How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Job Safety & Performance

Have you ever heard the phrase that your work is killing you? There’s growing research that says that might actually be the case. Between stress, commuting, decreased time for exercise and healthy eating habits, unhealthy work environments, repetitive actions, or unnatural body positions, work takes a toll on everyone.

Sleep deprivation is now recognized as a public health epidemic by health authorities, with the CDC highlighting its significant impact on public health and community well-being.

Certain professions are more dangerous to your health in the long term than others. When it comes to occupational sleep deprivation, work that requires shifts or particularly high levels of concentration is more likely to disrupt normal sleep patterns. Studies and data from organizations like the CDC have identified the worst jobs for sleep, showing that some occupations carry a much higher risk of sleep issues than others.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, adults between the ages of 18 and 60 should get at least seven hours of sleep daily. But what if your job is causing you to lose sleep? Here’s a comprehensive look at the jobs most affected by sleep deprivation and how shift work sleep problems impact workplace safety and performance.

Which jobs are most affected by sleep deprivation?

Transportation Workers

Jobs in the transportation industry have been identified as being at the highest risk for sleep problems. Air traffic controllers, pilots, rail transportation workers, and long-haul truck drivers are included in this group. Transportation is considered one of the most sleep-deprived occupations, with high rates of short sleep duration among workers. Professionals in this field have a lot of responsibilities in relation to their own safety and the safety of others.

Commercial Trucking

One in four commercial truck drivers reported getting less than six hours of sleep per night. This creates a dangerous situation on our roads.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, drivers who slept for less than 4 hours during the previous day were 11.5 times more likely to cause an accident than someone who slept for more than 7 hours. To put this in perspective a NHTSA study found that, driving after getting only 4-5 hours of sleep is similar to driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) equal to or slightly over the legal limit (0.08) and driving on less than 4 hours of sleep is similar to driving with a BAC of 0.12-0.15, meaning that crash risk while driving while sleep deprived can be directly compared to crash risk when driving under the influence of alcohol. 

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, 14% of truck drivers reported having a near-crash due to drowsiness..

Drivers can combat work-related sleep problems by:

• Getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night
• Maintaining consistent sleep schedules
• Avoiding alcohol before driving or working
• Taking breaks every 100 miles or 2 hours during long trips
• Using drowsiness alerts and lane departure warnings when available

Aviation

Airline pilots must also adapt often to different time zones, which can be disorienting. In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration has strict regulations regarding the length of pilots’ shifts and the amount of rest time required between flights to combat these shift work sleep problems.

Healthcare Workers

It is no surprise that health care workers are among the most sleep-deprived professions. Although doctors, nurses, and health aides have important jobs that require high amounts of concentration, they also tend to be high-stress professions with irregular hours and schedules that do not prioritize sleep.

Being on call, working shifts, and providing 24-hour care is highly disruptive to regular sleep patterns. Irregular hours interfere with circadian rhythms, making it difficult for workers to maintain healthy sleep cycles. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, as many as 75% of health care workers on alternating shifts have experienced fatigue while on duty, and lack of sleep has been closely associated with an increased risk of medical errors. Shift work sleep disorder and other sleep disorders are common among healthcare workers.

Medical Residents

Medical residents are also notoriously sleep-deprived. While training to become fully certified doctors, interns are often expected to work up to 80 hours per week in the hospital and survive grueling shifts that can last up to 28 hours. The physical and psychological demands placed on medical students are largely unique when compared to other professions, and the consequences can be dangerous. These long shifts and chronic sleep deprivation can negatively impact their mental and physical health and overall well-being.

Manufacturing

Historically, in the manufacturing industry, factory workers have been expected to work shifts, even through the night. These jobs often require intense physical labor, as workers handle heavy equipment and perform repetitive tasks in demanding conditions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing has one of the highest rates of night shift work at 13% working between 11pm and 3am. Not only do they deal with the difficulty of staying awake while most other people sleep, but they often work with heavy equipment and in relatively dangerous environments. Night shifts can also disrupt circadian rhythms and contribute to poor sleep quality among workers.

