A new poll released by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) confirms what most busy Americans know, yet few seem to correct: while we may be aware of the importance of adequate sleep to performance and well-being, we're still not prepared to do much about it.
Sleep experts recommend at least 8 hours of sleep a night for adults to function properly, yet NSF's 2000 Sleep in America omnibus poll found that, on average, adults sleep just under 7 hours during the work week.
Part of the poll focused on sleepiness in the workplace.
Americans now work the longest hours of any industrialized nation in the world, according to a recent study by the International Labour Organization.
However, as we work longer hours to get more don, individual productivity levels are suffering due to sleepiness. This is of particular concern to those workers who are in manufacturing jobs.
The following statistics from the poll show the importance of sleep in order for functionality, productivity and safety while on the job.
- One-half of the American workforce (51 percent) reports that sleepiness on the job interferes with the amount of work they get done.
- Nearly one out of five adults (19 percent) report making occasional or frequent work errors due to sleepiness.
- More than two-thirds (68 percent of shift workers report problems sleeping.
- 40 percent of adults admit that the quality of their work suffers when they are sleepy.
To learn more about the study and how to prevent sleepiness, go to www.sleepfoundation.org.
