During the New Year holidays, many Russians managed to relax, and a sense of rest often helps reset a dependable sleep routine and support overall vitality. A joint study by SBER EAPTEKA and the hh.ru online recruitment platform explored which occupations report the most fatigue and what steps people take to recover.
socialbites.ca reviewed these survey results to share insights with readers in North America and beyond.
About 43% of Russians reported gaining energy during the holidays, while roughly 29% still felt insufficient energy for productive work, and around 28% anticipated needing extra time to prepare for the upcoming year.
Overall, 71% of respondents felt more tired lately, with 31% acknowledging chronic fatigue. About 14% noted fatigue peaks toward year-end, 12% experienced it at least every six months, and 8% every weekend. A smaller 6% reported fatigue lasting until month’s end.
The main trigger for reduced performance was ordinary fatigue accumulated over the year, followed by a sedentary lifestyle (36%), personal family circumstances (26%), negative leadership behaviors (26%), extended breaks from vacation (25%), and workload overload (17%).
Vitamins were commonly used to boost well-being, with 33% of participants turning to them. Group D vitamins were highlighted as the year’s most popular choice, and sales across forms rose by 13% between December 2021 and December 2022. About 28% of respondents walk daily, 18% regularly meet friends, 15% take up new hobbies or escape the city for weekends, 11% take vacations or paid leave, and 8% see a psychologist.
Among professionals, chronic fatigue is most common in marketing, advertising, and PR (40%), followed by administrative roles (36%). Those in science, education, and information technology each account for about 35%. The lowest fatigue rates appear among workers in transport, logistics, construction, and real estate, each around 15%.
The most frequent fatigue symptom reported is a general feeling of unwellness (48%), followed by sleep disturbances (45%) and reduced productivity (35%). People commonly seek to improve sleep to feel better. Sleep aids like Corvalol (6%), Validol (3.5%), and Magne B6 (2.6%) remained popular in fall and winter 2022. Sleep aid purchases tend to be higher in major metro areas; Moscow and the surrounding region represented 41% of sales, with St. Petersburg at 8%. Cities such as Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Samara also showed notable demand.
Earlier reports noted an uptick in winter consultations with traumatologists among Russians.