If You Don't Snooze, You Lose

Mar. 05, 2008 — Americans are working more and sleeping less, a harmful combination which can cause drowsiness or sleeping at the wheel, lower efficiency, and less interest in sex. And while most people recognize this as a problem, about two-thirds of them are not doing anything about it, a new poll shows.

The troubling numbers come from a new Sleep in America poll released Monday by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) as part of its 11th annual National Sleep Awareness Week® (NASW), taking place this week, March 3-9. This week is the same week that Americans will lose an hour of sleep due to the return of Daylight Saving Time. This is the dreaded annual occasion when Americans "spring forward" with their clocks and lose an hour of sleep.

"This year's survey focuses much more on the workplace and issues of safety and productivity than previous surveys," says Mark R. Rosekind, who was on the poll task force.

"People are actually acknowledging it's an issue and not doing any thing about it," says Rosekind, also a former board member of the NSF. "This can be lethal in your car."

What Do You Lose?
"Economic loss from sleep deprivation or sleep disorders generally is huge," says Dr. Samir Fahmy, director of the sleep lab at Kings County Hospital in New York City. "It's not just loss of money for medical care, it's loss of money for days off the job, accidents, lawyers for accidents, doctors, hospital stays, decreased productivity. It's like a chain reaction."

And that does not begin to count the cost of medical and quality-of-life-related issues. "People [on not enough sleep] will just not function cognitively as well as they should. They're not going to be as attentive, they're going to make more mistakes, be more irritable," says Dr. Nicholas Rummo, director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, N.Y.

"More seriously, there is certainly some degree of auto accidents that are the result of falling asleep and sleep deprivation, and there may be some other health implications in terms of heart health and more. There are some studies that tend to show that immune systems don't work as well," Dr. Rummo continues.

Significant Survey Scoops
More than 70 million Americans are affected by sleep problems, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The problems are worse in women, and they progress for both men and women with age.

The random telephone survey of 1,000 individuals across the country, conducted at the end of 2007, found that respondents spend an average of almost 4.5 hours each week doing additional work from home. That is after an average 9.5-hour workday. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed have an eight-to-nine-hour workday; one quarter work nine to 10 hours per day. One third work 10 or more hours daily.

About one third said that daytime sleepiness interferes with their daily activities at least a few days each month. A third also reported falling asleep or being sleepy at work in the past month.

More Snooze Snafus
Survey members got an average of six hours and 40 minutes sleep each night on weekdays, although they said they needed seven hours and 18 minutes to be refreshed. An astonishing 36 percent have nodded off or fallen asleep while driving.

Approximately 20 percent have lost interest in sex or have sex less often because of sleepiness.Two thirds have a specific sleep issue, such as trouble falling asleep or waking up during the night. Almost half said they had such troubles almost every night.

Several respondents (17 percent) resorted to getting help falling asleep by either drinking alcohol or taking prescription or over-the-counter sleep medications at least a few nights each week. Over half drank caffeine to cope. Some chose foods loaded in sugar and carbohydrates. Around a third nap to make up for lost sleep. Thirty-four percent worked at places which allow napping during breaks.

"We work hard, [and] have family responsibilities, so we cheat on the sleep and do it because the consequences are not immediately apparent," Dr. Rummo says. "People are aware of the problem, but we don't attend to these preventive things. If there's not a semi-crisis in terms of health, we can neglect it."

Always consult your physician for more information.