Remote work increases sleep and reduces physical activity—sedentary behavior can increase by 45 minutes
· Medical Xpressedited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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According to a Finnish study, people sleep slightly longer when they work from home. However, they also sit more and are less physically active than on days when they work in the office. The findings are published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Many office workers work at least partly from home, but little is still known about the effects of remote work on how people spend their time over the course of a workday. The WORKDAY study, conducted at the University of Turku in Finland, used accelerometers to examine how sleep, sedentary behavior and physical activity differ between remote and office workdays among hybrid workers.
The study found that people slept an average of 15 minutes longer on remote days than on office days. In addition, people spent 45 minutes longer sitting and/or lying down on remote workdays. At the same time, time spent standing, in light physical activity and in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity decreased.
"The increase in sedentary behavior during remote workdays was mostly caused by spending less time standing. One possible explanation is that, unlike in offices generally, standing workstations are not always available in a home setting," says Dr. Kristin Suorsa from the University of Turku, Finland.
The study also showed that walking and cycling that occurred during office days were at least partly replaced by sitting, lying down and sleeping during remote workdays. According to Suorsa, this is probably due to the lack of a commute when people work from home.
Increasing physical activity on remote workdays
Prolonged sedentary behavior is linked to a number of health risks, such as musculoskeletal problems and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is therefore recommended that people take breaks from sitting while working from home by standing up and moving around regularly. It is also advisable to replace the physical activity involved in commuting with small exercise breaks or leisure-time physical activity when working from home.
The researchers give five tips for more active remote workdays:
- Vary your working positions throughout your workday.
- Take a break from sitting by doing an activity you find meaningful.
- Take longer (active) breaks on days when you're working from home.
- Discuss practices for taking breaks when working from home with your work community.
- Incorporate more leisure physical activity into your remote workdays.
WORKDAY is a study conducted at the University of Turku, Finland, that examines how remote work that increased after the COVID pandemic influences physical activity and sedentary behavior during workdays.
In the study, 99 hybrid workers wore an accelerometer on their thigh on both office and remote workdays. The accelerometer identified posture-based acceleration and enabled measurement of sleep, sedentary time and physical activity throughout the day.
Publication details
Kristin Suorsa et al, How composition of device-measured 24-h movement behaviors differs between office and remote workdays among hybrid workers?, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2026). DOI: 10.1186/s12966-026-01959-0
Journal information: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
Key medical concepts
Sedentary BehaviorActivities, PhysicalSleepAccelerometer
Clinical categories
Fitness & Physical activityPreventive medicineSleep & RecoveryHealthy living Provided by University of Turku Who's behind this story?
Sadie Harley
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