Insomniac Workers "Sleep On The Job" For 2.5 Weeks A Year

Main Category: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Article Date: 21 Jun 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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The average company loses the equivalent of 2.5 weeks of paid work from everyone it employs due to the effects of insomnia and sleep loss, a study suggests.

Researchers from Tufts New England Medical Centre in Boston and the private research company Alertness Solutions looked at the link between sleep problems and productivity in workers from four separate US companies including an airline, a pharmaceutical company, a manufacturer and a law firm.

A 55-item questionnaire was completed by 4,188 employees in order to assess the prevalence of sleep problems and their effect on performance and safety. The researchers measured productivity with the Workplace Limitations Questionnaire.

The results of the study, sponsored by sanofi-aventis, suggest that insomnia and disturbed sleep are common; respondents frequently reported detrimental effects on performance, productivity and safety.

Respondents with sleep problems were around 40 per cent more likely to suffer impaired ability to concentrate at work than those who slept well or those that did not meet the criteria for insomnia or insufficient sleep syndrome.

Those who got insufficient sleep were twice as likely to "nod-off" while driving. In addition, around 11 per cent of those questioned reported use of prescription drugs to counter disturbed sleep or insomnia. Nearly a quarter said they had used over-the-counter treatments.

The estimated total annual loss in productivity for the four companies amounted to $54 million.

Dr Kevin Gregory of the sleep assessment specialist firm Alertness Solutions said: "The effects of sleep problems on the economy are probably greatly underestimated. Extrapolating the results, this study suggests that the average worker is being paid for around 2.5 weeks of work they're not doing, due to the loss of productivity from sleep problems. On a national level, that's a lot of lost hours."

Dr Thomas Roth, director of the Sleep Disorders and Research Centre, at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, said: "There is not enough attention given to the cost of insomnia.

"Apart from this study we've already seen five or more studies that show people with sleep problems are three to five times more likely to suffer depression. So the economic cost is very big indeed."

Written by Michael Day, sponsored by sanofi-aventis

SLEEP 2008 - Baltimore