Four-day work weeks will keep us alert longer

Five days a week for 40 or more years, Americans wake up, commute to work, come home eight or nine hours later, take care of personal responsibilities like cooking, cleaning and caretaking before going to bed, just to wake up the next day to repeat the same routine. They have limited time remaining for adventures and self-care.

But think about the possibilities that come with a four-day work week. Some people might take that extra day to visit their loved ones. Others might take up a hobby like painting or knitting. Others may take the day to prioritize their physical and mental well-being — playing a sport, going to the gym or going for a walk in nature.

Conversations about the benefits of four-day work weeks often focus on what we can get out of it in the short term: more sleep, stronger relationships and higher satisfaction with life.

But workers who only step foot in an office or log into a computer four times a week, as opposed to five, are helping their future self just as much as their present self.

The decreased stress, increased time to take care of oneself and ability to partake in activities that keep the brain sharp will reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive dysfunction later in life.

Dementia is the decline of cognitive abilities caused by damage to brain cells. Ten million people worldwide are diagnosed with dementia each year, according to the World Health Organization. The disease is incurable and is present in one-third of seniors who die, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Other than uncontrollable risk factors, such as age and genetics, adopting a healthy lifestyle can reduce behavioral risk factors related to cognitive decline. Such healthy habits include staying mentally and physically active, sleeping well, eating well, maintaining heart health and maintaining relationships.

The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine found that no interventions definitively prevent cognitive decline. However, training to enhance memory, processing and problem solving; management of blood pressure; and being physically active offer encouraging but inconclusive benefits.

The brain remains resilient when it is challenged and kept active. Activities like reading and writing, learning an instrument or language, playing mind games and puzzles, and even socializing, strengthen the brain and keep it healthy.

Adapting work culture to allow the time and space to prioritize these behaviors would be a significant intervention to protecting cognitive health.

When people spend 40 hours per week at work along with the recommended 35 or more hours of sleep for five days, they are left with nine hours each day of the five-day work week to tend to their other needs and wants. These responsibilities may include transportation, housework and errands, children and families, social life, relaxation and hobbies, or even taking on an additional side job in order to make ends meet.

But with a highly computer-based workforce and newly virtual work environment, many people end up working more than eight hours each day. These extra hours often go unpaid and at the expense of their families and well-being — be it physical health, mental health or adequate sleep.

Gray matter is the outermost layer of brain tissue, and when it is thinned or overtaken by plaque, brain function declines and Alzheimer’s disease develops. Gray matter levels can be increased through physical activity and mental stimulation, and can decrease with a lack of sufficient sleep.

A National Institute on Aging study,in which self-reported sleep assessments were made between 1985 and 2016, found that people regularly getting seven hours of sleep were 30 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia later in life. Middle-aged people getting six or fewer hours of sleep each night were at heightened risk.

It is during shut eye that toxins are flushed out and memories are stored, so short sleep duration hinders the brain’s ability to repair itself.

Working individuals must not be overworked to the point where their sleep quality is disrupted.

Being overworked can also negatively affect productivity, and shorter work weeks have demonstrated success with improving productivity during the work day.

A study that conducted cognitive tests between 1997 and 2004 found that British employees working 55 hours or more per week performed worse in vocabulary and reasoning than those working 40 hours or less — relating longer working hours to lower cognitive function.

Some companies in countries, such as Iceland, Belgium and Spain, have tested out the four-day work week. When Microsoft Japan implemented this system during August 2019, productivity increased by 40 percent. The company shortened its meetings and saw electricity costs reduce by 23 percent.

Longer hours leave employees fatigued and less productive. “In a vicious circle, this lower productivity ends up necessitating longer working days to ‘make up’ the lost output, lowering ‘per-hour productivity’ even further,” reads a report overviewing Iceland’s progress toward shorter work weeks.

But with more space to tend to personal and health needs outside of their job, workers end up being more efficient. They can accomplish the same tasks as in a less-productive but longer week, while improving work-life balance.

If companies want their employees to work better, if they value the health of their employees and if they want longevity for the lives of those individuals, then they will begin to implement this life-changing and life-saving culture within their workplaces.