If your days start early, end late, and run on caffeine, there’s a good chance you’re losing more than just time. According to a new analysis from Amerisleep.com, the more hours you log on the job — or the more jobs you juggle — the less you sleep. And that chronic sleep loss could be quietly dismantling your health.
A new analysis from Amerisleep, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey, compared employment patterns with sleep duration and found a clear trend: overwork and underrest go hand in hand. Whether it’s pulling extra shifts, managing multiple gigs, or climbing the corporate ladder, the results are the same — sleep suffers.
The Grind Is Cutting Into Your Nights
The numbers tell the story. Workers with multiple jobs get 45 minutes less sleep on weeknights and 36 minutes less on weekends than the average American. Those logging more than 60 hours a week lose about 76 minutes of sleep each weekday — nearly six and a half hours of recovery time gone by the weekend.
Even the high earners aren’t immune. People making more than $100,000 a year average 49 minutes less sleep per weeknight. Architects, engineers, and legal professionals lose over 50 minutes a night, while food prep and service workers sleep roughly 20 minutes more than average.
“Sleep quantity drops in lockstep with workload and work pressure,” said Dana Guterman, a sleep coach at Amerisleep. “The pattern is clear: more jobs, more hours, and higher-stress roles all cut into recovery time. That erosion shows up in productivity, mood, and health.”
Why It Matters
It’s not just about feeling tired. Sleep is vital for memory, attention, mood regulation, and immune health. Consistent short sleep has been linked to higher stress levels, reduced focus, and long-term health risks such as cardiovascular disease and depression.
The study underscores a hard truth about hustle culture: the push to do more — and earn more — can come at the expense of the one thing that makes you more effective in the first place.
How to Reclaim Rest
If long hours are part of your life, there are still ways to protect your sleep. Amerisleep’s experts suggest a few strategies to counterbalance the grind:
- Stick to a fixed sleep schedule: Aim for 7–9 hours a night and keep the same wake time every day.
- Shut down deliberately: Power down screens and stop checking email at least 30 minutes before bed.
- Cluster long days: Group late nights early in the week so your body can reset midweek.
- Get morning light and movement: Natural daylight and light activity help your internal clock rebound after late shifts.
- Keep weekends consistent: Don’t shift your sleep and wake times more than an hour to avoid “social jet lag.”
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re hustling for promotion or holding down multiple paychecks, lack of sleep isn’t a badge of honor — it’s a warning sign. A high-stakes career might boost your income, but over time, it can drain your energy, focus, and even longevity. The smarter move isn’t to grind harder — it’s to recover better.
