Journal of Occupational Health Psychology

Researchers surveyed 699 employees of the U.S. Forest Service and found that not only are employees being bullied, but they’re also sleeping like crap. Turns out the two are related.

Participants were asked to rate the level of rude behavior (being judged or verbally abused) they experienced in the workplace, as well as how often they had negative thoughts about work. Their data was combined with their sleep history and how much they were able to detach from work and relax.

Researchers also asked about the number of children living at home, hours worked per week, and frequency of alcoholic drinks—a few more factors linked with sleep issues.

They found that those who repeatedly thought about their negative work experiences were losing sleep, and then bringing compounding problems back to work. Sleep problems included struggling to fall asleep and waking up multiple times during the night.

The people who were able to detach and do something relaxing to recover after work — such as yoga, listening to music, or going for a walk — slept better. Good to hear that there are foresters doing yoga. And when was the last time you actually listened to music?

Takeaway: Just let it go. Bringing stress home from work affects your sleep quality by keeping you up later and interrupting sleep cycles. Ideally you need to completely disconnect after work, giving your undivided attention to one activity like movement or music.