Pierre Brochu ~ Department of Economics ~ University of Ottawa

The ‘Trendiness’ of Sleep: An Empirical Investigation into the Cyclical Nature of Sleep Time

with Catherine Deri Armstrong and Louis-Philippe Morin

Empirical Economics, Vol. 43 No. 2 (October 2012), pp. 891-913

Abstract:

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 on average 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 resources, determined by its relative cost.

Return to Home Page.