Sleep-deprived workers pose a danger to themselves and others.
Insufficient sleep and sleep disorders have a major impact on health, wellness and the ability to perform daily activities such as concentrating and remembering things. Primary care providers (including occupational medicine practitioners on the front lines) can advise patients on lifestyle changes to improve sleep; patients with more serious sleep problems should see a specialist, according to findings from a newly released study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Health care providers are encouraged to advise patients who need to improve their sleep quality to 1) keep a regular sleep schedule; 2) avoid stimulating activities (e.g., vigorous exercise within two hours of bedtime; 3) avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the evening; 4) avoid going to bed on a full or empty stomach; and 5) sleep in a dark, quiet, well-ventilated space with a comfortable temperature.
The CDC study reportedly is the first investigation of the relationship between reported short sleep duration and sleep-related difficulties in performing daily activities in a broad, non-clinical population (10,896 adult respondents).
The National Sleep Foundation suggests that adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. In the CDC analysis, adults who reported usually getting less than seven hours of sleep on weekdays or workdays were more likely to have difficulties with daily activities than adults who reported getting seven to nine hours of sleep.
Women were more likely to report four out of six sleep-related difficulties than men, regardless of sleep duration. One factor that might contribute to these differences is that men and women may differ in the way they recognize sleepiness and its effect on their ability to perform daily functions.
Refer to Effect of Short Sleep Duration on Daily Activities: United States, 2005-2008; AG Wheaton, et al.; March 4, 2011/60(08);239-242.
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