Improvements in sleep and wellbeing outcomes in hybrid workers - Novozymes

Improvements in sleep and wellbeing outcomes during supplementation with a probiotic supplement containing Bifidobacterium longum 1714 - a prospective experience programme in hybrid workers​

Please click on the PDF link below in order to view or download the study. ​

Objective

Remote working has been associated with sleep- and stress-related problems (1,2). Placebo-controlled clinical trials in healthy adults found Bifidobacterium longum 1714TM reduced perceived stress(3) and altered brainwave activity associated with energy/vitality(4). This experience programme aimed to confirm benefits in real-world settings.

Method

Hybrid-workers (office and remote settings) received daily supplements containing B. longum 1714 (1x109 colony-forming units) and B-vitamins, for 10 weeks. Wearable devices measured sleep duration (mean±SD minutes/night). Online surveys recorded incidence and severity of sleep- and stress-related outcomes, and overall wellbeing (1=worst, 10=best), at Baseline (1-week pre-supplementation), Week 5 and 10. Sleep duration and wellbeing data were analysed by repeated measures ANOVA (Bonferroni post-hoc); ordinal data by Friedman and Conover post-hoc tests (significance p<0.05).

Results

Sleep duration improved in 92% of participants (n=20; 18-64y; 62% female), increasing 20mins/night during the working week (baseline 424±54 vs. Week-10 444±42, p=0.008). 85% experienced improvement in difficulty falling asleep, occurring less frequently (p=0.008) and severely (p=0.004) after probiotic supplementation. Difficulty staying asleep improved among 75%, occurring less frequently (p=0.022) and severely (p=0.018). Most participants reported improvements in tiredness (80%), feelings of stress (75%), anxiousness (75%) and being overwhelmed (75%), with significant reductions in incidence and severity for all (except stress severity, ns). Overall wellbeing scores increased among 80% participants, by +17% (6.5±0.9 vs. 7.6±0.8, p=0.005).

Conclusions

These real-world findings support existing clinical evidence in healthy people associating B. longum 1714 with improvements in wellbeing.

References

1. Afonso et al. Journal of Public Health (Oxford Academic). 2022;44(4):797-804.
2. Sandoval-Reyes et al. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(13):7069.
3. Allen et al. Translational Psychiatry. 2016;6(11):e939.
4. Wang et al. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2019;114(7):1152-1162.