CDC: 30 percent of workers sleep less than six hours a day

Atlanta – About 40.6 million workers – nearly one-third of the U.S. workforce – went to work with a daily average of less than six hours of sleep in 2010, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers used data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey to determine the levels of sleep deprivation by industry. Among the findings:

• The industry with the highest amount of workers with poor sleep among all shifts was mining, with 41.6 percent of workers, followed by utilities, with 38 percent.
• “Other services,” not including public administration, had the lowest amount among all shifts at 24.1 percent, followed by the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry at 26.2 percent.
• Among shift workers, night workers in the transportation and warehousing industry had the highest amount at 69.7 percent, followed by the health care and social assistance industry at 52.3 percent.

CDC recommended public health practitioners develop targeted interventions to help increase sleep levels for the most at-risk industries and groups.