Exploring the individual and organisational factors that influence the sleep health of Australian teachers: a cross-sectional study

Teachers are at high-risk of poor sleep. Teachers face many individual factors (e.g. teacher self-efficacy) and organisational factors (e.g. stressful milestones of the school year) that may influence their sleep. This study explores the impact of individual and organisational factors on the sleep of Australian teachers. An online survey was completed by 775 (89% female, 52.6% 35–55 years old) Australian school teachers. Questions included demographics, school milestones, organisational support, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Descriptive statistics determined the milestones of the school year where the poorest sleep was reported. A binomial logistic regression model was used to model the likelihood of experiencing poor sleep quality as a function of demographic variables. A majority of teachers (59%) reported less than 7 hours of sleep per night, and poor sleep quality (79%). During stressful times of the school year, such as report writing, 35% of teachers believed their sleep to be less than 5 hours. To improve sleep, these individual and organisational factors should be incorporated into sleep education provided to teachers and organisations.