One-fifth of workers face sleep deprivation, study says

New York – Sleep deprivation affects one-fifth of all workers, making them more likely to experience an increased risk of injury, according to a study released Dec. 17 from Global Corporate Challenge, a provider of employee health and performance services.

GCC collected data from nearly 300,000 workers at 1,200 organizations. More than 20 percent of employees self-rated their overall sleep as “extremely poor,” “very poor” or “poor.” Of those, 93 percent were more likely to exhibit fatigue on the job, which is a common symptom of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, a condition “proven to increase risk of absenteeism, accidents and injury in the workplace,” according to a GCC press release.

A workplace health program that addresses exercise and nutrition in addition to adequate sleep could lead to reduced fatigue and stress levels, GCC states.

“Simple exercise improves sleep, and the combined result will be an increase in personal and business performance,” David Batman, director of GCC’s chronic disease prevention foundation, said in the press release.