The average American worker loses 11.3 days in lost productivity annually because of insomnia; that is equivalent to a loss of $2,280 each, researchers report in the journal Sleep. Insomnia is a condition characterized by difficulty falling asleep and remaining asleep. It includes a wide spectrum of sleep disorders, from not enough sleep to lack of quality sleep.
Ronald Kessler, lead author, Harvard Medical School, said:
“We were shocked by the enormous impact insomnia has on the average person’s life. It’s an under appreciated problem. Americans are not missing work because of insomnia. They are still going to their jobs but accomplishing less because they’re tired. In an information-based economy, it’s difficult to find a condition that has a greater effect on productivity.”
Insomnia is sometimes separated into three kinds:
Transient insomnia – symptoms last for only a few days or weeks at the most.
Acute (short-term) insomnia – symptoms last for several weeks.
Chronic insomnia – symptoms last for some months and even years.
All age groups can be affected by insomnia. More adult females are affected than adult males.
Insomnia can lead to anxiety, depression, obesity, poor work/school performance. It can also undermine a human’s immune system, which in turn raises the risk and severity of long-term disease.
(Read the rest of this article here: Insomnia Affects 23% Of US Workforce, Costing $63.2 Billion Annually.)
