The independent, nonprofit National Sleep Foundation in Washington published a survey in March 2000 of 1,154 adults on sleep, or lack of it. Even though the survey was conducted in the United States, it should raise alarm bells for Australians as well.
Sleeping Habits
- 69 percent of Americans say they experience frequent sleep problems.
- Americans are sleeping at least 20 percent less than their forefathers a century ago.
- The average person requires at least 8 hours of sleep a night. However:
- 63 percent of American adults do not get that much
- 33 percent sleep less than 7 hours per weeknight
- 12 percent of married couples sleep in separate bedrooms.
- Married people with children average less sleep during the week than those without children, 6.7 hours per night compared with 7.2 hours per night.
- 52 percent of adults say they spend less time having sex than they did 5 years ago.
- 38 percent of adults say they have sex less than once a week.
Working Hours
People are working longer and harder at work. Here are some interesting statistics:
- 38 percent work more than 50 hours a week.
- 51 percent admit that sleepiness on the job interferes with the amount of work they get done.
- 68 percent said sleepiness interferes with their concentration.
- 58 percent said sleepiness affected their decision-making and problem solving.
- 66 percent said lack of sleep makes handling stress on the job more difficult.
- 19 percent said they occasionally or frequently made mistakes at work because of sleepiness. Well above the average in this category were sales workers, 35 percent; retail workers, 33 percent and financial and insurance and real estate professionals, 29 percent.
- Workers estimated that the quality and quantity of their work declines by about 30 percent when they’re sleepy.
- 27 percent said they’re sleepy at work 2 or more days per week. Women said they were drowsy more than men – 31 percent versus 22 percent. Young people, 18 to 29, cited being sleepiest on the job, with 40 percent saying this was the case at least twice a week.
- 14 percent said they were occasionally or frequently late to work because of sleepiness. For young workers in that 18-to-29-age range, the figure was 22 percent.
Driving
In a study published in the British journal, Occupational and Environmental Medicine (Sept. 2000), researchers in Australia and New Zealand made the following discoveries:
- People who drive after being awake for 17 to 19 hours perform worse than those with a blood alcohol level of .05 percent
- 16 to 60 percent of road accidents involve sleep deprivation
- 30 to 40 percent of all heavy truck accidents involve driver fatigue
Naps
NASA’s Fatigue Countermeasures Program, which aims to help military pilots and astronauts remain alert in high-performance, high-risk environments published in early 2002 their discovery that a short nap of 40 minutes improves performance 34 percent and alertness 100 percent.
©2003 Sleep & Chest Disorders Centre
For more information, visit www.sleepcentre.com.au
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