Dayton Business Journal...
Survey: Most workers don’t get enough sleep
by Laura Englehart, DBJ Staff Reporter
Monday, August 29, 2011 

Nearly 80 percent of business people do not sleep the adequate 7.5 hours adults need at night, according to a recent Dayton Business Journal online poll. 

Of the 322 who responded to the Business Pulse Survey question, “How much sleep do you get at night?” 12 percent reported they sleep about eight hours and 6 percent answered eight to 10 hours. 

Meanwhile, most who participated said they sleep about seven (35 percent) or six (33 percent) hours. Nine percent reported they sleep only five hours and four percent said less than five hours. 

Research shows that, without enough sleep, workers are less productive and a drain on their employers. 

In a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers linked sleep and work, based on a Web-based survey of 4,200 workers at four health care, transportation and manufacturing companies. Results estimated that an employee with insomnia costs $3,156 in lost productivity. An employee with less severe sleep problems costs an average $2,500. 

Those numbers do not include absenteeism costs — those with insomnia missed work about five more days annually than did “good sleepers,” according to the survey. 

Though it varies, adults need about 7.5 hours of sleep a night to stay productive and alert during the day, said Dr. Kevin Huban, clinical director for the Centers for Sleep and Wake Disorders at Miami Valley Hospital    , the largest hospital in the Dayton region. 

“If you are sleep deprived, your concentration will be less and you may have more problems with memory because your attention is lower,” Huban said. “Also, when you’re sleepy, you’re more likely to make errors.” 

And it takes more than falling asleep at night to make it worthwhile. Huban said people should sleep an adequate amount at a regular time and without interruptions. 

“You want to devote a certain amount of time for sleep and just sleep,” he said. 

To sleep better at night, Huban recommends people stop drinking caffeine about noon and refrain from alcohol three hours prior to bedtime. TVs also should be turned off. 

Read it with links at Dayton Business Journal