Falling asleep on the job, difficulty staying alert, and impaired motor skills are all extremely hazardous side effects to handle in these types of factory environments. Shift work can significantly disrupt healthy sleeping habits, making it harder for workers to maintain consistent sleep routines and overall well-being.

Business Leadership

Top managers and business owners, in a wide range of businesses, are under constant stress at work. High stress levels are a common challenge for business leaders, impacting their ability to relax and unwind. They are also often expected to be the first person in the office and the last to leave. According to Harvard Business Review, as many as 43% of business leaders report not getting enough sleep during the week. Sleepless nights are common in this group, leading to ongoing fatigue and reduced productivity. In fact, nearly half of business leaders use sleep aids or supplements to manage their sleep issues. Over time, this can make it more difficult to handle stress, think clearly, solve problems, operate efficiently, and lead the company with confidence.

Other Professions Prone to Sleep Deprivation

Other professions prone to sleep deprivation include:

• Internet and communication service operators
• Network administrators
• Plant managers
• Communications equipment operators often handle emergency calls and work odd hours that disrupt their sleep patterns.
• Bartenders (41% of food preparation and serving workers work evening shifts from 6-10 p.m.), whose late nights can significantly affect their sleep.
• Food service supervisors
• Police officers and other first responders (28% of protective service workers work overnight)
• Computer programmers
• Financial analysts

How Does Sleep Deprivation Reduce Job Performance?

Some of the most significant industrial disasters have been associated with occupational sleep deprivation, such as the Chernobyl and Three Mile Island nuclear accidents, according to the American Safety Council. The impact of a job on sleep and performance is significant, as certain professions and work schedules can lead to short sleep durations and an increased risk of errors. Everyday mistakes, lowered productivity, and even workers falling asleep on the job can also be attributed to a chronic lack of sleep.

What are the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Job Safety?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving causes approximately 91,000 police-reported crashes and 50,000 injuries each year. On-the-job performance can be negatively impacted in the following ways:

• Not taking proper safety precautions
• Decreased motor skills
• Impaired decision making
• Faulty memory
• Falling asleep on the job
• Reduced productivity
• Difficulty handling stress
• Increased physical problems

Sleep Deprivation Statistics by Profession

According to recent data from Redline Digital’s 2024 shift work analysis:

• 16% of US wage and salary workers have non-standard schedules outside a regular 9-5
• Las Vegas has the most night shift workers in the US at 16.5%
• 29% of US hourly workers dislike the health impacts of poor sleep
• 24% express concerns about the lack of control over their shifts

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the effects of sleep deprivation at work?

Sleep deprivation at work can cause decreased motor skills, impaired decision-making, faulty memory, reduced productivity, difficulty handling stress, and increased risk of accidents and medical errors.

Which jobs have the highest rates of sleep deprivation?

Transportation workers (especially truck drivers), healthcare workers, manufacturing employees working night shifts, and business executives have the highest rates of occupational sleep deprivation. Studies on the best and worst jobs for sleep show that these professions are among the worst for sleep quality and duration.

How does shift work affect sleep quality?

Shift workers report being dissatisfied with their sleep quality, with night shift workers experiencing the most severe sleep disruption. Shift work often disrupts the internal body clock, making it harder for workers to adapt and maintain healthy sleep patterns.

What can employers do to help sleep-deprived workers?

Employers can implement workplace wellness programs, provide flexible scheduling when possible, offer sleep education, and ensure adequate rest periods between shifts.

Contact Sleep Health Solutions

If you are having trouble getting the recommended seven hours of sleep per night or are experiencing chronic fatigue at work, contact Sleep Health Solutions. We can help identify the underlying causes of your lack of sleep and provide solutions for workers in any industry.

Our professional team can perform sleep evaluations, both in-home and at our specialized sleep center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Call us today at (330) 923-0228