Sleep and Burnout: an overview

Work-related stress, as a potential cause of burnout, can lead to higher cognitive and emotional hyperarousal, which are themselves central elements of the vicious circle model of chronic insomnia. Therefore, the relationship between sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia) and work-related stress or burnout becomes obvious. In this review original studies, dealing with sleep and burnout are summarized and their limitations are discussed. In general, research results indicate a negative cross-sectional relationship between sleep quality and burnout. Although there are a large number of cross-sectional studies in this field, the generalizability of the findings is limited due their focus on health-related professions. In contrast, the findings of the few longitudinal studies are very heterogeneous. Therefore, it remains an open question whether insufficient sleep quality or sleep disorders might predict burnout or vice versa. In sum, previous findings indicate a significant relationship between sleep quality and burnout, which should be considered in therapeutic settings. Besides psychoeducative interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy of insomnia in the case of burnout with sleep disorder and a general reduction of work-related stress by short- and long-term strategies are recommended.