You’re Getting Very Sleepy So Is

You’re Getting Very Sleepy. (So Is Everyone Else.)

Inadequate sleep causes quite $400 billion in economic losses annually within us and leads to 1.23 million lost days of labor annually, researchers have found.

The impact of chronic sleeplessness within us far exceeds the prices in other industrialized countries.

The runner-up, Japan, loses the maximum amount of $138 billion annually to sleeplessness among workers, but that represents a greater share of its economy, researchers at the RAND Corporation found.

The number of people who sleep but the recommended hours is increasing within the developed world.

From 20 to 30 percent of those workers complain of a scarcity of sleep on a day today.

“Inadequate sleep is just too easily accepted into the community as a part of life,” said Dr. David Hillman, a clinical professor at the University of Western Australia who studies sleep deficiency. In many work settings, “sleep is an indulgence.”

On a less quantifiable level, inadequate sleep reduces the security and productivity of workers.

Researchers have linked such shattering events because of the Challenger spacecraft accident to human error caused by a scarcity of sleep.

“It’s an enormous problem that translates into enormous costs” said Dr. Hillman.

“And it’s a call to not only mitigate the suffering but also to mitigate the prices .”

As the manpower becomes more competitive, he said, employers must acknowledge inadequate sleep as a threat to company productivity.

Well-rested employees are more efficient, tend to be healthier, and feel more content.

More people should be educated about the importance of sleep and sleep hygiene at a young age, Dr. Hillman added.

Usually, poor sleeping habits in the time of life are often traced back to sleep patterns formed in youth.

“Changing the positive mind-set around inadequate sleep as a lifestyle is important to safeguard one’s health,” said Dr. Hillman.

A corporation performs well when managers are “aware of the wellness of their employees,” he added.