The ‘trendiness’ of sleep: an empirical investigation into the cyclical nature of sleep time

Using Canadian time use data, we exploit variation in local unemployment rates to investigate the cyclical nature of sleep time and show that for both men and women, sleep time decreases when the economy is doing relatively better. Our results suggest that in a recession Canadians sleep an average o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Empirical economics 2012-10, Vol.43 (2), p.891-913
Main Authors: Brochu, Pierre, Armstrong, Catherine Deri, Morin, Louis-Philippe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business cycles
Cost control
Econometrics
Economic conditions
Economic models
Economic statistics
Economic theory
Economic Theory/Quantitative Economics/Mathematical Methods
Economics
Economics and Finance
Employees
Fatalities
Finance
Insurance
Leisure
Management
Mortality
Productivity
Recessions
Sleep
Statistics for Business
Studies
Time management
Time use
Traffic accidents & safety
Unemployment
Variables
Vehicles
Women
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Summary:Using Canadian time use data, we exploit variation in local unemployment rates to investigate the cyclical nature of sleep time and show that for both men and women, sleep time decreases when the economy is doing relatively better. Our results suggest that in a recession Canadians sleep an average of 3 h more per week, or 26 min more per day. Given the importance of even small changes in sleep time on measures of cognitive functioning such as reaction time and concentration, our findings may help explain the countercyclical nature of mortality. Further, as we find that sleep is affected by the same economic variables (notably the unemployment rate) that affect market work time, our results also contribute to the limited literature that shows that sleep time should not be treated as exogenously determined, but, like any other resource, determined by its relative cost.
ISSN:0377-7332
1435-8921
DOI:10.1007/s00181-011-0508-6