Many of us have become addicted to technology and for most of us this addiction is affecting our sleep. The US Institute of Medicine estimates that up to 70 million people in the US suffer adverse health and safety consequences from sleep disorder and sleep deficiency. These consequences include a greater risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, cancer and stroke. Additionally, sleep deprivation causes an increased risk of accidents in the workplace and on the road. Insomnia-related accidents in the workplace cost about $31.1 billion annually.
Did you know the death toll from driving while tired is second only to that caused by drunk driving? (2013, Czeisler) Drowsy drivers cause over 1,500 fatalities in the US annually according to estimates from the National Department of Transportation. Likewise, revenues from sleep clinics in 2011 reached an astounding $6 billion according to IBIS World! As a matter of fact, insufficient sleep has become so prevalent that it is now considered a public health epidemic according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, Gale, Bloomberg) All pretty hefty consequences linked to losing a few z’s.
Czeisler, CA. (2013, May 23) Casting light on sleep deficiency. Nature, Vol 497:S13.
(2013, Aug.) Sleep Disorder Clinics Market Research Report. Retrieved on April 22, 2014.
Gale, J. (2014, Jan. 7) Bedroom-invading smartphones jumble body’s sleep rhythms. Bloomberg. Retrieved on April 22, 2014.