Research shows that young adults are more active after starting work, but less sleep – unless works from home

When young adults begin to work, the amount of daily physical activities increases strongly, but will fall away again in the coming years, while the amount of sleep they fall somewhat, according to new research under the leadership of scientists from the University of Cambridge.

The increase in physical activity was mainly seen among those who carried out semi-routine, such as bus or hairstyles, and routine professions such as cleaning or waiting, or technical jobs. Little change was seen in people who participated in management or professional professions.

The biggest decrease in the levels of physical activity was seen in people who work from home – although their sleep levels did not change when they started working.

Young adulthood – age from 16 to 30 years – is an important time in terms of health. Although we are usually on our peak physical health, it is also a time when many risk factors for long -term diseases such as heart conditions, type 2 diabetes and cancer begin to develop.

Health guidelines recommend that young adults between seven and nine hours of sleep per night get 150 minutes or more of moderate physical activity per week and consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

Young adulthood is also the moment when most people start working, which changes their daily routines and activities, resources such as time and money, and social and physical environments – all of which influence health behavior and health in later life.

To quantify the impact that the starting on health -related behavior, a team led by researchers from the Epidemiology Unit of the Medical Research Council (MRC) at the University of Cambridge that has been taken over time of more Then 3,000 participants in the British household longitudinal study. All participants were 16-30 years old and started working for the first time between 2015 and 2023.

The results are published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Dr. Eleanor Winpenny, who was located at the University of Cambridge when she carried out the work, but now at Imperial College London, said: “We know about physical activity and sleep patterns among young people while they are at school, but very little about what there is there happens when they start working.

“Given the impact that work can have on our lives – and the lasting effects that this can have on our health – it is important to try to understand what happens in this transition.”

The analysis showed that people started working at that time, their physical activity increased by an amount equal to approximately 28 minutes of moderate activity (such as bicycles) on average – but then every year after the start of work at about seven minutes per day.

The biggest increase was one of the men – an equivalent of about 45 minutes of moderate activity per day compared to an increase of about 16 minutes for women. People who did not have a university diploma also showed a greater increase in physical activity compared to people with a university degree – equal to about an increase of 42 minutes of moderate physical activity per day compared to 15 minutes a day.

Working from home, however, seemed to be associated with a first “decrease in physical activity, equal to about 32 minutes of moderate activity per day.

When young adults started working, the amount of time they slept per night dropped immediately by almost 10 minutes and remained stable in time at this level; However, people without a diploma showed a continuous decrease of about three minutes of sleep a year after starting work, while those with a diploma slowly returned to their sleep levels for work.

There was little change in the amount of fruit and vegetables that were consumed after starting work.

Alena Oxenham, from the MRC Epidemiology Unit, said: “Starting can have a major influence on our lifestyle and on behavior that can make a difference to our health, if not immediately than later in life.

“Although we discovered that people tend to do more physical activity when they start working, what good news is, these are averages, and some people-in particular those who work from home and, to a lesser extent, people with OP Office-based jobs can do less.

“If we want to stay healthy all life, we should not forget that staying active is an important way to help us achieve this goal. Those who work at home may consider taking up physical activity in their day, for example through To go for a walk before or after work, or during a lunch break “

Dr. Winpenny added: “Workplaces offer the opportunity to create environments and cultures that support healthier diets, more physical activity and better sleep for young adults. This can lead to healthier employees and fewer illness days in the immediate term, but also have a long Term benefits, helping to prevent health problems in later life “