise sleep as a foundation for health, safety and performance.
-ENDS-
Media contact:
Liv Patterson
Communications Manager,
Sleep Health Foundation
Email: admin@sleephealthfoundation.org.au
About the Sleep Health Foundation
The Sleep Health Foundation is Australia’s leading advocate for healthy sleep, working to improve sleep health for the whole community through evidence-based education, advocacy, research and health promotion.