Research

Mixed

Burnout patients exhibit a flattened diurnal pattern of sleepiness and mental fatigue, lacking the normal recovery (alertness increase) typically seen during weekends.

Do not rely on weekends to 'catch up' on burnout fatigue. The study shows that sleepiness and mental fatigue remain high on weekends for burnout patients, unlike healthy individuals who recover alertness. Addressing the burnout itself is necessary to restore the normal diurnal rhythm of energy.

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The burnout patients showed pronounced sleepiness and mental fatigue at most times of the day for weekdays without reduction during weekends.
Mirjam Ekstedt et al. · Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health · 2006

Why this rating

Consistent findings across subjective diary ratings and polysomnography, supported by statistical significance.

Source

Disturbed sleep and fatigue in occupational burnout

Mirjam Ekstedt et al. · Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health · 2006

DOI 10.5271/sjweh.987

case_control · n=24Cited 228×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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