Abstract

This study investigated the indirect effect of psychological detachment on the relationship between emotional exhaustion and sleep quality. A daily survey (twice a day from Monday to Friday) was conducted to examine whether emotional exhaustion may predict sleep quality via psychological detachment at the within-person level. Results revealed that: 1) daily emotional exhaustion leaving the office was negatively related to the psychological detachment after work; 2) daily psychological detachment after work was positively related to the quality of sleep at night; 3) daily psychological detachment mediated the relationship between emotional exhaustion and sleep quality. These findings can enhance understanding of the process by which psychological mechanism contributes to sleep quality on a daily basis. This study also demonstrates that mentally “switch off” would supplement resources depleted at work and lessen the level of mental activation and arousal to get better sleep.