As Published in Business 2 Business , March 2006

Zzzzzzzzz

Is sleep deprivation a bigger personnel productivity threat than alcoholism?

By Ira S Wolfe

Think napping is for kids? Winston Churchill did it. So did Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Yet, caught in the cross-hairs of productivity and profits, employers who catch employees grabbing a few zzz's on the job jump to the conclusions of laziness or goofing-off.

But employers may need to wake up and take notice: research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies shows that catching a mid-day nap can increase alertness, improve physical dexterity, boost stamina, and lower stress. Other studies show naps can reduce crankiness and enhance brain performance.

The 24/7 world is changing the way people work - and shortchanging the way people sleep. Round the clock operations, in manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare, often take precedence over the basic needs governing sleep and wakefulness.

An estimated 22 million Americans now work evening, swing, rotating, or on-call shifts. Traditional sleep patterns are changing. The result is something known as shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) - excessive sleepiness during work shift followed by insomnia during the hours the employee is trying to rest.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 50 percent of the population complains about excessive sleepiness. It's no wonder with more people juggling one or more jobs, running kids here-there-and-everywhere, caring for aging parents, and volunteering for their favorite organization in "spare" time that 34 percent respondents in the 2005 Sleep in America Study were "at risk" for a sleep disorder. Regardless of the reason, one indisputable fact remains - there is no substitute for sleep.

SWSD eventually leads to sleep deprivation. "Sleep deprivation is like the national debt," says Dr. Jack Joseph, an American Academy Sleep Medicine (AASM) Board certified Sleep Specialist. who practices with Conestoga Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine in Lancaster. The problem with the cumulative effect of sleeplessness is not just getting a case of yawns or dozing off in meetings. Joseph, who practices with Conestoga Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine in Lancaster, explains, "long-term lack of sleep isn't good for us, is unlikely to ever be repaid, and slowly but surely continues to have a detrimental affect on all of us."

Sleep deprivation has been linked to accidents, both at work and on the way home, as well as a myriad of health concerns, including obesity, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal diseases, stomach ulcers. Studies also show that shift workers suffer from short-term memory disturbances, decreased overall mental ability, headaches, decreased productivity and negative moods and behavior.

Sleepiness is more than a personal problem

If you've ever nodded off behind the wheel or dozed off in a meeting only to suddenly startle yourself upon awakening, you've likely experienced what is called "microsleep." These momentary and seemingly innocuous cat-naps, short bouts of unconsciousness are a sure sign of sleep deprivation. Falling asleep because the room is hot or meeting was boring could be a sign of sleep loss.

How much sleep is required to avoid SWSD? It depends, according to Sleep Specialist Bilal Chaudhry, MD who is the Medical Director of the Ephrata Community Hospital Sleep Centers. Most experts agree the minimum is 7 to 8 hours. During sleep, the body rests, rebuilds, and restores - and the brain gets busy, using the physical dormancy as an opportunity to recharge.

Many workers accustomed to feeling tired do not realize the hazard they present, even if they do not fall asleep while driving. If you do not have enough sleep you are not paying attention and you are not reacting with the speed and accuracy you should.

Microsleep while lasting only a few seconds can have deadly results. The truck driver who plowed into a car near Lake Butler, Florida, on January 25 killing seven children in a fiery crash had little sleep in the 34 hours before the wreck. It takes only 3 seconds for a vehicle traveling 55 miles per hour to cover almost 250 feet, which is ample room for an accident. The same goes for a machine operator, medical resident, or even a parent watching a young child.

Drowsy or Drunk: The costs are too high

Most employers would discharge an employee who showed up for work drunk, but wouldn't even consider telling them to go home if they hadn't gotten enough sleep.

But the similarities between feeling drowsy and drunk driving makes one sit up and take notice. One study on sleep deprivation documented that restricting sleep to 5 hours per night over a one week period results in a level of cognitive impairment equivalent to 2 nights of total sleep deprivation. Sleep loss impairs memory, vigilance, mental processing of complex information, and decision making skills.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep deprivation and its effect on work performance may be costing U.S. employers some $18 billion each year in lost productivity. Another study pushes this cost to over $100 billion.

