We found this great piece about the research and work Harvard is doing to bring attention to the issue of fatigue in the workplace. Fatigue isn’t just a safety issue for truck drivers, it’s an all around performance and health issue in every industry. The fact is, people who don’t get sufficient nightly sleep (between 7-9 hours) can’t perform at their best and suffer more health problems.
During the last few decades the average American has lost an hour and a half of sleep per night. Sleep researchers at Harvard say the workplace is suffering to the tune of $63 billion a year as a result of insomnia, and all the health and productivity problems that go with it…
The article references the approach the Dallas Mavericks are taking to address fatigue and performance in their players (hey, that’s us!):
“Some businesses are already tackling the issue. Casey Smith is head athletic trainer for NBA team the Dallas Mavericks. The players have just started wearing wristwatches that measure the duration and intensity of their sleep. “It’s a sport but it’s also a business,” says Smith. “Our business is to win games, to win matches, and anything that can make our athletes perform at a higher level, react quicker, recover better, that’s something that we would obviously be interested in.”