Sleep as a Personal Resource in Healthcare: A Daily Perspective on Recovery in High-Demand Work

Abstract

Sleep is increasingly recognized as a critical recovery mechanism in occupational health psychology, yet its role in emotionally demanding healthcare environments remains methodologically and theoretically underdeveloped. While prior research has shown associations between sleep quality and outcomes such as burnout [1], most studies rely on cross-sectional and perception-based data. Few integrate sleep into established frameworks such as the Job Demands–Resources (JDR) model [2], and even fewer distinguish between within-person and between-person effects using longitudinal designs.

This study investigates how sleep functions as a personal resource that supports recovery, engagement, and prosocial behavior among healthcare workers, grounded in the JDR framework [2]. Using a three-week longitudinal design, the study combines objective sleep tracking (via Actimeters and Oura rings) with daily experience sampling among 627 healthcare professionals, including a focused subsample of 27 nurses.

Daily questionnaires assessed job demands (e.g., intensity, time pressure, unreasonable tasks), job resources (e.g., coworker support, relational energy), emotional exhaustion (as a proxy for burnout), and prosocial behavior (e.g., helping patients and colleagues). Sleep quality was operationalized through objective sleep efficiency, and resilience was examined via intra-individual variability in recovery across days. Contextual moderators included shift schedules, team climate, and workload-resource misalignment.

The core research questions were: (1) How does sleep moderate the relationship between job demands and burnout-related exhaustion? (2) Can higher sleep quality predict increased helping behavior and reduced stress the following day? (3) How do contextual misalignments between demands and resources influence these dynamics?

Preliminary findings using multilevel modeling and response surface analysis show that misalignment between demands and resources predicts increased stress and emotional exhaustion, particularly following nights of poor sleep. Conversely, strong alignment and good sleep quality support daily performance and prosocial engagement. These results support the role of sleep as both a buffer against high demands and an amplifier of the benefits of demand-resource alignment, in line with recovery theory [3].

The study offers practical implications for healthcare organizations, including monitoring daily workload-resource balance, supporting recovery, and encouraging better sleep hygiene. Measures such as reducing overtime, limiting night shifts, and providing rest opportunities may reduce burnout risk and improve both employee well-being and patient care. The research contributes to applied cognitive science and organizational behavior by integrating real-time recovery dynamics into models of workplace functioning.

References

[1] M. Söderström, K. Jeding, M. Ekstedt, A. Perski, and T. Åkerstedt, “Insufficient sleep predicts clinical burnout,” J. Occup. Health Psychol., vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 175–183, 2012.

[2] A. B. Bakker and E. Demerouti, “The Job Demands–Resources model: State of the art,” J. Manag. Psychol., vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 309–328, 2007.

[3] S. Sonnentag, “The recovery paradox: Portraying the complex interplay between job stressors, lack of recovery, and poor well-being,” Res. Organ. Behav., vol. 38, pp. 169–189, 2018.