Did you know that even if you are moderately sleep-deprived—awake for 17-19 hours—your response time and accuracy on simple tasks can be 50% lower than someone with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of 0.05%? Colorado law considers that BAC level “ability impaired.” With more awake hours, performance continues to decline. These findings were published by Occupational and Environmental Medicine (occenvmed.com) in 2000.

Take that in. Then consider one of the first things we do when we are busy and stressed with too much to do: We give up sleep!  

Numerous studies in the recent years have linked sleep with work productivity, and physical and emotional health. Insufficient sleep causes a decline in all these factors. More than one third of Americans are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2016, the RAND Corporation found that sleep deprivation costs the U.S. economy $411 billion a year and over one million lost workdays.

Though it is hard to measure, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drowsy drivers were responsible for 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries and 800 deaths in 2013. Harvard Mental Health Letter reports that sleep problems may increase both risk for developing particular mental illnesses, as well as result from mental disorders. Sleep deprivation is common and leads to more errors, no matter your job. Errors can be especially serious for workers in certain industries, such as the medical field. In the landscape industry, workers using heavy equipment and power tools can have serious consequences if sleep-deprived. 

Good sleep is good for us. The deepest stage of sleep produces physiological changes that help boost immune system functioning. Sleep.org suggests some lifestyle changes we can make to increase the amount and quality of sleep we get, which helps us to stay healthy and on top of our game.

• Eliminate caffeine, alcohol and nicotine or avoid before bedtime.
• Engage in physical activity. Physical activity during the day helps us fall asleep faster, spend more time in deep sleep, and awaken less often during the night.
• Engage in “sleep hygiene,” which means maintaining a regular sleep-and-wake schedule and keeping the bedroom free of distractions like the computer, smartphone or TV.
• Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation or restorative yoga.

Before putting in overtime hours and/or asking your employees to consistently work overtime to get the job done, you may want to pause and reflect on the quality and accuracy of the work as well as your personal safety and safety of your employees.

This article originally appeared in the September/October 2019 issue of Colorado Green. Read the full article online.

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OSHA implements new weighting system
Latest on EAB: preparing for the inevitable
Northern Water launches collaborative water-efficient landscape grants
Tough and proven perennials for Colorado