Research of Fatigue
A lot of research exists in the areas of sleep deprivation and fatigue. The National Safety Council has compiled some of that eye-opening information here for you to share. You can help us end this deadly problem. Change begins with the individual.
Tired Drivers at Greater Risk for Crash
AAA Foundation in December 2016 released a report, Acute Sleep Deprivation and Risk of Motor Vehicle Crash Involvement. It found drivers have a significantly elevated crash risk if, in a 24-hour period, they have:
● Slept fewer than seven hours
● Shortened their usual sleep time by one hour or more
American Workers are Sleep-deprived
Thirty-eight percent of working Americans – more than 54 million people – report being sleep deprived, and night shift workers are most at risk for sleep problems. A majority of night-shift workers, 62%, experience short sleep duration, often the result of insomnia and difficulties falling asleep.
Dr. Geoffrey Calvert, team leader and senior medical epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, discusses shift work and sleep.
Adults Should Get at Least Seven Hours of Sleep Every Day
● In 2015, the National Sleep Foundation released revised sleep duration recommendations established by a panel of sleep experts who recommend adults get seven to nine hours of sleep every day; see the scientific report here
● The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society also recently released sleep duration guidelines that suggest adults should sleep at least seven hours per day
Additional Resources
● American Academy of Sleep Medicine: National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project
● National Sleep Foundation and its DrowsyDriving.org website
● National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: Shiftwork and Long Hours
● National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Drowsy Driving
● National Transportation Safety Board: Reduce Fatigue Related Incidents
Calculating the Cost of Poor Sleep
NSC and Brigham and Women’s Hospital developed a calculator to estimate costs of sleep deficiency for businesses.
New NSC White Paper
Tired at Work: How Fatigue Affects Our Bodies. Learn more.
Thanks to the NSC!
