Sleep Schedules Influence Job Performance.
Sleep expert Mark Rosekind highlights what companies can do to help workers’ performance.
The National Sleep Foundation, along with scientists from multiple disciplines, in November 2015 announced a consensus on the threshold for when motorists are definitely too tired to drive. It has been estimated that at least 1 million car crashes annually are due to fatigue and drowsy driving. NSF polls indicate that 60 percent of Americans have driven drowsy in the last year and 37 percent report nodding off at the wheel. Irregular schedules can be associated with up to a 50 percent increase in on-the-job injuries and accidents and sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to be injured and involved in motor vehicle crashes. Talent Management interviewed Mark Rosekind, sleep expert and administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Edited excerpts follow.
Kenneth M. Nowack: What is the association between sleep deprivation, drowsiness and performance on the job?
Mark Rosekind: NHTSA has expanded our concept of impaired driving to include drunk, drugged, distracted and now the fourth D, drowsy. Our own research found that around 850 fatalities, or 2.6 percent of all fatal crashes, were attributable to drowsy driving in 2014. However, given the many difficulties identifying drowsy driving, clearly this figure underestimates the problem. Therefore, to combat drowsy driving, NHTSA has launched a national drowsy driving initiative to obtain better measurement of the problem, identify effective countermeasures, develop a national educational campaign, address the issue in EMS/first responders, and explore effective policies.
Nowack: Can you expand on how you consider drowsy driving a fourth ‘D’ of impaired driving?
Rosekind: Any factor that can impair human performance could increase driving risk. Perhaps the most established factor is alcohol while drugged driving related to legal and illegal drug use is a growing concern. Distraction, especially related to texting and talking on the phone, has been a significant impaired driving issue since smartphones have become so widespread. Everyone needs to be awake to drive and therefore, sleep and alertness are fundamental to safe driving. Sleep loss and sleepiness can also worsen the effects of alcohol, drugs and distraction.
Nowack: Your research on counter fatigue strategies while at NASA’s Ames Research Center confirmed that we are biologically wired to need a mid-afternoon siesta and how alert an individual “feels” does not reflect reality. What do you think about “napping” as a strategy to counter fatigue and drowsiness.
Rosekind: While at NASA, we conducted a unique real-world study that provided commercial airline pilots a planned nap opportunity in flight to determine the effects of a 40-minute nap on performance and alertness. The study found that on average pilots fell asleep in about six minutes and slept for about 26 minutes. These 26-minute naps enhanced objective performance by 34 percent and increased physiological alertness by 54 percent, with effects lasting around three to four hours. Clearly, when suffering the effects of sleep loss one effective strategy is to get sleep, even small amounts.
Nowack: On the topic of napping, what general guidelines do you suggest for effective napping?
Rosekind: NASA and other research suggest that naps can be optimized by following these six guidelines:
- The ideal time for a nap is during the lull in the circadian cycle — around 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- For a short nap, sleep up to 40 minutes.
- For a longer nap, sleep about two hours.
- Avoid a long nap too close to planned bedtime.
- Allow 10-15 minutes “wake-up” after nap.
- Consider sleep aids: eye mask, ear plugs.
Nowack: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has recommendations for designing shift work schedules that draw from sleep and circadian science that could potentially be applied to industries outside of transportation and medicine. What evidence-based suggestions do you have for organizations to address these concerns?
Rosekind: There are many possible ways for companies to institute policies designed to enhance alertness and presenteeism as a result of sleep deficits and fatigue. For example, companies can examine shift length, time off between shifts and control of time zone changes over consecutive workdays. Greater education to employees about the risk of sleep loss, fatigue and wellness/health promotion programs designed to enhance healthy habits conducive to sleep as well as diagnose possible sleep disorders are a few actions that can have some tremendous bottom-line results on productivity and directly impact safety on the job.
