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May 06, 2021

Retirement will help you sleep at night: study

People often judge their attitudes towards investing and risk by how well they sleep at night. And they might be on to something.

Researchers have found people who get less than the recommended six to eight hours sleep each night are 12% more likely to die prematurely. Long-term sleep deprivation is thought to lead to diabetes, heart problems or obesity.

There's good news, however. Turns out that retiring goes a long way towards resolving sleep disorders, according to the Journal SLEEP.

Which is interesting when you consider that the odds of having disturbed sleep actually increase with age.

Rather than money issues, the study’s authors suggest, it’s the removal of work-related demands and stress that produces the greatest improvement in sleep for many people. 24% of those still working reported having difficulty falling or staying asleep, compared with just 17% of retirees.

Those who slept best in retirement were those with depression or mental fatigue prior to retirement, the study suggests. In particular, men who reported high psychological job demands were much more likely to get a good night’s rest after hanging things up.

But before you rush to see the HR folks, consider this: The study’s participants weren’t Canadians. They were French.

That means they enjoyed employment benefits most people here rarely see, including guaranteed job stability, a statutory retirement age between 55 and 60 years, and a company-paid pension that was 80% of their salary.

Does retirement actually take the edge off? Do you (or perhaps your parents) sleep better at night than you once did? 

By Gordon Powers, MSN Money

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...