Americans working more, sleeping less

Psssssst. You there? Good. You haven’t nodded off yet, so keep reading.

Over the last several decades, Americans have sleeping less and less. Late-night movies, the Web, pastimes, and romance aren’t keeping you awake until all hours. What’s getting in the way of a healthy dose of Zs is a four-letter word: W-O-R-K.

A new nationwide telephone poll of 1,000 working adult Americans by the National Sleep Foundation found that each day Americans work on average 9½ hours at their job and—courtesy of the 24/7/365 connectedness that technology provides—nearly another hour from home. Something’s got to go, and for many, it’s sleep.

You need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each day, say the experts, but on average you’re getting only six hours, 40 minutes each weekday. That lack of sleep can take its toll on the job:
• About one-third of poll respondents said they’ve become very sleepy or fallen asleep at work.
• Not surprisingly, some said that their productivity was lower than expected.
• Forty percent of those polled said they’ve been impatient with coworkers at least a few times a month. (Beware of your sleepyhead colleagues.)

Outside the office, not getting enough sleep can be dangerous. More than one-third polled said they’ve nodded off or fallen asleep while driving. Yet the majority surveyed said they’re very likely to ignore their sleepiness and push themselves to keep going. That’s a bad combination: Each year in the United States, drowsy drivers cause an estimated 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

With National Sleep Awareness Week (March 3-9) in full swing, now’s the time to remedy your bad sleeping ways. You and your children (especially teenagers) should use the following expert strategies to establish healthy sleep patterns:

1. Be consistent. Try to go to sleep and wake up at about the same time every day, including weekends.

2. Log your sleep. Keep track of how much sleep you need to feel refreshed. Adults need 7 to 9 hours every day. Most adolescents require about 9 hours of sleep, some a little more or less.

3. See the light on light. Light triggers waking and sleeping signals to the brain. Avoid light exposure at night, but turn on the lights or get outdoors as soon as possible when you wake up in the morning.

4. Avoid those nasty habits. Stay away from caffeine and nicotine after lunch. These stimulants can disrupt sleep later that evening.

5. Relax. Do soothing activities before bed and minimize or avoid activities that stimulate you within an hour of hitting the sack, such as heavy reading, working or studying, and computer games.

6. Skip the all-nighters. Staying up all night working on a presentation or cramming for an exam can drain brainpower and throw sleep patterns into chaos.

For more information on getting a good night’s sleep, check out the National Sleep Foundation’s Healthy Sleep Tips. If your teenage children aren’t sleeping enough, read what our experts have said about why teens fall asleep in class.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Remember, daylight-saving time returns this Sunday morning, March 9. And if it’s your mattress that’s keeping you up at night, use our expert advice to buy a mattress without losing sleep (available to subscribers).