Excessive sleep associated with longer time to return to work among colorectal cancer survivors

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Excessive sleep was associated with a longer time to return to work, a reduction in work time, and increased likelihood to retire among colorectal cancer survivors, according to a recent study published online ahead of print in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer.

For the study, researchers in Australia enrolled 239 colorectal cancer survivors in order to assess associations of health behaviors with return to work outcomes following a colorectal cancer diagnosis among men and women aged 45 to 64 years. Participants were interviewed via telephone and answered questionnaires at 6 and 12 months following diagnosis.

Results showed that participants who reported sleeping 9 or more hours per day were 2.69 times more likely to decrease work time or retire compared with those who slept between 7 and 9 hours per day. Researchers found that excessive sleep was also associated with a longer time to returning to work.

The findings suggest that interventions designed to help colorectal cancer survivors achieve optimal sleep may help them return to work sooner. Further studies are warranted to test those interventions.