Relationships between insomnia, long working hours, and long commuting time among public school teachers in Japan: a nationwide cross-sectional diary study

Objectives: The present study aimed to clarify the prevalence and risk factors of insomnia among public school teachers in Japan by examining the relationships between working hours, commuting time, and insomnia. Time spent on work activities among teachers with insomnia was also investigated. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of data obtained in a 2016 survey of working conditions among public elementary/junior high school teachers in Japan. A total of 11,390 teachers (women: 47.4%, average age: 42.2 ± 11.3 years) were selected for analysis. The relationships between working hours, commuting time, and insomnia were evaluated using a binomial logistic regression model. The primary outcome was insomnia, defined by a score of ≥6 on the Athens Insomnia Scale. Explanatory factors were working hours/week, commuting time/day, six subscales of occupational stress, age group, presence of children, type of job, type of the school, and the urbanicity of the school. Results: In total, 41.7% of men and 44.0% of women were classified into the insomnia group. The insomnia group spent more time preparing for lectures, and a significant association was observed between insomnia and long working hours and commuting time. Results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that long working hours, long commuting time, and urbanicity of the school were statistically significantly associated with insomnia. Conclusions: Insomnia is common among public school teachers in Japan. Our findings suggest the importance of reducing the time spent on working to prevent insomnia.