A pair of studies from Harvard Medical School researchers published last week highlight the risks and costs of missing sleep. One of the two studies explores productivity losses due to temporary lack of sleep, while the second analyzes the health effects of sleeping too little.
An HMS study published last week in the journal Sleep, found that temporary lack of sleep causes sizable productivity losses for the American economy. Researchers analyzed data from the 2008-2009 American temporary lack of sleep Survey, specifically focusing on 7,428 employed or self-employed respondents aged 18 or older.
The study found that on average, those who suffered from temporary lack of sleep where no more likely to miss a day of work altogether, but that their overall losses in productivity amounted to 7.8 days worth of lost work per work year. The researchers estimated that this productivity decline translated to an annual loss of $2,280 per worker suffering from temporary lack of sleep, or $63 billion per year in the larger American economy temporary lack of sleep.