If You Work: The Importance of Sleep

Are you getting enough sleep? According to the National Sleep Foundation, as reported in ScienceNews, Americans are sleeping less than ever before. In 2009, 20 percent of survey participants said that they slept less than six hours on weeknights, compared with 12 percent in 1998. That lost sleep is not being recovered on weekends, either. Sleep deprivation has a number of consequences. It can affect one’s physical and mental health: chronic sleep disruption appears to be the single biggest trigger for depression. It can also affect one’s performance in the workplace. On-the-job injury rates soar 400 percent for the sleep deprived. Sixteen percent of absenteeism is associated with insomnia. There is also the issue of “presenteeism” – the inability to focus on the job, even when one shows up for work. It is estimated that the costs of insomnia in the workplace total $150 billion. What can we do to ensure that we get more sleep? According to Psychology Today, Americans are kept awake by a variety of factors ranging from worry to acid reflux to late night television and, of course, the internet. The biggest sleep robber of all, however, is work. In order to be more productive, we are putting in more hours at work and sleeping less, which in turn is affecting job performance. The solution, we believe, lies in the old adage: Everything in moderation. Are you getting enough sleep, or do you find yourself staying awake at night? If troubled by insomnia, do you believe it affects your performance at work? Do you have any suggestions on achieving a good balance between work, sleep, and other activities?