研究發現 睡眠不足竟會導致美國年損4000億美元大綱

Inadequate sleep causes more than $400 billion in economic losses annually in the United States and results in 1.23 million lost days of work each year, researchers have found.

研究人員發現，睡眠不足導致美國每年經濟損失超過4000億美元，並造成每年損失123萬個工作日。

The impact of chronic sleeplessness in the United States far exceeds the costs in other industrialized countries. The runner-up, Japan, loses as much as $138 billion annually to sleeplessness among workers, but that represents a greater share of its economy, researchers at the RAND Corporation found.

慢性失眠對美國的影響遠遠超過對其他工業國家。蘭德公司的研究人員發現，排名第二位的日本，每年因工人睡眠不足而損失1380億美元，但這一數字在日本經濟中所佔的比重更大。

The number of individuals who sleep less than the recommended hours is increasing in the developed world. From 20 to 30 percent of these workers complain of a lack of sleep on a daily basis.

在發達國家，睡眠時間少於推薦時間的人數越來越多。勞動者中有20%到30%的人抱怨每天睡眠不足。

"Inadequate sleep is too easily accepted into the community as part of life," said Dr. David Hillman, a clinical professor at the University of Western Australia who studies sleep deficiency. In many work settings, "sleep is an indulgence."

西澳大利亞大學研究睡眠不足的臨牀教授戴維·希爾曼表示：“睡眠不足很容易被社會當做是生活的一部分。”在許多工作環境中，“睡眠是一種放縱。”

On a less quantifiable level, inadequate sleep reduces the safety and productivity of workers. Researchers have linked such shattering events as the Challenger space shuttle accident to human error caused by a lack of sleep.

在不太可量化的水平上，睡眠不足會降低工人的安全性和生產率。研究人員認爲，“挑戰者”航天飛機失事等事故都與因睡眠不足引起的人爲錯誤有關。

"It's a huge problem that translates into enormous costs," said Dr. Hillman. "And it's a call to not only mitigate the suffering, but also to mitigate the costs."

希爾曼博士稱：“這是一個巨大的問題，它轉化爲巨大的損失。解決它不僅是爲了減輕痛苦，也是爲了降低成本。”

As the work force becomes more competitive, he said, employers must acknowledge inadequate sleep as a threat to company productivity. Well-rested employees are more efficient, tend to be healthier and feel more content.

他表示，隨着勞動力競爭更加強烈，僱主必須承認，睡眠不足會威脅公司的生產力。員工如果能得到更好的休息，效率會更高、身體更健康、更有滿足感。

More people should be educated about the importance of sleep and sleep hygiene at a young age, Dr. Hillman added. Usually, poor sleeping habits in middle age can be traced back to sleep patterns formed in youth.

希爾曼博士補充稱，更多的人應該在年輕時就接受關於睡眠和睡眠衛生重要性的教育。中年人的不良睡眠習慣通常可以追溯到青年時期形成的睡眠模式。