Just consider the relationship between insomnia and absenteeism. One-half of America's adults say they have experienced at least one symptom of insomnia at least a few nights per week. Results from a study released in the February 2006 issue of Sleep show that 50 percent of employees who suffer from insomnia have at least one time of absence from work over a two-year period, compared with only 34 percent of good sleepers. Insomniacs also miss an average of 5.8 days of work per year, while good sleepers miss only 2.4 days. In other words, insomniacs were more frequently absent from work, and their absences lasted longer.

"My Batteries are wearing out"

More than 70 million people in the U.S. have a sleep disorder. Most of those who have one are completely unaware of it. About a fifth of North American adults have sleep apnea; most remain undiagnosed because they consider things like loud snoring as unimportant or untreatable.

But according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study, approximately 20 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Snoring may be an indication of OSA. And patients who have OSA are more likely to die suddenly of cardiac causes between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. than during the other 16 hours of the day combined.

One patient who presented to the ECH Sleep Center felt like his "batteries were wearing out," according to the center's coordinator Wendy Krout. The patient had a history of heart disease including a pacemaker. The patient tested positive for OSA. He was treated with continuous positive airway pressure, commonly called CPAP, and his cardiac abnormalities resolved….and his snoring stopped, too!

In the real world, people drink coffee, take a walk around the block, or chat with co-workers trying to fight back nature's call for sleep. But you can't fool Mother Nature for long. Without sleep, accidents and mistakes and heart attacks happen more often.

Are you a morning person or night owl?

Would you consider yourself a good sleeper? What about your spouse, partner, co-worker or boss? Well, that is exactly what the National Sleep Foundation tried to find out when it polled over 1500 adults for their 2005 Sleep in America Poll.

As can be seen by the names, there are two "good sleeper" segments and three "not so good sleeper"segments.

Healthy, Lively Larks (27% of the respondents) consider themselves "morning people." This group is the least likely to be affected by sleep problems - their own or those of a spouse/partner.

Sleep Savvy Seniors (21%) get the most sleep of any cluster. But that makes sense considering people in this group are the most likely to be retired (51%) and least likely to be employed (30%).

Dragging Duos (20%) are early risers. They are nearly twice as likely as the other groups to get less sleep than they say they need to function at their best and more than one-third say they feel tired/fatigued at least three days each week.

Overworked, Overweight, and Over-Caffeinated (17%) are evening people or "night owls" who are employed and have the longest work week. Members of this group sleep less and drink more caffeine than other groups.

Sleepless and Missin' the Kissin' (15%) include the largest group "owls" (59%) and people who think they have a sleep problem (58%) or a symptom of insomnia (90%). They are the least likely to say they frequently get a good night's sleep. Nearly half feel they are getting less sleep than they need, and the same number say they usually feel tired/fatigued. The majority of SAMTKs have been diagnosed with a medical condition (84%).

Nothing to snooze at

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that fatigue is a factor in at least 100,000 auto crashes and 1,500 deaths each year.

Sixty percent of adults licensed to drive who participated in the 2005 Sleep in America report say they have driven drowsy in the past year, an increase over recent years;

4 percent have had an accident or near accident because they were too tired, or actually dozed off while driving. (2005 Sleep in America)

The work absences of employees with insomnia cost an average of $3,025 per employee each year, while the missed days of good sleepers cost an average of $1,250. (Sleep, February 2006)

Ira Wolfe (iwolfe@super-solutions.com) is founder of Success Performance Solutions (www.super-solutions.com and www.best-small-business-solutions.com), a Lancaster consulting firm providing competency based employment and career testing.  He has authored several books, Business Values and Motivators, The Perfect Labor Storm: Why Worker Shortages Will Not Go Away and a new e-book, Seven Surefire Steps to Hire High Motivation Employees.