Area Development
Prolonged workdays that often extend into the night may be causing more American workers to fall asleep or feel sleepy at work, according to a survey by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). "Longer workdays and more access to colleagues and the workplace through the Internet and other technology appear to be causing Americans to get less sleep," says Darrel Drobnich, the NSF's acting CEO, who also says that the effects of sleep loss on work performance are costing U.S. employers tens of billions of dollars in lost productivity each year. Of workers surveyed, 29 percent reported having fallen asleep or becoming very sleepy at work within the past month; 26 percent reported driving drowsy during their workday; and 12 percent admitted to being late to work because of sleepiness. The survey also suggested that nearly one-quarter of American workers spend 10 hours or more per week doing extra work at home, and that nearly the same number do that work within one hour of going to bed. The average U.S. worker wakes at 5:35 a.m. and goes to bed at 10:53 p.m.