Worldandnation: More work, less sleep common in America

More work, less sleep common in America

By LOS ANGELES TIMES

WASHINGTON -- Americans are getting fewer hours of sleep and spending more time at work, resulting in a fatigued society that has less time to devote to family, social activities and sex, a study released Tuesday reported.

The average American gets less than the recommended eight hours of sleep per night, often resulting in drowsiness at work and behind the wheel, the annual National Sleep Foundation poll found.

"Far too many adults still sacrifice sleep, which is unhealthy and counterproductive," said Richard Gelula, the foundation's executive director. "A good night's sleep is a necessity, not a luxury."

Fifty-three percent of 1,004 adults surveyed admitted that they "drive drowsy," while 19 percent have actually fallen asleep behind the wheel. About 100,000 automobile accidents occur each year as a result of driving while drowsy, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates.

Job performance is sacrificed as well: 40 percent of those surveyed say they get sleepy on the job and their work suffers at least a few days each month, while 20 percent have trouble just staying awake at work.

"People may be getting enough sleep, but it is (happening) at school, at work and behind the wheel," said foundation vice president James C. Walsh.

Americans work longer hours than people in any other nation, according to the International Labour Organization, a U.N. agency. As a result, more than 40 percent of adults say they spend more time at work and less time sleeping than they did five years ago.

"There is a direct relationship between hours worked and its negative impact on sleep," Walsh said. "This is particularly noticeable for people working more than 40 hours per week."

Although the average person works 46 hours a week, more than one-third said they worked more than 50 hours each week.

Social and sex lives have been sacrificed in the name of work.

One-third of the respondents said that, if pressed for time, they would be less likely to give up job-related work than sleep, leisure activities and sex.

Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they spent less time having sex and attending organized social activities than they did five years ago.

People who are married with children got the least sleep -- only 6.7 hours a night. The same group had the most sleeping problems and occurrences of daytime drowsiness out of those surveyed.